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Rolling Updates | Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

Home 2026 Rolling Updates | Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

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The story below contains timely and chronological updates from our fleet. Where longer stories are available, they will be linked below as well.

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RACE UPDATE — Sunday 26 July, 1600hrs (1 day, 3 hours of racing)

Smuggler's got the hammer down (flashbacks to last year, anyone?), leading both Line Honours and Overall with 120nm to go. Chasing hard 20+ miles south: Gusto, V5, Koa, Antipodes, Back 2 Black and Ambition.

At time of writing, Minerva sits 1st in IRC Division One, 3rd overall. KD1 is rock-hopping her way to the lead of IRC Division Two.

Disko Trooper (Jules Hall & Alex Knight) is racking up quite the leaderboard. Jules on the plan for this afternoon's light patch: "We have a plan. You'll soon see if it's the right one."

One retirement since the last update: Challenge (Michael Trask), rudder issues.

 

Sunday 26 July, 1600hrs (1 day, 3 hours of racing)

The fleet is enjoying what's turning into a classic Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race: offshore breeze building through the day, boats rock-hopping close along the beach late in the afternoon to pick up extra land breeze.

Race leader Smuggler has put the hammer down (anyone else getting flashbacks to last year?), with 120nm left to the finish. Navigator David Van der Winde flagged earlier today that he expected a tricky day, and the track backs that up, with a series of gybes off the coast of Coffs Harbour in quick succession. The Line Honours leader also currently leads Overall on handicap, and sits roughly ten miles off Wooli Beach.

More than twenty nautical miles south of Smuggler sits the chasing pack: Gusto, V5, Koa, Antipodes, Back 2 Black and Ambition. The main Line Honours is becoming clearer, but there's still plenty for the chasing group to sail for on handicap and bragging rights.

Minerva, sailing an outstanding race, has just passed close inshore of Scotts Head and sits first in IRC Division One and third on IRC overall.

Playing the rock-hopping game is KD1, the Farr 40 skippered by Joe de Kock of Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, passing Southwest Rocks within about half a nautical mile of the coast and leading IRC Division Two.

The double handers are putting on a nail-biter for the spectators. Mistral (Rupert Henry) has lost ground on her double-handed rivals. Disko Trooper (Jules Hall and Alex Knight) leads IRC Division 3, Corinthian IRC, Corinthian PHS, Double Handed IRC and Double Handed PHS, and has just passed Crescent Head, approaching Hat Head at seven knots with 195 nautical miles left to the finish.

Earlier this morning skipper Jules Hall summed up their night: a rough start, a dropped spinnaker in the water, and a full send once the westerly filled in around midnight that clawed back more distance than it cost, reaching at up to 16 knots under a big moon. When prompted about their strategy to make the most of the light conditions this afternoon, Hall's message was simple: "We have a plan. You'll soon see if it's the right one." With Disko Trooper leading five categories at time of writing, it's starting to look like it is.

At the back of the fleet is Marguerite, with 230 nautical miles to go.

One retirement since the last update: Challenge, skippered by Michael Trask, withdrawn with rudder issues.

 

Sunday 26 July, 0730hrs (18 hours and 30 minutes of racing)

The breeze held overnight, letting the fleet keep pushing up the coast at pace.

Smuggler, who parked up briefly yesterday afternoon after what seemed like a costly inshore call, rejoined the offshore TP52 pack last night as reported, and continued working further offshore through the night.  The move has paid off: she's back leading Line Honours and leading her IRC division (0).  Further inshore, five to six miles off the coast, Gusto, Koa and V5 remain grouped closely together.

Smuggler after the start.  Credit: CYCA | Andrea Francolini

Back 2 Black, skippered by Sean Langman, overtook Minerva overnight and now leads the sporty forties. She's currently off the coast of Port Macquarie.

Elizabeth Tucker's First Light remains the furthest progressed double-hander in the fleet. Elizabeth this morning: "We still have good breeze at the moment, but we're holding our breath so it doesn't die out.  It wasn't too cold until around four or five am, and it was a stunning night with a beautiful orange moon and a totally clear sky."

Ten miles behind her sits Mistral, skippered by Rupert Henry and Greg O’Shea.  The bridesmaid two years ago in this race now leads overall on handicap and leads the double handed IRC standings, having broken away from her closest doublehanded rivals.

Behind Mistral sits a tightly packed group of competitors. Among them is Employment Hero Alliance, skippered by Annie Stevenson, sailing her maiden race in this Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore.  Stevenson shared: "It was an interesting night, but we're glad the sun's rising.  We had some great boat speeds, I think the maximum was sixteen knots, but our kites are looking a little worse for wear..."

Slightly east of her, Disko Trooper, the J/99 skippered by Jules Hall and Alex Knight, no strangers to this race or other Blue Water Pointscore events, has had a strong night and sits with solid standings on the leaderboard so far, with plenty of racing left to go.

Conditions through the day are expected to ease as the breeze trends further south. Whether the better breeze is found offshore or inshore will be the game of the day. 

Disko Trooper.  Credit: CYCA | Andrea Francolini

 

Saturday 25 July, 2100hrs (8 hours of racing)

Eight hours in and the wind is tracking the forecast: mild to moderate westerly to southwesterly, trending further southwest through the evening and pushing the fleet up the New South Wales coast at a steady pace

The front of the fleet is tightly grouped. Koa and Gusto lead the charge, both TP52s doing thirteen to fifteen knots, almost certainly sporting reaching sails or two sail reaching in beautiful night sailing conditions.  Close behind are fellow TP52s V5, Smuggler and Frantic, with Antipodes, the biggest boat in the fleet, sailing right amongst them.

Koa currently leads Line Honours, IRC overall, IRC Division Zero and Corinthian IRC with a full crew of non-professional sailors.

After its picture perfect start Smuggler has lost the lead after a tactical call to head inshore out of Sydney Harbour, eventuating with the boat slowing down while the offshore TP52s sailed away.  She has since regrouped with her fellow 52s further offshore.

In the 40 foot division, Minerva skippered Ed Cox has progressed furthest north, followed by Back 2 Black, skippered by race sponsor Sean Langman and Ambition breathing down their necks skippered by the Dare father-son duo.

Edward Cox's Ker 40 Minerva

Furthest progressed double-hander is Elizabeth Tucker’s First Light, a Class 40 in its element in these reaching conditions.  Mistral sits about a mile to her southwest, back to chase the overall honours trophy after finishing second in 2024.

Overnight, southwest winds should hold, strength depending on how far in or offshore boats sit. Breeze holds through the night, easing gradually from early morning, strongest longest for boats furthest north.  Fast progress overnight should pay off big once the breeze starts dying further back.

One retirement: Bushranger, a MAT 1220 skippered by Michael Fountain, withdrawn with electrical issues. Crew safe, returning to its home berth.

 

Images by: CYCA | Andrea Francolini