Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race

The Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race — known throughout the fleet as B2K — is the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron's signature offshore race: a passage of around 340 nautical miles north from Moreton Bay to Keppel Bay in Central Queensland. Much of it is sailed in the sheltered water inside the Great Barrier Reef, which makes it one of the more approachable blue-water races in the country while still being a true multi-day test. For the Invicta campaign it has a special significance — it is the flagship offshore race of our home club.

What it is

B2K is a point-to-point offshore passage race. The fleet starts off the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron at Manly in Brisbane and heads north up the Queensland coast to finish in Keppel Bay, near Rosslyn Bay and the Keppel Bay Marina at Yeppoon. It has made its mark as one of Australia's premier coastal races, drawing everything from supermaxis and pocket maxis to club racer-cruisers.

What sets it apart from the better-known southern classics is the water it crosses. A large part of the course runs inside the Great Barrier Reef, in comparatively sheltered conditions. That gives crews a genuine offshore experience — overnight sailing, watch systems, navigation — without the full exposure of the open Tasman, and it is a frequently cited reason the race appeals to crews stepping up to their first offshore event. If you are weighing up that step, our guide to crew positions explains the roles on an offshore boat.

The course

The race runs the length of the Central Queensland coast, around 340 nautical miles, with the exact distance varying slightly between years as the course is set. Sailed in the Queensland winter, it typically enjoys the south-easterly trade winds, which give the fleet a fast downwind run north — crews talk of a "tropical sleigh ride" up the coast. For the quickest boats it is roughly a day to a day and a half of sailing; the rest of the fleet takes longer depending on the breeze.

Because so much of the course is inside the reef, local knowledge and clean navigation count. The race rewards boats that keep moving in the lighter patches and stay in the pressure, rather than pure open-ocean toughness.

History and the RQYS connection

The modern Brisbane to Keppel race has been run annually since 2007, and in that time it has become the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron's premier offshore fixture. The squadron itself is one of Australia's oldest and most storied clubs, with well over a century of history on Moreton Bay.

That connection matters to this campaign. Invicta is based at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, so B2K is, in effect, our home club's signature offshore race — you can read more about the boat and our base on the boat page. It sits naturally alongside the squadron's role in the wider Queensland circuit covered in our guide to east-coast yacht racing.

The fleet and how results work

The entry list spans a broad range of boats, from the big line-honours machines chasing the fastest time north to handicap divisions where corrected time decides the result. As with most offshore races, the first boat to Keppel Bay wins line honours, but the overall winner is usually decided on handicap — the distinction explained in our guide to line honours versus handicap. Crews chasing a grand-prix result watch both.

How to enter and follow

Entries and event information are published by the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. Crews should read the Notice of Race, confirm the safety category and equipment requirements for the offshore passage, and enter before the published deadline. For how a race like B2K fits into a season of fixtures, see our racing program; for the language of the race documents and results, the sailing terms glossary is a useful companion.