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| VICTORIAN SHARPIE ASSOCIATION News Flash Vic Sharpies Dominate Westernport Challenge Ballarat Bertie - 16 April 2011 After 8 years of no water the sharpies returned to Lake Wendouree to contest the “Ballarat Bertie” Saturday 16th April was the first sailing of Bertie for many years, as Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree had become a grassy paddock. The rains of late 2010 & early 2011 put paid to that, and to celebrate, Ballaarat Yacht Club welcomed 6 Sharpies to a 2 heat Bertie. For those who didn’t know, Bertie was the character who graced the label of the now-defunct Ballarat Brewery. I’m not sure if BYC’s Bertie is named after that character or another Sharpie-type character. Competitors were Crews Control, Flash as a Rat, On Tour With the Bear, My Butcher, Furnace of Affliction, and Hasta la Vista. The “Rat”, the “Butcher” and “Hasta” all have long and close connection to Lake Wendouree, and Crews Control more recently. Leaving the coast and heading inland, we were quite happy that there would a very light breeze, unlike our first and last visit. Brian Canny’s briefing left us in no doubt as to the foibles of the lake. “In that part of the course, the breeze is coming from that direction, and in that part, it’s coming from there.” Translation – at mark B it is a south westerly, and mark C it’s a south easterly – a distance of nearly 200 metres if you took the long way round the clumps of weed. Short course racing at its dizzy best! As we rigged, we noticed that the base breeze was about 8 knots, with 15 knot mini bullets. Delightful. The first race got off to a clear start, and the other divisions (Jubilees and Lasers), were quite entertained by the constant lead changes, capsizes, acceleration with each bullet, and deceleration as boats hit weed. Some rather ugly capsizes were hopefully not captured on pixils. The boys on My Butcher came out the winners in the first race. Between race entertainment included the boys on the Bear checking the weed by driving hard into it to see how stationary they could maintain themselves and for how long. The front page of the Ballarat Courier of 18 April was devoted to the problem of the lake weed, and there was no article on Bertie at all. Surely the Bear boys could have helped with the front page, both article and picture? Stuch from Hasta was heard asking Brian after the briefing if the second race could go in reverse to the first one so we could unwind. Brian was quite amused, but not swayed. Second race was marks to port, just like the first one, but the skippers were a bit excited for the start, and a general recall ensued. A clean and slightly sheepish start the second time. Only one boat managed to NOT put their mast into the drink and weed – the Rat. How did they manage that? Blowed if I know. After as much entertainment in this race as the first, the winner was, again, My Butcher. Well done Rohan on tiller, Neville on sheet and Jason up front swinging in and out and in and out and. . . . The guys get to look after a rather interesting trophy with the names of so many Sharpie legends engraved on it. The cheeky ones reckon that it makes a great doorstop, but if we had won it, it would take pride of place on the sideboard. Our bodies hurt much more the next day, but at the end of that day with great company, tall stories (and true, of course), wonderful hospitality and a fantastic BBQ put on by the locals, who would have been anywhere else for the day? Thankyou BYC. We will return. A bit of Ballarat Bertie history..... Chris A.: I can remember the famous sharpie of the same name participating in many National Titles representing Victoria and the Ballarat Yacht Club. Can you tell us a little more? Peter S.: As far as I know this is the basic story of the Ballarat Bertie. Ballarat Bitter was a beer produced in Ballarat until about the 1980’s. On the label was a man with a big moustache who was known as Bertie. John Curwen-Walker was a sharpie sailor from the Ballarat Yacht Club. He looks a lot like the man on the label so got the nick name of Bertie. He had a Sharpie named Ballarat Bertie – the boat you are referring to. I think when he retired from Sharpie sailing the 1st time (as he has got back into a Sharpies a few times since) he created a trophy – the Ballarat Bertie. The trophy is a truck piston mounted on a wood base. The Bertie was contested on Lake Wendouree in Ballarat since its inception until about 8 years ago when the lake dried up. As the Lake is now full again, we are going to contest it again in a couple of weeks. After 8 years of no sailing the Ballarat Yacht Club is struggling for members, so to get Sharpies back on the lake will be great. The trophy is held in high regard here in Victoria with many a well know Sharpie having won it. Most Victorian Sharpie sailors have very fond memories of trips to Ballarat and having a fantastic time (usually off the water!) Photos! Training Day west of the Yarra VIC Sharpies had a training day at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. This is the first time sharpies have been seen West of the Yarra. It is an important initiative as there is a good fleet of International Cadets which are fast becoming a feeder class for sharpies at clubs like Sandy Bay in Tasmania, Adelaide Sailing Club South Australia and Balmoral Sailing Club NSW.
68th SHARPIE NATIONALS AT BLACK ROCK, VICTORIA Tasmanians take out the 2010-11 Nationals in One Hump or Two, skippered by Drew Latham with Nick Carter and Nick Johnston - 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.
Photos above courtesy Chris Murray
For the more information about sailing Sharpies in Victoria, visit
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