The penultimate day of racing at Hamilton Island Race Week presented by American Express provided everything needed to set up an iconic finish for the 41st event.
Hamilton Island Race Week 2026 © Salty Dingo 2026
Rating Division 1 belonged to Peter White’s First Light under IRC, with back-to-back victories moving the team into a two-point series lead heading into the final day.
Sandy Oatley’s Wild Oats X recorded a second and a third to sit second overall on 11 points, with Mark Spring’s Highly Sprung third on 13. Robert Kelly’s Virago finished third and second to move into fourth overall on 15 points.
Under TPR scoring, Highly Sprung recorded a second place to strengthen its series lead. Virago secured the win for the day.
With the first discard now applied, Highly Sprung leads the TPR standings on six points, four clear of Gusto on 10, with Virago third on 11.
Bruce McCracken’s Ikon remains untouchable in Rating Division 2, adding another victory to extend its perfect scorecard to six wins from six races. With the first discard applied, Ikon leads on the minimum possible score of five points.
Hamilton Island Race Week 2026 © Salty Dingo 2026
David Hamilton’s Seeking Alpha recorded a second place to remain second overall on 12 points, with Paul Arns and Geoff Bishop’s Obsession third on 14. Ian Box’s Toybox2 finished third for the day.
Super 40+ produced three different winners across its scoring systems on Day Five.
Raymond Roberts’ Team Hollywood maintained its perfect IRC scorecard, claiming a fifth consecutive win. Don’t Panic finished second, with Fomo third. After the discard, Team Hollywood leads on four points, ahead of Fomo on nine and Celestial on 14.
Under SFR, Ari Abrahams’ Fargo took the win ahead of Peter Higgins’ Black Sparrow and Team Hollywood. Black Sparrow retains the series lead on six points, while Fargo and Team Hollywood are tied on nine, with Fargo second on countback.
Sam Haynes’ Celestial won under ORC AP, ahead of Team Hollywood and Black Sparrow. Celestial leads those standings on four points, with Team Hollywood second on eight and Black Sparrow third on nine.
Hamilton Island Race Week 2026 © Salty Dingo 2026
Hamilton Island Blue has a new leader heading into the final day, with Walter Carpenter’s Caol Ila finishing third today to move to the top of the standings on 17 points.
Grant Wharington’s Wild Thing 100 finished 10th, dropping to second overall, just one point behind on 18. Ben Davidson’s Sea Fever placed second to climb to third overall on countback from David Beck’s Journey, with both boats on 27 points.
Ryan Hardy’s Delta Lady claimed the Day Five race win.
In Multihull Racing, Troy Forrest’s Mint won under OMR ahead of Terry Robinson’s Miyu and Mike Peberdy’s Rare Groove. Miyu continues to lead the OMR standings on seven points, with Mint second on 13 and Rare Groove third on 19.
Under EHC, Stuart Cox’s Cut Snake claimed a second consecutive race win, ahead of Mint and Rare Groove. Mint has moved into the series lead on 17 points, with Gordon Beath’s Roamance second on 19 and Miyu third on 20.
Hamilton Island Race Week 2026 © Salty Dingo 2026
Hamilton Island Pink remains exceptionally close heading into the final day. Peter Russell’s Vincitore won today’s race ahead of Bill Kidman’s Pretty Boy Floyd and Sharon Ferris-Choat’s Vixen Racing.
Jennifer and Brenton Carnell’s Phoenix49 continues to lead on 24 points, but John Whitbread’s Kerb is only one point behind on 25, with Cam Rae’s Crusader third on 26.
Phoenix49 co-skipper Jennifer Carnell said the varied conditions had made for an exciting and incredibly close week, with just two points separating her boat from fellow Geelong entry Crusader, skippered by Cam Rae.
“It’s been windy, crazy and awesome. We need the wind, but some of it has been pretty wild when the fronts hit. It is so close at the top and has become a real battle of the Geelong boats,” Carnell said.
The Phoenix49 team cruised north for two weeks before spending several days at Whitehaven Beach, then transformed the boat from cruising mode to racing mode for Hamilton Island Race Week.
Hamilton Island Race Week 2026 © Salty Dingo 2026
“We’ll be away from home for three months, and it has been awesome. We had three or four beautiful days at Whitehaven before changing the boat over from cruising to racing for Hamilton Island.
“Evie Macdonald and Grace Hooper came to us as juniors and I just love having them onboard. They’re now 20 and 21 and have been sailing with us for three or four years. Watching them evolve and grow has been awesome. My nephew Fletch is 24 and he’s our navigator, so we have a great young group onboard.”
John Foster’s Xscape claimed the Hamilton Island Yellow race win to open a seven-point lead heading into the final day.
David Lamond’s Adela X finished second and sits second overall on 28 points. Danielle Fraser’s Jac Hoi completed today’s top three.
Stratacare Racing Bluebottle and Brand X are tied on 29 points in third and fourth, with Stratacare Racing Bluebottle ahead on countback.
Hamilton Island Race Week 2026 © Salty Dingo 2026
Hamilton Island Orange also has a new leader, with Mark Tobin’s C’est La Vie moving to the top of the standings on 34 points. Paul King’s Nautilass and Derek Minihane’s Impulse are tied on 37 points in second and third.
Ian Coombes’ Fontana claimed its second consecutive race win, ahead of Arnaud Rabatel’s Blue and John Bashford’s Recherche.
In Hamilton Island Green, Gary Davison’s Solaire won ahead of BJ Davison’s Ruthless and Phil Farrands’ Moderation.
Neil Young’s Carbontest.au retains the overall lead on 22.5 points, but Solaire has closed to within 1.5 points on 24. Carl Nicholls’ Bonaventure is third on 25.5, leaving the top three separated by just three points.
Hamilton Island Race Week 2026 © Salty Dingo 2026
Non-Spinnaker Black and White produced another change at the top, with Mark Miller’s Namadgi 3 now leading on 22 points. Chris Haskard’s Me & Mrs Jones is second on 25, with Geoff Adams’ Rampallion third on 27.
Glenn Myler’s Thylacine One won today’s race ahead of Rampallion and Dominic Pagliaro’s Scarborough.
In Non-Spinnaker Grey, Graeme Trewavis’ Asadori took the race win ahead of Jack Thomas’ Tashtego and Louise Cotter’s Bella Luca.
Bigger Day Out and Maritimo 100 are tied at the top of the series on 22 points, with Bigger Day Out leading on countback. Firefox remains third on 29 points.
David Freedman’s Maximum Limit won the Trailable Yachts race to take over the series lead on 24 points. Jack Felsenthal’s Charter World Yachting Holidays is second on 28, with Simon Morris’ Offshore Account third on 31 after finishing second today. Tom Vujasinovic’s Masquerade completed the Day Five top three.
Hamilton Island Race Week 2026 © Salty Dingo 2026
All Race Week details are available at www.hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
Race Week is proudly presented by American Express, with the support of Premium Partners Ahoy Club, AVPartners, Carlton & United Breweries, Diageo, Nautilus Marine Insurance and Volvo Cars, Official Automotive Partner, alongside Event Partners Charles Heidsieck, Dufour, Kylie Minogue Wines, Panerai, Piper-Heidsieck, Revo, Robert Oatley Wines, Sail Racing and Saya Skincare, and Strategic Partner Tourism and Events Queensland.
