J/99 DISKO TROOPER Crushes Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race

(Sydney, NSW, Australia)- This year’s Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race started on July 25, 2026, covering 384 nautical miles (711 km) from Sydney Harbor to Main Beach, Gold Coast. Participating in the IRC Doublehanded fleet was past ROLEX Sydney Hobart Race winner- the J/99 DISKO TROOPER Contender Sailcloth.

DISKO TROOPER backed up a remarkable race with second overall on IRC, on top of sweeping IRC Division 3, Corinthian IRC, Corinthian PHS, Doublehanded IRC, and Doublehanded PHS, a clean sweep of nearly every category this race boasts! In short, an unprecedented, never-before-accomplished feat to win so many trophies in one race!

It nearly came unstuck five hours from the finish. Chasing down BACK-2-BLACK, co-skippers Jules Hall and Alex Knight had a wave catch the boat while trimming, tangling the mainsheet around the tiller, making the boat round up and wrapping the spinnaker tightly around the forestay three or four times.

“The first thing that goes through your mind is, we’re so close to the finishing line, we’ve done really well, and we’re about to chuck the whole thing in the bin,” they said.

The focus shifted instantly from chasing the leader to simply holding on to second.

“No shouting, no finger-pointing, just deal with it,” Hall affirmed. “You can’t go offshore and be highly competitive, pushing the limits, and not have something go wrong. You have to get on with it.”

Beyond that late scare, the pair described conditions that lived up to the billing: “Absolute champagne sailing, bright moon, whales, dolphins, it was spectacular.”

Watch the YouTube video interview here of Jules and Alex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cdto5Ou-hE

For more J/99 sailing information
https://jboats.com/j-99-new