IN PICTURES: Princess Royal Sailing Club hosts relaunch of Fremantle to Albany yacht race after six years

Princess Royal Sailing Club hosted the launch of the prestigious Fremantle to Albany yacht race last Friday, with locals and visitors turning out to see the much-loved event officially return to the calendar. The PRSC clubrooms in Little Grove were packed full of sailing enthusiasts from local clubs, as well as representatives from partner the Royal Perth Yacht Club, who will work with the PRSC to put the event on. The last race was held in 2019, and the event was temporarily shut down during COVID-19. It’s now officially back on the Albany sailing calendar for April 2026, as part of the City of Albany’s bicentennial celebrations. Race record holder Ken Court spoke to the gathered crowd, lauding the $10,000 prize money for the first boat to beat his record of 37hr. 1min. Both the PRSC and RPYC commodores also addressed the enthusiastic crowd, along with Albany MLA Scott Leary. The excitement and memories from years of the unique race made for tall tales that flowed throughout the night, as veteran sailors mixed with some of PRSC’s young talents. The anticipation was building for yachts to be back on the ocean for the return of the destination race.