Apollo Bay Ocean Yacht Race
Ocean Race distance: | 52 nautical miles |
Safety Category: | 3 |
Start Location: | Queenscliff |
Start Time: | 04:00 am |
Start Date: | 24 May 2025 |
Race Record: | 05h 24m 04s by KAOS skippered by Peter Blake in 1999 |
This popular event is a short coastal race starting at Queenscliff and leaving Port Phillip Heads before turning right along the coast to Apollo Bay.
This is an ideal race for those new to ocean racing, with its shorter length and proximity to the coast.
The race is often won or lost by navigators and tacticians deciding to sail a seaward course or hug the shoreline in search of a better breeze.
Being the concluding ocean race on the season calendar, the 52 nautical mile dash to Apollo Bay often decides the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria Offshore Championship. It forms part of the Coastal Championship series.
The Apollo Bay race first ran on 26 December 1954, with the 2023 race being the 70th Apollo Bay race.