The tranquil waters of The Great Barrier Reef will soon be abuzz with sailors, food lovers and connoisseurs, fashionistas, business leaders and more when Audi Hamilton Island Race Week hits the shores from August 15 to 22, 2015.
The picturesque back drop of Hamilton Island will again make the ideal setting to celebrate and bring to life the vibrant diversity of the annual Whitsunday series, now in its 32nd year, with fine cuisine, fashion and sailing.
The iconic event is celebrating a 10 year partnership with Germany luxury car maker, Audi Australia. National sailing legends, personalities, VIP’s and cultured travellers wishing to tick off a bucket list moment will be offered a first-class experience and prime location to view one of the nation’s preeminent regattas. A diverse fleet from around the country including big name contenders Wild Oats X, Ichi Ban and Sydney Hobart overall winner Wild Rose, are set to gather for the six day showdown open to cruising and sports boats, cruising and racing multihulls, trailer-sailers and grand prix racers.
This year the 2015 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week kicks off with an impressive line-up of on-shore events and activities from general admission, ticketed and invite only, including the Piper Heidsieck champagne lunch, Paspaley Luncheon featuring the exclusive launch of the Nautique by Paspaley collection, Louis Vuitton Art of Packing workshop and Audi Ambassador Collette Dinnigan will reveal elements of her much-anticipated exhibition, ‘Collette Dinnigan – Unlaced’. NET-A-PORTER.COM, the world’s premier online luxury fashion retailer, returns for the second consecutive year hosting a cocktail reception during the opening weekend, followed by a private Style Suite hosted by the brand’s personal shopping team who will be showcasing an exclusive edit of new season collections from the world’s leading designers.
“Audi Hamilton Island Race Week caters for family-crewed boats through to the Corinthian and semi-professional teams vying for the prestigious ‘Australian IRC National championship – Hamilton Island’ that will run in conjunction with Race Week,” said Hamilton Island CEO Glenn Bourke, a multiple world champion sailor.
“The island and our title partner Audi Australia expect to host a diverse mix of close to 2,000 sailors and their family and friends from every Australian state and territory, and yachties flying in from overseas to compete in the regatta. With the event these days much broader than a sailing regatta, the shoreside program is action-packed and as fun as the on-water competition!” continued Mr Bourke.
“Audi Hamilton Island Race Week is a truly unique race meet, in one of the most beautiful locations in Australia. This year we’re excited to bring up Audi ambassadors and iconic Australian chefs Guillaume Brahimi, Kylie Kwong and Shannon Bennett to delight guests with unique, new gastronomic experiences, as well as to allow Race Week guests to preview Collette Dinnigan’s upcoming ‘Unlaced’ retrospective,” says Andrew Doyle, Managing Director, Audi Australia.
The full schedule of 2015 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week activities can be viewed at
hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au
by Arrnott Olssen
Editor Rogue Homme
