Palm Beach Motor Yachts is proud to be the naming rights sponsor of the Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49er Series, which will debut at the 2025 Hamilton Island Race Week, celebrating its 40th edition in August. The Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49ers Series will run from 17 to 19 August, involving 13 teams from Australia and New Zealand competing in 49er and 49erFX on the racecourse at the same time. It is fitting for Palm Beach Motor Yachts to be part of the high-performance element of the 40th anniversary of Hamilton Island Race Week, which is synonymous with the pinnacle of Australian sailing. The spirit of competition and drive for excellence are at the heart of all Palm Beach Motor Yachts, the brand founded in 1995 by Australian ocean-racing champion, Mark Richards.
“We are thrilled to sponsor this exciting new event at Hamilton Island Race Week,” said Richards, who is Founder, CEO, and chief designer of Palm Beach Motor Yachts, and is celebrating 30 years of boatbuilding excellence in 2025. “This event is a favourite of mine and a natural home for Palm Beach Motor Yachts to explore the idyllic cruising grounds of the Whitsundays. I’ve been coming to Hamilton Island Race Week for 40 years and the principles that I took away from the competition here drove me to create Palm Beach Motor Yachts.”
The Palm Beach Motor Yachts brand is internationally renowned for its unmatched efficiency, technology, and performance. The company is the ideal partner for Julian Bethwaite, the Australian sailor and naval architect who designed the 49er based on the International 14 and famous Aussie 18ft skiffs. “We couldn’t be more pleased to support sailing talent in the 49er and 49erFX classes,” Richards said. “They will be sure to put on a brilliant show during the Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49er Series.”
The 49er was chosen as the Olympic skiff for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, followed by the 49erFX, a variant with a smaller rig designed for female sailors, which was selected for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. With continual technological improvements, both remain the current Olympic skiff classes today. The Olympic skiff requires intense teamwork, is physically demanding, and relies on split-second decision-making and top- line boat handling. The 49er crews need to chase every inch when sailing against each other on identical boats.
In the same way, Mark Richards’ history and passion for high-performance sailing has been carried through to the efficiency of Palm Beach Motor Yachts. Success in 49er and 49erFX classes is a strong predictor of potential in elite professional sailing, and both have proven to create pathways to other high-performance circuits, including America’s Cup and SailGP.
The 2025 Hamilton Island Race Week, presented by American Express, runs 16 to 23 August.
