I can think of much worse places to be than the Whitsundays in August for the Hog's Breath Race Week at Airlie Beach, followed by the Hahn Premium Race Week at Hamilton Island.

Over 90 boats, from beautiful new cruiser/racers and golden oldies to brand-new grand prix racers, took part in the Hog's Breath event, known as the Tropical Shirt regatta for the fun style of sailing in the warm winter waters. This year it was complicated by light to no-wind conditions.

The last day's racing was cancelled due to a lack of wind, and the passage race the day before was shortened for the same reason. Along with the area's big tides and currents, this made for difficult tactical sailing.

The fleet included a new Swan 45 and three Volvo 60s from Europe, as well as some great one-design racing among seven Sydney 38s.

Old wooden boats featured in the cruising division. Early Sydney-Hobart winner Struen Marie, built in 1951, was a star of the show. There were also beautiful cruiser/racers like the two Warwick designs - Hog's Breath founder Don Algie's new 66ft Storm 2 and Dr Ian Nicholson's Intrigue of Stornoway.

Then there was Sir Ian McFarlane's Holman and Pye cutter In the Mood, which was fully equipped for around-the-world sailing.

The largest class was the sportsboats. Twelve in total, all of them sorry for the lack of breeze, provided plenty of thrills when the wind kicked in to 15-plus.

AND THEY'RE OFF
Racing started with large triangle courses, followed by windward/leewards and passage races around some of the most scenic and tactically frustrating waters in Australia - including Pioneer Bay, Pioneer Point, White Rock, Denham Island off South Molle and Two Cones.

In the IRC class, Joe - an attractive Swan 45 OD cruiser/racer owned by Sydney-based Steven David - won the title of 'Boss Hog' at only its second regatta.

"We are still learning to sail Joe," said David. "Our big gauge here will be Ticket of Leave."

He was right - Ticket of Leave, Kevin Wood's well-performed Beneteau 40.7, won both windward/leeward races, and finished the regatta second overall. Matt Allen's Farr 52 Ichi Ban, which beat Joe in its maiden Sydney–Gold Coast race, finished third.

FEELING SPORTY
The newest of the sportsboats dominated this category. Pierre Gal, the ex-French Kiss America's Cup sailor, arrived with his new Julian Bethwaite-designed Vivace. Modelled along the same lines as Bethwaite's successful 49er Olympic skiff, Vivace liked the light weather.

Second was the West Australian husband-and-wife team of Steve and Yvonne Battley in their Thompson 7 Excel, trailered all the way from the west. Leon Thomas' Elliott 7 Guilty Pleasures from Townsville was third.

In the cruiser class, Simon Vincent's Rogers 10.6m Queensland cruiser Aito took first place in front of Lake Macquarie sloop Struth (Vincent Bezzina) and Koomooloo - a former Australian Admiral's Cup contender, skippered by Michael Freebairn.

CLOSE CRUISING
The results in Cruising Division 2 were as close as they come. Whitsunday resident Paul Johnson steered his boat Risque to a first, only one point in front of Terry Balson's Farr 11.6 Effarvescent in second. Norm House's Adams 10.15m Earl Grey finished in third position.

International entry Intrigue of Stornoway - owned by Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's Dr Ian Nicholson - took the PHS Division 1 prize. This was Nicholson's fourth appearance at the series; he had some great line-honours battles with Storm 2 owner Don Algie, and won on corrected time from StarFire - an Anderson 9.2m co-helmed by Don and Helen Cameron. Kerinda, a well-sailed Lidgard 35 skippered by Len Payne from Sydney, finished third.

RACING CLOSER
Lou Abrahams was always the man to beat in the Sydney 38 Pan Pacifics. The current national champion did not disappoint, with his Another Challenge edging out Wayne Kirkpatrick's Asylum and Terry Hall's Livewire.

The winner of the PHS Division 2 five-race series was Bill Webb's 5m Vanderstadt Sundowner. Webb and his crew trailed the 1953 Sydney Hobart race winner Struen Marie (Ken Pryor) after two races, but finished well - leaving three boats on equal points for second place.

The countback system was called into play, and Damian Suckling's Fallen Angels was the unfortunate one to miss a podium finish. Murray Sanders' Deception claimed second overall from Craig Piccinelli's Wobbly Boot.

