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69th SHARPIE NATIONALS AT RQYC, QUEENLSAND New shortened format for the 69th SHARPIE NATIONALS - sailing from Thursday 29th December to 5th January 2012 gets underway in strong conditions on Waterloo Bay, Manly, hosted by the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron... read more on sailworld.com Scratch
Results Wild rides for the invitation series
Clare and Chris Murray followed the action with regular upand photos dates across online media: DAY ONE: Conditions on day one of racing were less trying than yesterday at the Sharpie National Championship at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Manly with 15 to 18knots of breeze from the south. Suicide Blond skippered by Craig Francis of Western Australia is winning overall on handicap after today’s two heats, followed by Kym Wright’s Murderess in second and Ian Richardson’s Mainiac in third. South Australian boat Warpig skippered by Geoffrey McCloud won line honours in the first race followed by Blur , skippered by Malcolm Higgins and Ginger Bread Man, skippered by Elke Hacker, in second and third places respectively. On scratch race two was won by the only boat representing
Tasmania, One Hump or Two skippered by Drew Latham. Latham was keen to
see how they went against other competitors. “We don’t have
any racing in Hobart so we are out there by ourselves.” Latham said.
“It’s a bit of a surprise when you don’t know how you
will go. We feel good about the second race but there are plenty of races
to go.” One Hump or Two was followed in the heat by Warpig, then
Blur. (YACHTe.com.au) DAY TWO: Blur have continued their strong start to the regatta with two first places on the second day of racing at the Royal Queensland yacht Squadron in Manly. Conditions were calmer than the previous day’s racing with a southerly blowing 12 to 14 knots. Skipper of Blur and four time National Sharpie Champion, Malcolm Higgins, was pleased with the results considering the level of talent within the fleet. “We had a good day today with two wins. Both races were pretty close. The weather was more suited to us as we are a lighter crew. Hopefully we will just keep doing well. The local boats are going quite well as are the boats from South Australia and Tasmania.” McGees Property also had a solid day of racing with two second places. Skippered by Bill Cuneo, McGees Property is crewed by RQYS’s own Commodore Greg Clarke and Yachting Australia’s Youth Sailor of the Year for 2011 Angus Galloway. Today’s performance moved them up the fourth place overall. Blur is followed by fellow South Australian boat Warpig skippered by Geoffrey McCloud in second place and the only Tasmanian entry, last year’s National Champion One Hump Or Two skippered by Drew Latham in third. (mysailing.com.au) DAY THREE: Blur has again had an impressive day with another first place .... Conditions were light and shifty with 8 to 14 knots from the south east. Racing was extremely close with Blur overtaking local boat Barracuda on the beat up to the finish line. Barracuda, who are sitting at seventh place overall in the series had led the race until the last mark. “We were dominating the fleet early on and were extending the lead at every leg until the finish when the wheels fell off a little bit.” Crew of Barracuda John Warlow said. “Blur sailed very well.” When asked about the end of the race, skipper of Barracuda Ray King described their opponents’ advantage as, “Superior brain skills at the final jibe mark”. “They went a little bit further before they jibed and he had a better angle to the line. The breeze died towards the end. He went up and we went down and he got us. Well done to him.” Skipper of Blur, Malcolm Higgins, was really pleased with
their result today. “We had a good day today with a close race.
