Peter Harburg was just six years old when he got his first taste of the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race.
"I saw the very first one in 1948. My father took me down for the start of it," he said.
"I was very intrigued by these giant yachts, which are probably a third of the length of [the boats] today.
"They looked big to me as a six-year-old, and I've sort of been interested in sailing ever since."
The owner of yacht Black Jack is no stranger to Queensland's flagship race, with his team, led by skipper Mark Bradford, winning with the current yacht and its previous iterations eight times.
It is also the current race record holder, completing the race in 16 hours, 53 minutes and 57 seconds in 2018.
Last year, Black Jack made history by being the first Queensland boat to take line honours in the Sydney to Hobart race.
"The Brisbane to Gladstone race is one of the most important on the Australian calendar," Mr Harburg said.
"It's our big Queensland race, and it attracts a lot of good boats.
The race sets sail in Moreton Bay, near Shorncliffe, on Good Friday at 11am before concluding in the early hours of Saturday morning near Gladstone.
Queensland Cruising Yacht Club vice commodore Harley Cowlishaw said there were 38 yachts taking part in this year's race.
"We've also got the two handicap winners of the Sydney to Hobart in the fleet, which is Alive and Ichi Ban, so it is a very high-quality fleet in this year's race," Mr Cowlishaw said.
"The forecast is 15 to 20 knots from the south-east, which should give everyone a very quick ride to Gladstone."
Mr Cowlishaw said they had not been able to hold a proper race for the past two years due to COVID.
"We had one year where the race was totally cancelled, and last year there wasn't allowed to be too many celebrations," he said.
There will be almost a dozen major events happening in Gladstone across the Easter long weekend in celebration of the race, including special lunches, food festivals, music festivals and parties.
Race brings tourists after COVID
Gladstone Area Promotion and Development tourism manager Nicola Scurr said forward bookings for accommodation in Gladstone were higher than they had been in years.
"The last few years have definitely been challenging, especially at Easter, given it is one of the biggest times in the region," she said.
"I'm really excited to see the actual outcomes of that post-Easter."
Campers flock to 1770 and Agnes Water
The tourism boom isn't just being felt in the city itself, with the southern parts of the region, including the towns of Agnes Water and 1770, also experiencing a growth in numbers.
Janina Speck owns and operates 1770 Liquid Adventures.
He said while it had been a slow start to the school holidays, the forward bookings had picked up for the long weekend, as well as the Anzac Day and Labour Day weekends.
"We did have some rather rough weather last week, but it's looking all good now for the Easter weekend," she said.
Ms Speck said overall, the mood in the tourism industry locally was one of optimism.
"There's a lot happening. A lot of businesses have started up in the last 12 months," she said.
"There's a bit of fresh energy as well."
Chris De Aboitiz runs a stand-up paddleboard hire company alongside his trusty dog, Rama.
He said accommodation providers in the region were starting to reach capacity.
"It's great to see the crew coming back out to have a holiday, and it's all sorts of demographics," Mr De Aboitiz said.
"We are noticing there aren't so many international people."
Fuel prices no deterrent
At the nearby 1770 Camping Ground, caravaner Mike Kelly from the Sunshine Coast said high fuel prices would not interrupt his trip.
"We've been coming here for 30-odd years to the same caravan park every Easter," he said.
Noni North lives in Gladstone but made the trip to 1770 via Tenterfield.
"It was a more expensive trip," she said.
"The high fuel prices don't change our mind [on travel], as it's coming down already.
