Countdown to Race Week
Excitement is building and the Nautilus Marine Insurance team is ready for the start of the 2023 Hamilton Island Race Week.
Written by Mainsheet Media
Photography by Salty Dingo
09 August 2023
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Nautilus Marine Insurance, one of the leading providers of insurance to the Australian and New Zealand marine leisure markets, commenced their multi-year partnership with Hamilton Island Race Week in 2022. Building on this successful relationship, the 2023 event is ready to go with competitors eagerly counting down to the start date of 19 August.
Recognised as a must do for sailors from all over Australia and the world, Hamilton Island Race Week is a time for sailing, but also a gathering of like-minded people who enjoy the camaraderie, the competition, and the chance to indulge in one of the best sailing locations in the world.
Nautilus Marine Insurance is very proud to be involved with the regatta and members of their team will be on the island to support the competitors and the event, and to answer any questions people may have. Indeed, as keen sailors themselves, some members of the Nautilus Marine Insurance team are there to compete!
Peter Ryan, Senior Underwriter with Nautilus Marine Insurance, has 40 years’ experience in the marine insurance space and has been sailing since he was twelve.
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“I started sailing in Heron dinghies when I was very young – a little different from the weapon I’m trimming on this year,” Ryan said, referring to Little Nico, an 11-metre carbon race machine that will be skippered by well-known sailor and entrepreneur Christian Beck, owner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 100-footer favourite LawConnect.
Ryan is very keen for more sailors to put Hamilton Island Race Week on the calendar, saying: “It’s unlike so many of the regattas I’ve been to around the world. It has all the ingredients of a world-class regatta and combines them with the location and the people to make an event so enjoyable that I’ve been coming for around 30 years.”
Hamilton Island Race Week first-timer Ian Mewett is looking forward to a competitive but slightly more relaxed introduction to the experience. “I recently bought a Lagoon 570, a big catamaran with lots of room, but we’ll be sailing it with just five crew. The previous owner will be on board with a friend to show us the ropes, and my son and another friend will be joining us.”
Mewett is busily getting his aptly named new purchase Social Platform ready on the Gold Coast before heading to Hamilton Island a week or so before the regatta begins. “My son and I will be doing a quick trip up the Queensland Coast, perfect for a boat like this. We intend on enjoying every moment at the regatta before cruising more of the Whitsundays at the Lagoon Escapade organised by the Australian importer.”
Nautilus Marine Insurance CEO Lyndon Turner is looking forward to once again being part of the event.
“Being partnered with Hamilton Island Race Week is a great way to be involved and show our support of boat owners, the industry, and the region. The whole week is a celebration of what we all enjoy most – getting out on the water and spending time with friends and family.”
The Nautilus Marine Insurance team will be available for the week supporting Hamilton Island Race Week and the competitors. The week will also feature the Nautilus Marine Insurance Classic Long Race, the Nautilus Marine Insurance Classic Medium Distance Race, and the Short Around-the-Islands Race on Tuesday 22 August.
The 38th edition of Hamilton Island Race Week will be staged from 19 to 26 August, when over 200 boats and close to 2,000 sailors, their families and friends will gather at the jewel of the Whitsundays to enjoy the convivial atmosphere and unique camaraderie of the on-water and onshore carnival.
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