From Website: Hamilton Island Race Week | Event History

The concept of a drawcard regatta at Hamilton Island was conceived by David Hutchen in 1983, after he moved to the Whitsundays to start a yacht charter business and convinced the island's then owner and founder, Keith Williams, to stage an event that would generate tourism and media coverage.  

Visiting the Clipper Cup in Hawaii then soaking up the euphoria of Australia finally ending the world's longest winning streak in international sport, the America's Cup in Newport, Rhode Island in 1983, cemented the idea for Williams. 

Once he returned home, the powerbrokers gathered and formulated plans to host the ultimate Australian offshore series from the island.  

The inaugural Hamilton Island Race Week in 1984 was a huge success and interest went way beyond expectations: 93 yachts from as far afield as Perth arrived in the Whitsundays. Unfortunately, the weather was not ideal for sailing in the tropics and rain poured down for almost the entire week.    

For the first eight years Race Week was held in April, until organisers rescheduled to August, a time of year that promised warm weather and ideal tradewind sailing.   

These days, a consensus between multiple regatta and race organisers along the eastern seaboard sees many in the fleet arrive at Hamilton Island having contested any one of the preceding events - the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, Brisbane to Hamilton Island Yacht Race and Airlie Beach Race Week.   

The Oatley family take the reins  

Prior to acquiring Hamilton Island, prominent sailor and famous Australian vigneron Bob Oatley and family members were regular competitors at Race Week. 

In 2003 - the year that Bob's son Sandy competed in the Grand Prix Division with his yacht Another Duchess - Bob was asked if he might be interested in buying the island.  

 The Oatley family took the reins in 2003, cultivating both the island and the premier offshore regatta to the position where both stand as international icons.    T

he family introduced premium partnerships and developed an onshore program for sailors and their partners, families, and guests that is unlike anything on offer in Australia. Combined with the Oatley's $700 million island development program, 

Race Week is regarded one of only a handful of worldclass destination regattas.