Fremantle Sailing Club introduced these races in 1983 in conjunction with what was then the Mandurah Yacht Club at Halls Head. Over the years these races have become the most popular events on the calendar, taking over from the now defunct Bunbury City Classic and the Cape Bouvard races as the premier stop-over event. Apart from the merger of the MYC with the local fishing club in 2001 to form MOFSC, when the boats were able to go into pens in the marina, instead of anchoring offshore, very few changes have been made to the event.