Airlie Beach Race Week - Sailors go overboard on tropical delights    

1:07 AM Tue 13 Jul 2010 GMT
'They might have sailed on a vessel of the same name, but Dan White’s crew looked anything but ‘Riff Raff’. They were second in the Non-Spinnaker Class. The bright orange crew of Dan, John Hudson, Ben White, Glenn and Sheree Fletcher, Dave Dias and Leon Kelly were a stand-out item throughout the regatta. They’ve already re-entered for this year’s event.'    John Daffy - BluePRINT Public Relations    Click Here to view large photo
Meridien Marinas’ Airlie Beach Race Week will be sailed from 12th to 19th August, Abel Point Marina at Airlie Beach.

They call it the tropical shirts regatta – an annual and unique parade of some of the most gaudy, sailing-themed fashion statements sighted on the east coast.

The brighter, the more outrageous, the better when it comes to team colours for Meridien Marinas’ Airlie Beach Race Week.

Like a colourful tank of tropical fish, their owners school together in the late afternoon each day for a reflective drink, feed and post race analysis at the entrants’ marquee erected for the regatta on the forecourt of the Abel Point Marina.

This year will be no different as sailors float in from around the country and from overseas ports as well, to take part in the regatta from August 12 to 19.

As these photos show, there is no shortage of fun and frivolity as the event renown for the greatest social camaraderie of any, lets its hair down at the end of each day.

Now in its 21st year, Airlie Beach Race Week already has attracted a stellar field of yachts and yachties – all keen to make the annual pilgrimage to sailing’s Mecca in the sun.

It doesn’t get much more tropical than frangipani and Murray Sheer’s crew on Benetta elected to wear shirts featuring the magnificent flower. Here crew members Murray, wife Julie; along with Tim and Tori Cormack, Charlie and Betty Preen enjoy a drink and a laugh in the Race Week Marquee. -  John Daffy - BluePRINT Public Relations   Click Here to view large photo


Tropical shirts are part of the rich colour of Airlie Beach Race Week. Here George Challoner’s ‘Airlie Retreat’ crew of Kerry Hoare, Ray Stone, James Challoner, Dan Marino and Sam Meat not only look the part, they also took out the Performance Racing division in their Elan 37. The team has amassed ten different sets of tropical shirts. -  John Daffy - BluePRINT Public Relations   Click Here to view large photo



http://www.airliebeachraceweek.com.au




by John Daffy

Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos: