It's time to dust off your pirate costumes, retrieve your eye patch and earring from your treasure chest, sharpen your plastic pirate sword and prepare for the party of the year at the Whitsunday Sailing Club, Airlie Beach Queensland on Saturday 18th August. This year's pirate themed Great Whitsunday Fun Race promises to be the biggest and best for years. A return to the legendary Fun Race of the ‘good old days’.

A record number of entries and spectator craft are expected to participate in the 35th running of this iconic event.  After an exciting, but hard week of racing in Telcoinabox Airlie Beach Race Week, this is a chance to sail just for the fun of it. To dress up your yacht with bunting, flags, and fly the skull and cross-bones, to enjoy the mateship of sailing. For the cruising fraternity, it's a chance to reward themselves after a long trip North, to warmer and friendlier waters. For locals....it's just how we do things!

As the Captain of your very own Pirate ship, you might be expected to make your crew “walk the plank” if they don't get into the spirit of the day and don their Pirate gear. Perhaps keel-hauling is not in keeping with workplace health and safety though? As a fair dinkum Pirate ship, you'll be expected to display a Figure Head, who, in turn, will be judged, and will be in the running to be crowned ‘Miss Figurehead’ - a highly sought after and honoured title.

Just when you might think the day couldn't get any better, after the race, lower your longboats and order your motley crew to the foreshore of the Whitsunday Sailing Club for a gigantic after party, with live music, food, and enough barrels of prized Mount Gay Rum to quench a Pirate's thirst after a fun day on the water....or if you prefer, a beer, wine, or soft drink.

The crowning of Miss Figurehead 2012, and the judging of the ever popular Mr Six Pack will take place later in the night, when the little Pirates are asleep in their hammocks, and the bigger Pirates are ready to party hard into the night.

The Great Whitsunday Fun Race is being held in conjunction with the Whitsunday Reef Festival and will be part of a long weekend of live music, competitions, the annual street parade, fun family events and a celebration of all that is wonderful about living in the Whitsundays. The Reef Festival runs from 16-19 August and really starts with a bang with fireworks on the foreshore on Friday 17 August.

Event: Great Whitsunday Fun Race & Pirate Party

Date: Saturday 18 August 2012

Time: Race registration on 17/8 or morning of 18/8. Race starts at 1pm.  Live music and after party at Whitsunday Sailing Club from 6pm

Location: Whitsunday Sailing Club, on the foreshore,  Airlie Beach Queensland. (tel 07 4946 6138)

Dress Code: pirates, motley crew and assorted wenches welcome

Prizes: Miss Figurehead, Mr Six Pack, best themed boat, best dressed crew, first, last and a mix of other racing prizes including the grand trophy – an empty bottle of Mount Gay Rum.



Race Course: find it in the Whitsunday Times on 16/8 or online at www.whitsundaysailingclub.com.au