We didn’t have a very good start and were a bit behind up the first
beat but we managed to work our way though. It was very shifty today so
that was quite a challenging race.” (boatingOZ) DAY FOUR: South Australian Malcolm Higgins and his crew on Blur have secured the title of Australian Champions in the Sharpie class again with one day of racing still to go. Blur finished second in today’s race behind local boat McGees Property after some competitive racing between the two veteran boats of the class. “It’s very good to go in, not have the pressure on us in the last race and win it with one race to go,” Higgins said. Skipper of McGees Property, Bill Cuneo said their preparation this morning was the key to their race win. “Our homework before the start paid off. Our assessment was that there was some pressure and favour on the left hand side of the course and the start was a buoy end favoured start line.” Angus Galloway, crew member of McGees Property, said the racing with Blur had been extremely close. “Us and Blur pulled out in front, so by the second lap it was just us trying to defend and hold them off and play the game.” For 18-year-old Angus, tomorrow will mark his tenth sail in the Sharpie class. “It’s good fun racing with three people to spilt off the roles.” The battle is now on for second place overall in the series with only four points between McGees Property, Warpig and One Hump or Two. “We started the regatta saying we just wanted to do the best that we can do in a day and to do all the basics well,” Cuneo said. “The position of where we came was not the focus when we started this regatta. I think that has taken the pressure off us. We’re here to do the best we can on that day.” The ACT boat, Irish Frog, skippered by Chris Ablett, is
leading the handicap event going into the last day of racing. (Yachte.com.au) DAY FIVE: Blur officially celebrated their championship win today after going into the final day of racing with the title already secured. Racing was tight with hot contention for second place; the honour going to McGees Property followed by One Hump of Two in third. The final race offered unpredictable conditions with Blur and McGees Property leading the race right until the end. 'The weird change point was at the last gibe mark when we were in 8 knots and the guys behind us were in 15 knots planing straight at us. The whole fleet compressed into the front,' McGees Property’s skipper Bill Cuneo said. McGees Property had to secure their sport by covering third
and fourth placed boats Warpig and One Hump or Two, which allowed Doyle
Sails to slip past the fleet and take first place. 'We had an excellent race with the Queensland guys (McGees Property),' Blur skipper Malcolm Higgins said. 'Unfortunately we were the wrong side of a shift up the last beat and we ended up second. We had no pressure on us today so we had an enjoyable day just sailing around. It was an excellent quality fleet with some very good yachtsmen in it so it’s a privilege to compete with them and win.' Blur’s crew Andrew Chisholm and Sam Sanderson were really happy with the regatta overall. 'We loved it here in Queensland. The conditions just suited us perfectly,' Chisholm said. 'We are very happy with the way things went,' Sanderson said. 'We were well prepared coming into the event and the conditions for us were perfect with a shifty, moderate breeze. That’s our favourite kind of weather and that suited our kind of sailing.' The crew have just sold Blur and are waiting on the delivery of their next boat in preparation for the next nationals later this year. Cuneo said the McGees Property‘s crew were happy about their second in the series. 'We’re totally ecstatic for a lot of reasons; for Clarkey being Commodore, for Gus (Angus Galloway) being the Youth Sailor of the Year and for us coming into a class with a boat that’s 13-years-old. There’s a lot of history in that equation and I think that’s a lovely thing for these guys.' As a representative of RQYS, Clarkey was delighted with the week of racing. 'It was absolutely superb to have 34 Sharpies here at the squadron. We’ve got every state represented which is fantastic. The competition on the water has been incredible, every inch you’ve had to fight for. It’s a great delight to have the Sharpies back on the lawn.' (Sail-World)
Blur Crew from left Sam Sanderson, Andrew Chisholm and Malcolm Higgins - Sharpie National Championship 2012 - Photo Chris Murray 68th SHARPIE NATIONALS at Black Rock, VICTORIA One Hump or Two takes out the 68th titles! Tasmanians Drew Latham with Nick Carter and Nick Johnston take out the 2010-11 Nationals - full scratch Series Results here. Bank of New South Wales Trophy for Overall Handicap went to New South Wales courtesy Marc Ablett in Rocket Fuels, with Michael Denny and Ben Phillips on the wire. Some photos are available from Terrence Benade's Gallery
Photos above courtesy Chris Murray A Nationals Perspective from Mainiac ! The Sharpie Nationals were sailed from the 27th December
through to the 6th of January at Black Rock Yacht Club on Port Philip
Bay. Seven Sharpies from NSW attended - Mainiac (Ian, Michael, Dylan),
Road Kill Heat 1 : The wind was
a steady 20 knots gusting higher with the most awesome chop (swell ??)
- many boats getting into difficulty due to the very challenging conditions.
Of the NSW boats Mainiac got off to a Heat 2 : Held in slightly
lighter conditions but still with huge waves. Best of the NSW boats was
Irish Frog with their huge forward hand for the series - he was 13th.
