This unique event usually has an offshore and inshore fleet going north outside (and inside) South and North Stradbroke Islands, and Moreton Islands, from Southport to Sandgate. So this year the big deep draft monohulls missed out altogether, although there was a suggestion that the biggest boat in the fleet, BlackJack, could have kept her keel canted throughout the race to slip over the 2 metre shallows in the race that we affectionately call the “drain run”. Most of the offshore multihulls did join the inshore race, adding to the spectacle when some of the 45 by 30 foot boats were trying to squeeze past the earlier starting monohulls in the confines of Jacobs Well and Stieglitz channel. Special mention goes to Mike Hodges on Renaissance who ordered the crew into the mud to lift 8 tonnes of catamaran backwards from west of Russell Island.

The breeze inshore started with 10-15 knots from the south and built during the day to many bullets of 35 with highest measured being 41 knots, so the excitement built as the race progressed. There were plenty of groundings, broken rudders and keels, masts down, blown sails, capsizes, with the worst sadly resulting in Steve North’s well-campaigned RL 24 Go For It still out there after the crew abandoned their sinking boat out in the open bay.

The winners get the usual gongs, but standout performances were from:

Div3 PHRF Jessandra, Roland Dane

Div 2 PHRF Still Crazy, Peter Lahey

SMS Div PHRF Stage 3, Michael Pitt

RL 24 Dipsomaniac, Rohan Little

Inshore B Monohull Pagan, Peter Kerr

Inshore Multihull OMR AYS Raider, Joel Berg

Inshore Multihull PHRF Fritz the Cat, Martin Arrowsmith

Inshore B Multihull OMR Rhythmic, Phil Day

Inshore B Multihull PHRF Rhythmic, Phil Day