Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440
Close-Quarters Offshore Racing: Ca Va & YKnot
Hamilton Island Race Week 2026
Ca Va is Phil Dressler’s Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440, launched in 2019 and measuring 13.00 m overall. Racing out of NSW, she’s a regular in the Hamilton Island Race Week, contesting the regatta’s fleet of fast-cruising yachts through the Whitsunday Islands.
This footage was shot during the 2026 Hamilton Island Race Week, where I was racing against Ca Va in the same Orange Division fleet aboard Robert Rainsford’s Hanse 430, YKnot. Ca Va finished the six-race series 10th overall, with a best result of 3rd in Race 4, in a tightly fought fleet of twenty boats that came down to a single point separating several placings.
Blogs
The Boat You Don’t Say No To
A presentation-night chat at Airlie Beach Race Week turned into an invitation most sailors would kill for — a skeleton-crew delivery of the Swan 82 Crackerjack V from Airlie to Hamilton Island, helming 82 feet of German Frers pedigree through the Whitsundays. Some boats you just don’t say no to.
Airlie Beach Race Week 2026
Solaris 50 Salt took on Airlie Beach Race Week 2026, leading Performance Cruising Division 1 into the final day. After six intense races through the Whitsundays, a tie-break countback handed victory to Eureka 11. Here is the story of a memorable campaign, stellar conditions, and racing decided by the narrowest of margins.
Racing 520 Miles North on Clockwork
Shaun McKenna joins the South Australian crew of the Sydney 38 Clockwork for the 520-nautical-mile 2026 Gold Coast to Mackay Yacht Race. Facing 30-knot southerlies, high-speed spinnaker runs, and a severe midnight broach that snapped their steering column, the team executed rapid mid-race repairs to reach Mackay Marina.
Celebrating Legacy and Grit at the 2026 ORCV Awards
Go behind the lens at Sandringham Yacht Club for the 2026 ORCV Annual Awards. This photo-driven retrospective captures the grit and triumphs of the offshore season, celebrating champions like Matt Setton and Nigel Jones while tracing the historic continuity and community defining Victorian ocean racing.
Brass Monkey Winter Pursuit
A thick winter fog at Safety Beach couldn’t stop the Shimmer campaign. With five of eight crew members aboard, the team used Race 4 of the Brass Monkey series to test a new TP52 staysail in light air. A second-place finish secured Shimmer the overall series lead, building critical momentum for the 2026 Rolex Sydney to Hobart.
Smoke, Sparks, and 25 Knots
Before racing the ORCV Winter Series opener, the crew aboard Shimmer stepped onto the swim platform for a spectacular, 25-year-old tradition: a live marine distress flare drill off Sandringham. From orange day smoke to high-altitude rockets and brilliant handheld red pyrotechnics, this vital safety training offered a rare, firsthand look at handling hot emergency ordnance on the water.
Time Out goes north
Follow the delivery of the stunning Hanse 458, Time Out X2, on her maiden winter passage under the new owner John Corrie as it leaves from Martha’s Cove to Bermagui. This coastal adventure captures everything from navigating the Rip and anchoring at Refuge Cove to spectacular encounters with breaching whales along the Australian coast.
Port Douglas Race Week 2026
Working the bow aboard Y Knot at Port Douglas Race Week 2026, racing for the iconic Clipper Cup on the Coral Sea. Five days of tropical sailing — from glassy Day One conditions to 25 knots of south-east trade wind. Shaun McKenna reports from one of Far North Queensland’s sailing events.
North by Northwest
Pinned in Nelly Bay by the south-east trades, we waited four days before heading north aboard YKnot, a Hanse 430. What followed was 199 nautical miles of downwind sailing — island anchorages, unexpected hospitality at Dunk, a sea turtle at Fitzroy, and a tide-dependent entry into Port Douglas. The difficult days are always worth it.
ORCV Coastal Sprint #3
Sam Backwell’s first ocean race. Six yachts crossing ahead of an inbound cargo ship. Ginan sweeping all three handicap divisions. The third ORCV Coastal Sprint packed a full season’s worth of sailing into 27 nautical miles off the Mornington Peninsula — and Shimmer was right in the thick of it.
Luxury cruising
Some boats are built for the marina. Others are built to move. Shooting Baruch — a 2019 Nautitech 542 — for Inspire Marine, it was clear from the first frame which one she is. Fast, refined, and strikingly photogenic, she’s a French multihull design that earns its reputation both offshore and at anchor.
Salt
On Salt, a 2021 Solaris 50, I sailed as bow person with James Marshall and Ian Fankhanel. Festival of Sails 2026 saw us win Division 1, thanks to a skilled team including tactician, navigator, and Peter Dowdney. Aaron Cole added sail expertise, highlighting how experience and teamwork make a high-performance yacht excel.