Sharpies in Tazzie

Frazer Read wins 61st National Sharpie Championship as racing abondoned on final day

Tasmanian boats City Motors Volkswagon, skippered by Frazer Read, and Impact, with Warren Young on the helm, have finished first and second in the Australia Post 61st National Sharpie Championship in Hobart after racing was abandoned on the final day.

Third place went to veteran West Australian Vern Tidy, sailing Blatantly Obvious.

Provisional final results have been calculated on six races out of the seven scheduled heats, with one race discarded.

However, the Race Committee is meeting with the National Sharpie Association this evening to consider the possibility of re-scheduling the seventh and final race for tomorrow, taking into account the closeness of the pointscore, with only three points separating the top three boats.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania principal race officer, Ray Batt, made two attempts today to conduct the final and deciding heat. The first attempt, early this afternoon, was abandoned minutes after the start because of unstable winds on the Derwent River.
He abandoned the second attempt two hours later as westerly winds of 32 knots were forecast, several of the three-crew centreboard boats capsizing in the gusts.

After six heats, City Motors Volkswagon, sailed by Frazer Read, Justin Wells and Peter Lilley, finished on 15 points from placings of 6-2-3-1-3-10, with one discard, while Impact, sailed by Warren Young, Will Logan and Sam Ibbott had 16 points from placings of 5-6-2-2-4-3.

Blatently Obvious, sailed by Vern Tidy, Michael Outhred and Andrew Harry ended the series on 18 points from placings of 1-1-8-3-11-5, followed by South Australia’s All Scoobed Out (Dave Higgins) on 28 points and the West Australian boat RJA (Tim Reger) on 29 points.