If fresh air, crayfish, fine produce and a challenging race with friends excites you then get your entry in now for the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria’s (ORCV) 54th Melbourne to King Island Yacht Race.
The popular ocean race starts from Queenscliff at 2:30pm on Friday the 7th of March with the fleet taking on the short but challenging 114 nautical mile tactical race to Tasmania’s King Island, while fighting for the coveted King Island Trophy.
Sailed under AMS, ORC, Multihull, Double Handed and PHS handicaps, the race is a fixture on the ORCV sporting calendar.
The ORCV fosters sustainable destination ocean racing and nurtures partnerships built over many years including a strong relationship with the King Island Boat Club forged over many decades.
Legend has it that a group of sailors moored in Grassy, the largest town on the island, 54 years ago and were befriended by some locals with fresh crayfish from the pristine waters surrounding the island.
This friendly gourmet interaction coincided with the establishment of the King Island Boat Club and from there the Melbourne to King Island race was born accompanied by the catch phrase ‘…through tides and currents we race, to the land of meat, cheese and rugged beauty’.
Wild and rugged, King Island is the largest of three islands in the New Year Group off the northwest tip of Tasmania famous for its world class gourmet produce including beef, cheese and crayfish, with the island also earning a global reputation for its magnificent golf courses.
While one of the shorter ocean races in the ORCV Offshore Championship, the race from Port Phillip to King Island presents some unique navigational challenges with the race often won or lost on the approach to Grassy Harbour due to wind and tidal influences around King Island.
And did someone say steak sandwiches?
24 boats have so far entered the race and while several are yet to finalise their crew lists, the start line will reflect a who’s who of Victorian sailing.
Scarlet Runner, skippered by Rob Date from the Sandringham Yacht Club, is in top form following recent wins in the Melbourne to Hobart ‘Westcoaster’ and the Melbourne to Port Fairy race with Date looking for his fourth King Island Trophy and his first on the new sustainable Carkeek 43.
While several double-handed entries will miss this year’s race as they take on the challenges of the 2025 Melbourne to Osaka Cup, Toecutter, skippered by Brad Bult and Robert Hick, will provide a menacing presence on the start line and is likely to be an early leader.
The race to King Island will be the first ocean race for Jac Hoi, a new entrant to the ORCV fleet, the Italian built performance-cruiser Solaris 47 is skippered by Danielle Fraser from the Royal Geelong Yacht Club.
“We did Hamilton Island [Race Week] last year and I thought, this is really fun, I really like this, so I put it to the crew that we think about doing the King Island Race – it’s not a big race – and everyone wanted to do it!” said Fraser.
Teamwork, fun and great camaraderie exemplify the culture onboard Jac Hoi, an approach that has developed over many years sailing together in Geelong including in the Etchell Class and in Club racing.
“The reason why I am keen to get to King Island is to visit the [King Island Dairy] Cheese Factory and to get stuck into a steak sandwich too,” said Fraser.
Fraser has been spending time completing the safety audits and getting herself ready for the race, and will be looking for more ocean racing opportunities in the future.
“I have spent a lot of time on the boat recently learning how to service the winches, and understanding engine maintenance, it’s all new preparation for being a skipper compared to when I’m crewing…..We haven’t set any goals really other than to get there safely, we are just testing the waters to see how we go, it’s about having fun and lots of laughs at the end of the day, and it doesn’t get much better than that,” said Fraser.
The race is part of the ORCV Offshore Championship which also includes the Melbourne to Devonport ‘Rudder Cup’, the Westcoaster, and the Melbourne to Port Fairy races.
Primitive Cool holds the race record with a time of 09h 50m 21s set in 2014.
For more race information go to https://www.orcv.org.au/king-island
Image credit : Salty Dingo
About ORCV: A leading authority on ocean sailing, racing and training in Australia, the Club was formed so that ocean races in Victorian waters could be efficiently developed and run by an organisation focusing specifically on the needs of ocean racers.
Website www.orcv.org.au
Jane Austin/ORCV Media