Road kill was doing really well until a swim Heat 3 : This heat on New Years Eve was almost looking as though it would be called off. 40 degree temperatures and 30 knot winds from the north - similar to our westerlies. Not all boats took part - which most regreted as it wasn't bad once on the water. Mainiac (12th) was in 7th or 8th for most of the race but did a big nosedive coming in to the bottom mark the last time - and missed the mark - a few boats including Proud Aussie (11th) got through before they recovered. Rocket Fuels and Irish Frog both missed the start, only just making the 4min limit. Though both did well to get back to 15th and 17th respectively, working their way through some of the tailenders and helped by the decision of a few not to compete. The other NSW boats decided not to compete. Again Black Rock and the Victorian Sharpie association put on a great show, with many definitely in need of a lay day. While some of the younger sharpie lads from all states made use of the free public transport in Melbourne to make sure the locals knew the sharpies were in town. Heat 4 : Back to the same old sea breeze with huge waves. We must have been getting used to it as on Mainiac we were in 8th for most of the race - got overtaken again on the last work when the wind filled in even more to finish 11th - our best result so far. Irish Frog starred with incredible upwind speed to come from further back in the fleet to finish 9th. Proud Aussie was 17th, Sheet Faced 28th and Rocket Fuels (another swim) 22nd. Road Kill broke a tiller extension and Shazam broke a trap wire. Heat 5 : A touch lighter
- still about 15 knots - once again with large waves for the conditions.
Half the flet went left and half right after the start with the wind swinging
to favour those who went right. Road Kill had their best start to a race
and were 10th round the first mark - well done guys. Mainiac went left
and was about 25th !! Rocket Fuels was sailing really well to be running
top ten and Proud Aussie were finding States night was then held, the free beer was flowing very strong and in true sharpie tradition stumps were not pulled until 2am. The NSW Chug-a-lug team had a good crack this year but unfortunately drew the 2 finalists in the minor rounds, Tassie ultimately defeated the South Aussies in the final. The Girls made the finals against the Victorian girls with it coming down to the final scull, with the Vic’s coming through in a thriller sparking wild celebrations and a night of d&m’s and “what could of been” for team NSW. Heat 6 : Sailed in strong
seabreeze of up to 25 knots - biggest waves so far !! Rocket Fuels revelled
in the conditions to come home 10th with Irish Frog not far behind in
13th. I had been very sick overnight and Heat 7 : The last heat
was held in 5 knot breezes in smooth water - what a relief !! Ricks crew
on Proud Aussie had gone home so he grabbed a crew off the beach including
an English Musto sailor who had never seen a Sharpie and sailed to a creditable
15th. Mainiac sailed from a really bad start in their favoured conditions
through the fleet to be battling for 4th place - would have been great
to have these conditions all series ! Road Kill suffered in the light
conditions and could not make any headway. On the last work Mainiac decided
to cover the boat they were closest in the championships to which was
a bad move as they lost a few places to finish ninth. Irish Frog sailed
well to finish 19th although they were hoping for stronger breeze with
their crew weight. Sheet faced was 28th, Road Kill came home in 30th and
Rocket Fuels did The NSW contingent had a very enjoyable regatta and although finding the conditions challenging I think we all did very well. On overall scratch positions, Mainiac was 13th, Irish Frog 18th, Rocket Fuels 19th, Proud Aussie 21st, Road Kill 29th, Shazam 30th and Sheet Faced 32nd. On handicap Rocket Fuels won the series with Mainiac a close second. Road Kill was second in the Junior championship. Drew Latham on One Hump or Two from Tasmania won the overall
series - and while they were challenged on and off it was a decisive win
with four first placings. Dave Higgins on All Scoobed Out was second with
