Cabbage Tree Island Race

The Cabbage Tree Island Race is one of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's blue-water classics — a 172-nautical-mile offshore race north from Sydney Harbour to Cabbage Tree Island, off Port Stephens, and back. A season favourite and a key Sydney Hobart qualifier, it is exactly the kind of overnight offshore test that hardens crews for the bigger races to come.

What it is

The Cabbage Tree Island Race is an offshore pointscore race. The fleet leaves Sydney Harbour on a Friday evening and heads north up the New South Wales coast to round Cabbage Tree Island, just north of Port Stephens, before returning to the harbour. At 172 nautical miles it is a genuine overnight passage — a serious piece of offshore racing that rewards good watch-keeping, navigation and the crew work covered in our guide to crew positions.

The Blue Water Pointscore

The race is one of the most popular events in the CYCA's Blue Water Pointscore — the series of offshore races that runs through the season and doubles as preparation and qualification for the Rolex Sydney Hobart. The evening start and overnight course are deliberately valuable: they give crews the night-racing experience that the Hobart demands. For Sydney crews building towards Boxing Day, it is a natural part of the campaign, alongside the harbour racing described in our guide to sailing in Sydney and Sydney Harbour.

How to enter and follow

Entries and the Notice of Race are published by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. As a Category-rated offshore race, it carries safety-equipment and crew-qualification requirements, so crews should prepare well ahead. The first boat home takes line honours, but the overall result is decided on corrected time under handicap — see line honours versus handicap — and the sailing terms glossary covers the offshore vocabulary.