Airlie Beach Race Week
Date: 6 August 2026 – 13 August 2026
Location: Whitsunday Sailing Club, Airlie Beach, Australia
Organizer: Whitsunday Sailing Club
Airlie Beach Race Week is one of Australia's biggest regattas, run by the Whitsunday Sailing Club from its base on Airlie Point. The 2026 edition is the 38th, sailed from 6 to 13 August in the Whitsundays off the north Queensland coast. Racing covers a wide spread of divisions, from IRC grand-prix boats through performance racing, multihulls and trailable yachts to cruising classes, and the event usually draws around 1,500 competitors, officials and volunteers from across Australia and overseas. Courses thread between the islands in the winter trade winds, which is a large part of the appeal. Ashore, the Whitsundays Festival of Sailing runs alongside the racing, with free live music and food stalls every afternoon and evenings under the marquee on the club lawn. Entries range from serious offshore campaigns to crews treating the week as a sailing holiday with a start gun, and the event is set up to welcome both.
View this event on the World Sailing Day map
More sailing events in Australia
- World ARC 2026-27 Mackay Arrivals — 24 July 2026 · Mackay, Australia
- Sydney Boat Show — 30 July 2026 · Sydney, Australia
- Great Barrier Reef Festival — 31 July 2026 · Airlie Beach, Australia
- Hamilton Island Race Week — 15 August 2026 · Hamilton Island, Australia
- Magnetic Island Race Week 2026 — 27 August 2026 · Magnetic Island, Australia
- World ARC 2026-27 Second Half Start — 8 September 2026 · Darwin, Australia
See all sailing events in Australia, or browse the world map to discover regattas, open days and sailing festivals near you — and explore yacht clubs, marinas and sailing schools along the way.
Sailing nearby
Planning to attend? These clubs, marinas, schools and other sailing places are close to Airlie Beach and worth a visit while you are in the area:
- Charter Yachts Australia — Yacht & Sailing Charters, Airlie Beach, Australia
- Coral Sea Marina — Marinas, Airlie Beach, Australia
- Dream Yacht Charter Australia — Yacht & Sailing Charters, Airlie Beach, Australia
- Edge's Boatyard — Shipyards & Boatyards, Airlie Beach, Australia
- Hawkes Boatyard and Chandlery — Shipyards & Boatyards, Airlie Beach, Australia
- Port of Airlie Marina — Marinas, Airlie Beach, Australia
- Prosail Whitsundays — Yacht & Sailing Charters, Airlie Beach, Australia
- Queensland Yacht Charters — Yacht & Sailing Charters, Airlie Beach, Australia
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