67th SHARPIE NATIONALS 2009/10, Sandy Bay, TASMANIA Blur wins 67th Sharpie Nationals! Mal Higgins, Sam Sanderson and Andrew Chisholm break the Hoodoo of the Derwent and, for the second consecutive year, take out the national championship title (SA893). Fellow South Australians Jason Heritage and Dave Higgins brought Bread Run (SA920) and All Scoobed Out (SA909) home in second and third, respectively. Final results here NSW boys Todd and Brad Curry and Hayden Sellers have taken out the Country title in Mr Freeze (N885). Dean Souter, Mark Ablett and Michael Denny in Rocket Fuels (N812) were on equal points for the Junior title, but tipped out by Ellen Fisher's fantastic 5th placing in Race 6 in Pre-Mature (SA884) - beauty and brilliance really does conquer brawn and consistency - and old man emu Derek Milligan has the 50plus factor, with help from John Fisher and Andrew Breen on board Roger Ramjet (N747). A more detailed account will be available after the NSW team make their way back home. Mary Tulip 's video of the Invitation Races below
66th SHARPIE NATIONALS 2008/09, Lake Illawarra, NSW South Australian sharpie Blur from Brighton & Seacliff YC, skippered by Mal Higgins with Sam Sanderson as sheethand and Andrew Chisholm forward hand dominated the 2008/09 Sharpie Nationals
Sudden squall during the last heat of the Nationals
turned the third work into a two sail reach Lake Illawarra provided the perfect setting for the 66th Australian Sharpie Championship. Port Kembla Sailing Club organized an excellent regatta based around a friendly family environment that was enjoyed and appreciated by all. Mal Higgins, Sam Sanderson and Andrew Chisholm sailing “Blur” from South Australia with sensational boat tuning and handling were the catalyst for an impressive race record winning all bar one of the seven heats. Not since the days of John Cuneo, Sir James Hardy and John Bertrand was there such a dominant display. Conditions at times were trying but the racing was always close and some of the “less dominant” states proved that a good balanced campaign can lead to some impressive results. All the trophy categories were well contested with most left until the last heat to decide. Canberra boat “Smoke” sailed by Michael Forster, brother Andy and Ben Phillips, managed to place 2nd in the regatta, particularly impressive considering that in the blustery heat 1, Phillips decided to jump ship while well placed resulting in “Smoke” starting her campaign with a 7th place. From then on they showed good speed throughout the regatta, particularly in the lighter to moderate conditions. Elke Hacker [Qld] skippering “Gingerbread Man” had shown good form throughout the year contesting preliminary races in both NSW and Qld. She had potential to win - sailing well. The challenging conditions and tough competition saw Elke finish a credible 3rd overall, and win the Women’s Championship Trophy. The overall handicap ended in a trifecta for the ladies with Ellen Fisher winning overall in “Pre-Mature” from Elke Hacker with Heather Sutton from Cairns sailing “Pi to Infinity” into third place. The NSW team won the teams’ trophy for the first time since it’s inauguration in 1978. The event socially was as good as the racing itself as sharpie champs always are and events were fiercely contested. The “State’s Night” resulted in the South Australians beating NSW in the men’s Chug-a-lug final. The leveler came witha the brilliant win by NSW women’s team. Final Results:
It was anyone's guess for the minor placings going into the final race .....
More photos available through our Gallery pages
65th Sharpie Nationals 2007/08, Swan River, WA Held on the Swan River in WA and hosted by the East Fremantle Yacht Club, Wade Henson, Sam Abbot and Alan Hopping took home the 65th Sharpie Nationals title with a great performance in Vicious. The Lizard came in second, skippered by Peter Chappel with Marc Lewis and Michael Duffield on board, and the South Australians Geoff McCloud, Sam Flint and Mark Beaumont brought Pigout home in third, albeit on the same points as Malcom Higgins in Blur....
Visit the Gallery for video footage of this gybe, filmed on the Swan River during Heat 1 of the Nationals. Some stills from the heats are available in the Photos section. While WA and SA battled it out for the top positions, NSW/ACT (the only other state to attend) was respresented by Suicide Blonde and Mr Freeze. The Blonde, skippered by Derek Milligan with Kevin Rosenbaum on main and Paul Cohen up front came in 24th. Chris Ablett injured himself in a practice session on Mr Freeze before the series started and, on doctor's orders, had to retire and handed the tiller over to Mary Tulip. With Max Rosenbaum on main and Marc Ablett on the wire they found they were rather light at 190 kgs, but had a lot of fun and brought Mr Freeze home in 35th. Results for the 65th NATIONALS- CLICK HERE
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