Another reason to get 'out of the house' and come down to the bayside suburb of Shorncliffe. In preparation stages for this years start on Good Friday, 6 April 2012, the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht race is an exciting event and is a highlight of the Sandgate Bluewater Festival which starts the day prior.
Celebrate with family and friends and make a day of it. Lots of people bring picnics, BBQ ingredients, or simply come in style with chicken and champagne to cheer on the boats. You can set up your site around the Shorncliffe Pier or on slightly higher grounds around Moora Park. It really is the ambience of 'people gathering' that makes for an enjoyable day. Bring Cameras with zoom lenses and /or Binoculars for a closer view boats out at sea.
The Race Rundown: The yachts start from Shorncliffe and proceed via a bouy off Redcliffe Point the North West Channel up to Caloundra and through to Gladstone, a distance of approximately 308 nautical miles.
Weather dependent, the first yachts can be entering the Harbour in Gladstone around 7.30am the following morning with the bulk of the fleet finishing late Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday morning. Entrants in the QantasLink Brisbane to Gladstone race for the Courier Mail Cup, one of the oldest perpetual trophies in Australia that has been competed for on a continual basis.
Here are a couple of images from earlier races I have taken when I had the opportunity to 'watch from the water'.
2008 Brisbane to Gladstone: Yacht Traffic: photo by Julie
2010 Brisbane to Gladstone: Spinnakers going up: photo by Julie
2010 Brisbane to Gladstone: Spinnakers UP: photo by Julie
The event is the 64th edition, hosted and organised by Queensland Cruising Yacht Club
Website for details.
