Warpig took out the 73rd Sharpie National Championships, with Sam McCloud bringing the beast home a decisive 8 points ahead of Tony Turton’s Don’t Poke the Bear. The PINZ sponsored series had everything from strategy and light winds to raging bullets and bearded ladies, and only 15 points separated the top six boats at the conclusion of the seven (7) race series. Read more about how the veteran claimed his maiden on Down Under Sail
Full results for the 73rd Sharpie Nationals can be found on the Sandy Bay Sailing Club website.
By Harry Fisher, Down Under Sail, Photo above by Lou Hollis
AUSTRALIAN sharpie class stalwart Geoff “Sam” McCloud, with crew Sam Flint and Mark Beaumont in Warpig, has taken out his maiden national championship in a resounding win on the Derwent River in Hobart, Tasmania in early January.
McCloud, who has sailed sharpies for a number of decades and has achieved some great results in the past, clinched his first-ever national championship, which had always found a way to elude him in the past.
Sponsors of the 73rd Sharpie Nationals: Many thanks must go to the Sandy Bay Sailing Club for putting on such a great regatta and PINZ for its major sponsorship. Other sponsors included Killala Welding, Tassal, Tavern 42 Degrees South (T42), Prince of Wales Hotel, Down Under Sail, Gerard Horsman Photography, Fish Frenzy, Steve Walker Sails and Nutpatch.
Photos: Colleen Darcey took great photos at the Nationals in Hobart, more available through her Facebook album. Lou Hollis’ fantastic range of action shots across the Heats is also available to public access on Facebook.