Race director for the series Andrew Palfrey kept competitors happy, while experienced principal race officer Tony Denham and an on-water team including Ross Wilson handled some tough calls race-wise due to the lack of wind.

NEXT STOP, THE BIG ONE
The Hahn Premium Race Week at Hamilton Island is more than just a great sailing regatta. In addition to feasting your eyes on some beautiful boats, there is so much entertainment and activity that it's hard to keep track.

The shore-based highlights included fireworks and an excellent concert by Jimmy Barnes and Diesel. The Roulettes High airshow was also a feature.

Sami Lucas turned up to broadcast the weather for Channel Nine's Today Show; Tara Sailor (wife of Rugby League's Wendell) hosted a fashion parade at the Moet & Chandon lunch; Jodhi Packer showed up for the Mardi Gras; and some Neighbours and Big Brother stars graced the opening cocktail party, only to be upstaged by Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth - well, it is a yachties' event, after all!

Then there was the famous Whitehaven Beach Party with all that XXXX, Chuck Hahn's Hahn Premium Beer Dinner, lots of reggae and other music, and a number of cocktail soirees - where famed caricaturist Mick Joffe wandered around doing his thing with anyone who had an interesting face.

With no wind on the race course at times, our press boat drivers, whose real livelihood is pro-fishing, took us dolphin, turtle and whale-watching. We watched many whales at play - one with her calf, some on the race course. And we went fishing, with five spanish mackerel caught on one day alone - five people, one fish each.

If that's not enough, you can para-sail, bush walk, bird watch (there are thousands of cockatoos), sailboard, cruise and more. Sound like paradise? Well, it's certainly close enough for my liking.

AT THE MARINA
When you've done all that, you head down to the Hamilton Island marina and check out the 158 entries in the Hahn Premium Hamilton Island Race Week. Among those in the cruising fleet were a flotilla of Beneteau yachts - over 40 of them in the Cruising Division alone - and a number competing in IRC and PHS.

Beneteau 47.7s took the top three places in the Premier Cruising Division - Malcolm Roe winning with Savoir-Faire from rival Bob Southerton, who skippered Bullrush. Ray Harris completed the hat-trick with Honeysuckle in third place.

Then you can check out the Sydney 38s - popular one-design boats, 12 in all, contesting their national title. Former Etchells world champion Cameron Miles, with co-skipper Steve Robson sailing Rush, led the charge ahead of defending champion and gentleman yachtsman Lou Abrahams. A determined Peter McNamara's AMI Jade finished third.

GRAND PRIX
In the grand prix IRC section, two Davidson 59s showed the way around the course. Owned by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's Admiral's Cup-winning team members, Bob Oatley and Colin O'Neil respectively, Another Duchess was the outstanding boat of the series, sporting its new Reichel/Pugh underwater appendages, while sistership After Shock gave chase.

Oatley's Another Duchess outclassed its rivals both on line and handicap to win the series, while After Shock was eighth overall. Second overall was the new Swan 45, Joe. Farr was another big name at this regatta. Georgia, Jim Farmer's Farr 53 (a modified Farr 52 OD), finished third overall with the help of Kiwi/Swiss America's Cup supremos Russell Coutts (helm) and Brad Butterworth (tactics). Matt Allen's Farr 52 Ichi Ban finished sixth.

BIG END OF TOWN
Then there was Broomstick, a bronze skiff-like yacht that started life as an Open 60, but has been modified to a stretched 66. Owned by Michael Cranitch and Ray Wallace and steered by Bernie Case, it was the only boat to give Another Duchess a run in the line-honours stakes. Built for running, Broomstick surprised with its good upwind performances.

Three Volvo 60s participated in the IRC class: Andrew Short's Andrew Short Marine, David Gotze's Indec and the Hodder/Sorensen/Gray/Zemanek Magnavox.

Other 'names', as far as yachts go, were Jeanneau, Buizen, Bavaria, Warwick, Cole, Davidson and Lidgard - an eclectic mix at one of Australia's best organised regattas, courtesy of regatta directory Warwick Hoban, Arthur Hodge and the CEO of Hamilton Island, Wayne Kirkpatrick - himself a contender in the Sydney 38 class.

Di Pearson is a yachting writer and editor of www.sail-world.com.