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ACSBWPS Bird Island Race | Preview

Home 2026 ACSBWPS Bird Island Race | Preview

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The Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore reaches its halfway mark at 1000 hours on Saturday 14 November, when 45 boats start the Bird Island Race.

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The 83-nautical-mile course runs north to Bird Island, off Norah Head, and back to Sydney Harbour. It is the shortest race of the Series and the startline will be absolutely packed, with 20 more boats than the 25 that started the Tollgate Islands Race in October.

Three points at the top

Jules Hall’s double-handed J/99 Disko Trooper leads on IRC with eight points, accumulated through a second, a first and a fifth place. Sean Langman’s GP42 Back 2 Black is three points behind on 11, having won the season opener and finished third at Tollgate.

Then a nine-point gap. Sebastian Bohm’s TP52 Smuggler jumped to third on 20 points by winning Tollgate Overall. Michael Rowe and Ben Martin’s Cookson 12 Kanreki is one point back on 21, with Edward Cox’s Ker 40 Minerva and Alex Seja and Felicity Nelson’s Sydney 36 Supernova tied on 22.

Big boats, short course

Anthony Bell’s 100-footer Tribeca LOYAL is the largest boat entered. Master Lock Comanche got around in 5 hours, 43 minutes and 52 seconds last year. Anthony and David Johnston’s URM Group is back as last year’s race’s defending IRC winner, joined by Geoffrey Hill’s Santa Cruz 72 Antipodes and Karl Kwok’s Fast 40 Beau Ideal, both from Hong Kong.

Crews of two

Three J/99s head the Double Handed division: Disko Trooper, Jupiter and Verite. In the last race, Disko Trooper took Double Handed IRC and Paul Beath’s Verite took PHS.

Home by dinner?

Weather permitting, the frontrunners will be tied up by late afternoon. The back of the fleet may not. Mark Ayto’s S&S 34 Western Morning needed more than 20 hours last year, and she is back for more.

The race also counts towards the Coastal Pointscore. Follow the fleet on the race tracker from 1000 hours Saturday.