Hamilton Island social central

Two laydays at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week added impetus to the social program, which was as mixed and as colourful as the on-water action.

Photography by Ken Butti

25 August 2017

From champagne breakfasts and celebrity chefs to cruises with pearls and canapes, there was something for everybody at this year’s Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

High profile guests, sailing elite, Royalty and some of the county’s leading gourmands dressed up in their finery for a week of glamorous parties.

The 2017 onshore event program offered an array of fabulous free of charge and ticketed events for visitors to enjoy – from exclusive dinners at the best restaurants on the island, such as dinner with Chef Matt Stone, the Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Lunch, and the ever-popular Wild Oats Ladies’ Lunch, to the fun and frivolity of the Karaoke competition on the main stage on Front Street.

At the Hamilton Island Yacht Club there are daily Pearl Discovery sessions hosted by Paspaley Pearls, where Champagne will be served as you discover why Australian South Sea pearls are the world’s rarest and most valuable.

For crews, the Marina Tavern was the place to get together with friends to de-brief the day’s racing. Following each day of racing, race officials will present the daily race winners with their prizes, capped off by non-stop live entertainment each night along Front Street.

This hectic social calendar added to the magic that is Race Week.