lord howe ocean race
Pittwater - LHI - BP - Pittwater
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club
The race of hero's
A new biennial offshore yacht race, the Lord Howe Island – Balls Pyramid Ocean Race, is set to launch on 2 October 2026.
Organised by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) in Pittwater.
This Category 1 challenge covers approximately 880 nautical miles (round trip) in the Tasman Sea, rounding the spectacular Balls Pyramid: A nearby 551m-high volcanic stack.
Key Details for 2026
- Friday, October Long Weekend 2026.
- The race starts and finishes in Pittwater, NSW.
Route: The course takes yachts from Pittwater, Broken Bay to Lord Howe Island and around Balls Pyramid, the world’s tallest sea stack and return.
As a Category 1 race, it is designed as a serious, challenging offshore event for experienced sailors.
The race is scheduled to be a biennial event. While this new event is on the horizon for 2026, it follows the legacy of the historic Gosford to Lord Howe Island Ocean Race, which was a 414-nautical-mile Category 1 race that ran for decades until it was discontinued after 2011.
The new RPAYC race aims to bring back the excitement of this challenging route to one of the world’s most remote and beautiful islands, covering 880 nm.
Under construction
Latest News
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club Announces Lord Howe Island Ocean Race via Ball’s Pyramid
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club Announces Lord Howe Island Ocean Race via Ball’s Pyramid Biennial Category 1 Offshore Race to Start Friday, October Long Weekend 2026. The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club has announced the establishment of a new Category 1 offshore race: the Pittwater – Lord Howe Island –
Under Construction – Refer to Notice of Race and Cat 1 Special Regulation Requirements
Under Construction – Refer to Notice of Race and Cat 1 Special Regulation Requirements
History of the Lord Howe Island Race
Just off Australia’s eastern seaboard, Lord Howe Island’s enduring natural treasures and grounded way of life have captivated visitors for more than 150 years.
The UNESCO World Heritage-listed destination welcomes just 400 visitors at any one time to snorkel the world’s southernmost coral reef, take in breathtaking views from iconic mountaintops, wander pristine stretches of white-sanded beach, and reconnect with what matters most.
This enormous marine mountain ascends more than four kilometres vertically from the seafloor, terminating in a flat top just 40 metres below the waves. Near the middle of this plateau, flanked by luxuriant coral growth, is the Lord Howe Group of Islands.
The marine environment of this far-flung part of NSW is utterly unlike any other part Australia, with a variety of tropical and temperate species brought on converging currents, and a large number of plants and animals which occur nowhere else.
The entirety of the waters of this special place is managed within a Lord Howe Island Marine Park, established in 1999, extending three nautical miles out to sea from the mean high watermark, and covering an area of approximately 46,000 hectares.
Further information about the Lord Howe Island Marine Park, including a User Guide and Zoning Map can be found on the NSW Department of Primary Industries website – https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/marine-protected-areas/marine-parks/lord-howe-island-marine-park
A wide variety of seabirds, which are rare near the mainland, roost, and nest on the islands in their thousands, fed by abundant schools of surface fish and squid.
