Thirty-eight yachts participated in the challenging 700 nautical mile Fremantle to Exmouth Race & Rally on Saturday the 8th of May 2021. With near-perfect weather conditions, it did not take too long for race contender, ‘Indian’ a Carkeek 47, skippered by Craig Carter to be the first to cross the finish line in just under three days arriving in Exmouth at 10.15 am on the 11th of May. 

“It was a difficult race,” skipper Craig Carter reported after the race, “but we had a team of four talented young helmsmen on board, so we rotated the helm regularly. At times we had more than 30 knots of wind, and we were travelling at well over 20 knots, which made it a bit wet on board. We also had to battle our way past Coral Bay, where the wind died out completely for a while, so we had a bit of everything.”

Indian also broke the fastest time record by more than one and a half days previously set thirty years ago at the last Fremantle to Exmouth Race by Ross Swanson’s ‘Syrenka’.

There were some nerves with race officials from Fremantle Sailing Club anxiously watching satellite trackers when the smallest yacht in the fleet, Dave Kenny’s, ‘The Edge’, got caught in a southerly current and windless conditions near reefs off North West Cape. The use of their boat’s engine would have meant instant disqualification, but Kenny used all his sailing skills to pilot the yacht out of the danger zone and to safety around two virtual marks further north.

The event proved to be a resounding success for the Rally entries, who made up nearly half of the total fleet. A few of the Rally yachts started early to ensure they would arrive in Exmouth on time for the festivities. The vast majority reported having the sail of a lifetime in idyllic conditions. 

2021 Rally Results | 2021 Race Results