Small boats dominate

The double-handed fleet has been particularly strong, claiming the top three places on IRC overall in the second race. Disko Trooper took the win ahead of Andy Offord’s Sun Fast 3300 Borderline and Chris O’Neill’s J/99 Blue Planet.

Ron Forster and Phil Damp’s Beneteau First 40 Ariel sits third overall, followed by Edward Cox’s Ker 40 Minerva, Chris and Lachlan Dare’s GP42 Ambition, Alex Seja and Felicity Nelson’s Sydney 36 Supernova, and Michael Rowe and Ben Martin’s Cookson 12 Kanreki.

The larger TP52s have struggled to match their line honours performances on handicap, with Sebastian Bohm’s Smuggler 10th on IRC overall and Lee Hawksley’s Gusto 13th.

Disko Trooper also holds a commanding advantage on PHS, leading Blue Planet by 10 points.

Competition remains close across the divisions. Disko Trooper leads Double-Handed IRC with two wins, while Blue Planet heads Double-Handed PHS by a single point.

In the Corinthian division, Ariel leads with two third-place finishes, ahead of Kanreki and Supernova. The Wild Rose division is equally competitive, with Kanreki holding a one-point advantage over Richard Hudson’s Pretty Woman.

For line honours, Smuggler leads Gusto and Back 2 Black, although Robert Appleyard’s R/P69 Moneypenny demonstrated its pace by taking line honours in the second race after missing the season opener.

Big boat challenge

History suggests the larger yachts could make their presence felt in the Tollgate Islands Race.

In 2025, Moneypenny claimed IRC overall honours ahead of URM Group and Bacchanal. The previous year, the larger yachts filled the top four places, led by the 100-foot Comanche, followed by Whisper, Smuggler and URM Group.

However, smaller yachts have also enjoyed success. In 2023, the double-handed Kraken III took the overall win ahead of Andoo Comanche, with Hall’s Disko Trooper finishing third.

This year, Disko Trooper returns as the series leader, setting up another contest between the smaller handicap contenders and the faster offshore yachts.

Tactical conditions

The 260-nautical-mile Tollgate Islands Race starts at 1700 hours on Friday 16 October, with the 26-boat fleet departing Sydney Harbour and heading south to the Tollgate Islands, approximately four nautical miles offshore from Batemans Bay, before returning north to Sydney.

A moderate 15-knot easterly is forecast for the start, providing favourable conditions for the fleet’s departure before the breeze eases overnight.

Saturday is expected to bring easterly winds of 10 to 15 knots, tending northeasterly towards the evening. The timing of this shift could prove critical for yachts approaching the turning mark.

Conditions on the return leg appear less predictable, with lighter and more variable winds potentially affecting competitors racing through Saturday night and into Sunday.

The changing breeze could favour yachts able to maintain momentum through the transitions, particularly the smaller double-handed entries that have performed strongly throughout the series.

The race record stands at 20 hours, 16 minutes and 49 seconds, set by Andoo Comanche in the inaugural race.

With the championship approaching its second half, the Tollgate Islands Race will test whether the smaller yachts can maintain their advantage or the larger offshore racers can turn outright speed into handicap success.

Race updates, tracker and results: Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore

cyca.com.au