Skip to main content
Time to race start
00 days
:
00 hours
:
00 mins
:
00 secs

Meet the Fleet competing for the 2026/27 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore

Home 2026 Meet the Fleet competing for the 2026/27 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore

Article Image

The Blue Water Pointscore isn't decided in a single race — it's built across an entire season. Points accumulate from July through to December, with the overall champion only crowned after the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. To win, you have to commit to the whole journey.

news
—

What you're racing for

Points accrued across the six races determine the winners of four separate series/pointscores. 

Overall IRC
Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore
Jack Halliday Perpetual Trophy
Overall PHS
Tasman Performance Series
Overall Scratch
Bass & Flinders Series
Women's
Wild Rose Pointscore
Min. 30% female crew

The Six Races

R1

Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race - Results

Saturday 25 July  384 nautical miles · Category 2

The season opener. From Nielsen Park on Sydney Harbour to the Gold Coast skyline — 384 nautical miles past Cape Byron Lighthouse, the most eastern point of Australia. The first points on the board, and a long way to go.

R2

Flinders Islet Race - Next

Saturday 26 September  88 nautical miles · Category 3+

Two months after the Gold Coast, racing resumes close to home. The fleet heads south to Flinders Islet, about one nautical mile east of Port Kembla Harbour, Wollongong, before returning to Sydney Harbour.

R3

Tollgate Islands Race

Friday 16 October  260 nautical miles · Category 2

The third longest race in the Series. Starting Friday evening, the fleet heads south to Tollgate Islands off Batemans Bay before returning to the finish line off Watsons Bay. Ideal preparation for the longer offshore campaigns ahead.

R4

Bird Island Race

Saturday 14 November  83 nautical miles · Category 3+

The shortest race in the Series. North to Bird Island, around three nautical miles northeast of Norah Head, then back to Sydney Harbour. Weather dependent, you might be back in your own bed by nightfall — but as any sailor knows, that's rarely how it goes.

R5

Cabbage Tree Island Race

Friday 4 December  172 nautical miles · Category 2

The last major warm-up before Hobart — and the ideal race to clock your Rolex Sydney Hobart qualifying miles. The fleet heads north on Friday evening to Cabbage Tree Island, just north of Port Stephens, before returning to Sydney Harbour. After this, there's only one race left.

R6
Non-discardable

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

Friday 26 December  628 nautical miles · Category 1

This is where the Blue Water Pointscore is won or lost. The Rolex Sydney Hobart is the only non-discardable race in the Series — every other result can be dropped, but not this one. First place scores zero points. A strong result here is not optional; it's essential. The champion is crowned on the River Derwent.

The Fleet

37 yachts have entered to chase the title across the six races. Here's what the lineup looks like:

  • 37 yachts are racing for Blue Water Pointscore glory this season.
  • 29 of the 37 measure under 50 feet, the J/99s are the smallest in the fleet at 9.9m.
  • 7 Double Handers are on the entry list: four J/99s, a Sunfast 3300, a Mumm 36, and an Akilaria RC2 (Class 40).
  • 3 yachts are woman-owned or woman-helmed: Supernova, Vixen Racing and Yeah Baby Boatec Australia.
  • 2 Kiwi crews have made the trip across the ditch: Akonga and Vixen Racing.
  • 2 interstate boats round out the fleet — Ambition from Tasmania and Moneypenny from Western Australia.