Whitsunday Sailing Club (WSC) is pleased to announce the addition of naming rights sponsors Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay to Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 and also announces that entries have already broached 60 for the 36th running of the event, held in the stunning Whitsunday Islands every year.

Terry Archer, President of WSC said, “We welcome Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay to our event. They are the perfect fit for Airlie Beach Race Week and I urge competitors, their family and friends to support these two great companies.”

Ocean Dynamics is a family run luxury charter business operating out of three Queensland locations: the Whitsundays, Gold Coast and Brisbane. It offers luxury motor cruisers, yachts, jet skis and diving tours and short day trips, along with multiple nights on board luxury boats.

As part of the package, Ocean Dynamics is providing a stunning black RIB and skipper for media use at the regatta, so the likes of renowned photographer, Andrea Francolini and local media, can perform their best work. The company is also providing a special spectator vessel for a minimum of three days of the week long regatta, a lay day vessel for a Whitehaven Beach trip, plus a special competitors’ satchel bag for each boat.

 Nothing rivals sailing at ABRW © Andrea Francolini

Carolyn Lewis, director of Ocean Dynamics said, “I am excited to be partnering with the Whitsunday Sailing Club and Mount Gay for Airlie Beach Race Week 2024.

“The Lewis family are avid sailors and boating enthusiasts who have competed at Race Week many times in the last 20 years. This year, we look forward to seeing competitors on the water from the spectator and photography vessels,” Lewis said.

This scene at ABRW will this year include red Mount Gay caps on heads – photo © VAMPP Photography

Ocean Dynamics’ private charters and event business is expanding operations in the Whitsundays, with exciting new products on offer from Airlie Beach, Daydream Island and Hamilton Island in 2024 and beyond.

With an extremely rare permit to conduct events on Whitehaven Beach, Ocean Dynamics specialises in bespoke VIP corporate events, birthdays and weddings. Coupled with Ocean Enigma, a luxury 28 metre motor cruiser, or one of the smaller, luxury vessels, Ocean Dynamics would love to help you plan your next special occasion or corporate event.

Mount Gay is well known to yachties world-wide. The Barbados rum company continues a long association as sponsor for so many sailing events around the world. Competitors will be thrilled to know their favourite post-race tipple and the coveted red Mount Gay caps, a collector’s item, are returning.

Competitors and volunteers will receive a cap each, with special giveaways in competitor bags AND special bottles of Mount Gay rum awarded at the official prize-giving.

“Mount Gay Rum is thrilled to announce its sponsorship of the Airlie Beach Race Week, solidifying our commitment to the vibrant sailing community of Australia. As one of the most esteemed and picturesque sailing events in the country, it perfectly embodies the spirit of adventure and camaraderie that Mount Gay Rum stands for,” said Stefano Redo, Mount Gay Australia Brand Manager

“We are excited to be part of this exceptional regatta, where sailors from around the world gather to showcase their skills and passion against the stunning backdrop of the Whitsunday Islands.

“Our partnership with Airlie Beach Race Week underscores our dedication to supporting the sailing community and celebrating the exhilarating sport of sailing. We look forward to raising a glass of Mount Gay Rum with participants and spectators alike as we toast to another unforgettable year of racing and revelry on the azure waters of the Coral Sea,” Redo concluded.

“Whitsunday Sailing Club, which last year unveiled its new clubhouse and facilities, has made major changes this year,” Terry Archer said. “And our new clubhouse is the best it can be for competitors and visitors.

“We’ve also put together a new regatta team with a mix of volunteers and club staff to fine-tune the great regatta that we’ve been organising for the past 36 years. This team has achieved amazing results.

“We’ve also launched a new website where prospective competitors can enter online and download the Notice of Race,” Archer ended.

Among entries already received is Paul Mitchell’s Extreme 40, Ullman Sails. The Airlie local is one of the most prolific winners (including last year) and he is a continuing support sponsor of the regatta with Ullman Sails.

Mitchell says, “You have to support your local club and event where you can.”

Mitchell keeps busy between family, work and sailing: “I’m taking my boat to Brisbane for the Moreton Bay Multihull Regatta, then I’m doing a J/70 regatta in Italy in June and then Airlie Beach Race Week,” says the sailor who will also contest the J/70 State and National Championships in Victoria in November.

He says of Race Week, “I like racing at home, it’s easy and the competition is always good in the multis.”

With limited marina berthing available, WSC urges prospective competitors to get in early.

Ocean Dynamics and Mount Gay Airlie Beach Race Week 2024 enjoys continued support from the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and is a feature on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.

To enter and for all information, please visit the new official website at: www.abrw.com.au.

For information on Ocean Dynamics, please visit: www.oceandynamics.com.au.

For information on Mount Gay Rum, please visit: www.mountgayrum.com.