200 entries and climbing for Hamilton Island Race Week 2019 17 July 2019 A yacht with a name that says it all for its now retired owner is the 200th entry for Hamilton Island Race Week, which will be staged on the picturesque tropical waters of the Whitsundays next month. Freedom, a Beneteau 393 production yacht, is owned by Paul Melling who left an engineering business in Sydney five years ago and retired to Port Macquarie on the NSW north coast. He and the majority of a crew of mates who raced with him in Sydney will be aboard again this year, for their third Race Week. “We’ve loved every minute of our previous Race Weeks,” Melling said. “The sailing was something special, and the camaraderie onshore second to none. Everything about this regatta makes every one of the 1000 nautical miles we cover to be there worthwhile. The guys who raced with me in Sydney are a keen bunch of blokes so we’ll certainly be having at crack at going one better than the second place we scored in Division Three last time.” The entry list for this year’s series, which will be staged from August 17 – 24, continues to grow at a rate exceeding that of 2016 when a record 253 yachts were entered for the series. For additional information, please contact: Lisa Ratcliff Media Manager, Hamilton Island Race Week P: + 61 (0) 418 428 511 E: lisa@occ.net.au Stephanie Maguire PR, Events & Sponsorship Manager, Hamilton Island P: + 61 (0) 403 688 079 E: smaguire@hamiltonisland.com.au Rob Mundle Promotions Manager, Hamilton Island Race Week P: 0417 323 573 E: rob.mundle@bigpond.com