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Familiar and fresh faces to line up on 2026 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast start line

Home 2026 Familiar and fresh faces to line up on 2026 Noakes Sydney Gold Coast start line

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Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race organiser — the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia — is thrilled to announce that more than 20 yachts have already signed on for the 384 nautical mile race one month after entries opened for the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore (ACSBWPS) Season Opener. The strong early interest signals registrations are on track to equal — and potentially surpass — the 61 starters in the 2025 edition.

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Entry highlights for 38th edition of the race so far — from a Sydney Gold Coast veteran gunning for the win, to internationals entrants eager to see how we do things on the east coast, and a new double handed duo looking to grow their ocean miles.

Sean Langman’s plan for a triumphant return to the Sydney Gold Coast

With less than 70 days until the 2026 Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, Managing Director of naming rights sponsor Noakes Group Sean Langman has his sights set on an unprecedented third Overall win.

Langman on board Back 2 Black – CYCA/Salty Dingo pic.

Langman, who has competed in at least 20 Sydney Gold Coasts over the years, last competed in the 384 nautical mile race in 2022, when he and the Reichel/Pugh 69 Moneypenny crew claimed the Overall win. He previously won Overall on board the Open 66 Grundig in 2003.

After a three-year hiatus, Langman is back. This time, he hopes to achieve an Overall win on board his Reichel/Pugh GP42 Back 2 Black.

Back 2 Black en route to Hobart – ROLEX/Andrea Francolini pic.

“Back 2 Black is ideal for coastal races,” Langman said. “She is very light-weight with generous sail area. She performs very well in changeable conditions.”

Langman and his team spent six months transforming Back 2 Black from a day racer to an offshore powerhouse after he discovered it “in pieces” in a shed in the UK in 2024.

It was a tight turnaround to ensure the yacht was ready for the biennial Admiral’s Cup, a regatta that culminated in the 100th Rolex Fastnet Race (695 nautical miles) in July.

Following the Fastnet, Back 2 Black was shipped back to Australia. The 42 footer went on to claim second on IRC Division 2 in the 80th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in December.

A wet ride to Hobart for the 2025 Back 2 Black crew – ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo pic.

This year, Back 2 Black‘s program will focus solely on the Australian offshore sailing scene, with another crack at the Rolex Sydney Hobart. In early 2027, it will be shipped back to the UK for another tilt at the Admiral’s Cup. Read about the Admiral’s Cup here.

Joining Langman for the Sydney Gold Coast are many of the crew members who raced to Hobart with him in 2025, which includes youth and women crew members.

“Our goal for the Sydney Gold Coast is to continue our build-up for the 2027 Admiral’s Cup,” Langman said. “Our goal is to do well in the Blue Water Pointscore.

“But our principal goal is simply to win IRC Overall.”

As a boat builder, Langman has organised a makeover for Back 2 Black to ensure she is in prime condition by race day, 25 July.

Langman described the refit as “an optimisation”.

“It includes new appendages, a cockpit change, a new winch package, and a few things that are secret!”

The Back 2 Black crew celebrate finishing the 2025 Sydney Hobart with a hard earned beer – CYCA/Salty Dingo pic.

New double handed team take on Sydney Gold Coast

Annie Stevenson caught the double handed sailing bug after the 2025 Sydney Gold Coast. Stevenson and fellow sailor Elizabeth Tucker decided to continue north in the 520 nautical mile 2025 GCCM Gold Coast Mackay Yacht Race on board Tucker’s Class40 First Light rather than fly home to Sydney. They had a blast, despite spinnaker issues early in the race.

Stevenson (left) ahead of the start of the 2025 Sydney Hobart race start – CYCA/Salty Dingo pic.

Stevenson went on to sail with Tucker, fully crewed, through the remainder of the 2025/26 ACSBWPS, including the 2025 Sydney Hobart. This year, the 27-year-old Yorkshire-born software engineer has committed to a double handed offshore campaign on board the Dehler 30 One Design Employment Hero Alliance (owned by Ben Thompson) with co-skipper Peter Winter.

Winter is a professional sailor, specifically a tactician, who has raced in Australia and internationally. However, offshore double handed racing is unknown territory for the skilled sailor.

Stevenson met Winter in 2023 when they crewed on the Beneteau First 47.7 Popeye in the Sydney Gold Coast, where the yacht placed an impressive second Overall. That race kicked off a strong sailing partnership, taking them through multiple fully crewed campaigns together.

Their 2026 offshore sailing season begins with the Sydney Gold Coast, followed by the Gold Coast Mackay, with the potential to lead into a Sydney Hobart campaign.

Stevenson and Winter out training on board Employment Hero Alliance – Stuart Don pic.

“We haven’t locked in the long-term plan yet, but a Hobart campaign is on the table,” Stevenson said. “We just need to work through the logistics of getting there.”

Their preparation for the Sydney Gold Coast is on track, and with Employment Hero Alliance being a relatively new boat (built in 2020), Stevenson and Winter have been able to focus more on their sailing and less on maintenance. The administration side of things, however, has occupied a fair bit of time, from organising ORC and IRC ratings to safety certifications and checks on the rudder, keel, and rig.

“I definitely have a new appreciation for just how much prep work goes on behind the scenes,” Stevenson said.

Employment Hero Alliance – Stuart Don pic.

Admin aside, Stevenson said she was eager to embark on the new challenge alongside Winter.

“Double handed racing is a discipline I’ve been excited about for a long time, and having the opportunity to skipper with Peter’s mentorship is the perfect way to start this journey,” she said.

The shift from Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge to fully-crewed Sydney Gold Coast

When Sharon Ferris-Choat talked to Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Media from Opua in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, the Canadian-born New Zealander was taking a break from preparations before the Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge on 30 May.

Ferris-Choat at the helm of Vixen Racing – Vixen Racing pic.

A fleet of 18 solo yachts will sail from Opua Cruising Club on a 1170 nautical mile course to the Southport Yacht Club finish line. Ferris-Choat is on board the Class 40 Vixen Racing.

The two-time Olympian has broken several world speed records, including Antigua to Newport and Round Britain and Ireland, but this will be her longest offshore solo race. She estimates the passage will take around six to eight days, weather dependent.

Vixen Racing leaves Sydney Heads in the 2025 Cabbage Tree Island Race – CYCA/Andrea Francolini pic.

“I’m gunning to win it,” Ferris-Choat said. “There’s very good competition, so winning’s not going to be easy, but it’s definitely my goal.”

Ferris-Choat will race to Southport again in July for the Sydney Gold Coast race — this time from a Sydney Harbour start line and with a few more crew members for company on the run north. Despite racing around the world multiple times, it will be her first Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, and the warmer northern weather is high on her list of drawcards compared to a New Zealand winter.

Pretty in pink, Vixen Racing en route for Cabbage Tree Island – CYCA/Andrea Francolini pic.

Vixen Racing is an offshore sailing program that sells positions on board for offshore races, regattas, and sailing courses. Ferris-Choat, Skipper and Lead Coach, said she and looked forward to sharing her experience with her Sydney Gold Coast crew, a mix of seasoned sailors and newcomers.

“We want to provide a pathway for people to get into more coastal and offshore racing, and make it accessible for everybody,” she said.

Going back to fully crewed racing after short-handed mode will be an adjustment, Ferris-Choat admits, but she has little doubt she’ll be back to delegating like a pro before long.

Entries close on Friday 10 July and the race start on Saturday 25 July, there’s still plenty of time to get your entry in and build your crew for the ‘great winter escape’.

To see the full list of entries so far, click here.