About the Blue Water Pointscore

About the Blue Water Pointscore

The 2023 Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore consists of six races, opening with the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race and finishing with the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Points accrued across the six races will determine the winners of the overall Pointscores, including:

  • Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore (awarded to the overall IRC winner)
  • Tasman Performance Series (awarded to the overall PHS winner)
  • Bass & Flinders Series (awarded to the overall scratch winner) 
  • Wild Rose Pointscore (encourages female participation across all boats in the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore)

NOTE: Below are the provisional race dates, which will be confirmed in due course.

Race 1 - Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race (Saturday 27 July)

The Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race is a 384 nautical mile race, starting in Sydney Harbour and finishing directly in line with the Radio Room situated in the De Ville Apartments at Main Beach on the Gold Coast. Finishing yachts are escorted across the Gold Coast seaway and into the Southport Yacht Club's marina. 

Race 2 - Flinders Islet Race (Saturday 21 September)

The Flinders Islet Race is an 88nm race.  The race starts on a Saturday morning near Point Piper on Sydney Harbour.  The fleet proceeds out Sydney Heads and tracks south down the coast to round Flinders Islet, approximately 1nm east off Port Kembla Harbour, Wollongong, before returning to finish in Sydney Harbour.

Race 3 - Tollgate Islands Race (Friday 18 October)

The 260nm Tollgate Islands Race replaces the Newcastle Bass Island Race in the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore. Starting at 1855hrs on Friday evening, the fleet will head south to round Tollgate Islands, which sit off Batemans Bay, and head back to the finish line off Watsons Bay.

Race 4 - Bird Island Race (Saturday 16 November)

The 83nm Bird Island Race will this year be held on a Saturday. With a morning start, competitors sail from Sydney Harbour to Bird Island (approximately 3nm north east of Norah Head), before returning to Sydney Harbour to finish. 

Race 5 - Cabbage Tree Island Race (Friday 6 December)

The 172nm Cabbage Tree Island Race is the club’s third most popular blue water race. Attracting more than 40 competitors each year, many Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race competitors use this race to qualify to enter and as crew training, as it is the last big race before the Rolex Sydney Hobart.

The race starts on a Friday evening in December, near Point Piper.  The fleet then heads north to Cabbage Tree Island (just north of Port Stephens) and returns to finish in Sydney Harbour. 

Race 6 - Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race (Thursday 26 December)

The 628-nautical-mile Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has become an icon of Australia's summer sport, ranking in public interest in line with national events such as the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open tennis championship and the Boxing Day cricket Test. No regular annual yachting event in the world attracts such huge media coverage as does the start on Sydney Harbour.

A solid Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race result is crucial to placing in the Audi Centre Sydney Blue Water Pointscore, as it is a non-discardable race with the first placegetter receiving 0 points.