Australian Sharpie
Encyclopedia
The Australian Sharpie is a 3-person sailing dinghy
which has evolved from the 12-square-metre class sailed in the 1956 Olympics
in Melbourne
, Australia
. Australian Sharpies are 19 feet, inches long, with a planing
hull
and a single mast
. Sharpies race with a fully batten
ed mainsail
, a jib
and a spinnaker
.
They are sailed competitively in all six Australian states. The Australian Sharpie National Titles is run as a carnival each year rotating from state to state. A National Conference is held each year during this event by officials from the Australian Sharpie Sailing Association (ASSA).
Famous Sharpie sailors include 1983 America's Cup
winner John Bertrand, Sir James Hardy and John Cuneo.
Development of the Australian Sharpie is strictly controlled by the Australian Sharpie Sailing Association (ASSA), which has chapters in each of the states which have Sharpie fleets. The current craft was initially referred to as a "Lightweight Sharpie". to distinguish it from an earlier design which was referred to as a "Heavyweight Sharpie"; however, at a recent national conference the name was officially changed to "Australian Sharpie". The Lightweight Sharpie was founded by the Addison brothers in Western Australia
.
Because of the design, the type has limitations that prevent mass-production in fiberglass
. Fiberglass, by its nature, is stronger when used for compound curves. The flat bottom and sides of a sharpie are not well suited to this building material. Some designers, such as Bruce Kirby and Reuel Parker have managed to add some curves (typically at the chine
) without compromising the qualities of the type, but there are limits as to what can be done before the boat becomes something other than a sharpie.
The earlier heavyweight Sharpie is still sailed to this day with fleets in the UK, Holland , Germany, and Portugal.
active sailing Sharpie fleet. Office bearers in the association include an:
Each state division (chapter) of the association also has its own office bearers, typically including a President, Measurer, Secretary, Race Officer and Publicity Officer.
The National Titles trophy consists of 7 races. These races are preceded by two invitation races.
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
which has evolved from the 12-square-metre class sailed in the 1956 Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Australian Sharpies are 19 feet, inches long, with a planing
Planing (sailing)
Planing is the mode of operation for a waterborne craft in which its weight is predominantly supported by hydrodynamic lift, rather than hydrostatic lift .-History:...
hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
and a single mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
. Sharpies race with a fully batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
ed mainsail
Mainsail
A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel.On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast....
, a jib
Jib
A jib is a triangular staysail set ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bow, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast...
and a spinnaker
Spinnaker
A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180° off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is deployed, called flying. It is constructed of...
.
They are sailed competitively in all six Australian states. The Australian Sharpie National Titles is run as a carnival each year rotating from state to state. A National Conference is held each year during this event by officials from the Australian Sharpie Sailing Association (ASSA).
Famous Sharpie sailors include 1983 America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
winner John Bertrand, Sir James Hardy and John Cuneo.
Development
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Because of the design, the type has limitations that prevent mass-production in fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
. Fiberglass, by its nature, is stronger when used for compound curves. The flat bottom and sides of a sharpie are not well suited to this building material. Some designers, such as Bruce Kirby and Reuel Parker have managed to add some curves (typically at the chine
Chine
A chine is a steep-sided river valley where the river flows through coastal cliffs to the sea. Typically these are soft eroding cliffs such as sandstone or clays. The word chine originates from the Saxon "Cinan" meaning a gap or yawn....
) without compromising the qualities of the type, but there are limits as to what can be done before the boat becomes something other than a sharpie.
The earlier heavyweight Sharpie is still sailed to this day with fleets in the UK, Holland , Germany, and Portugal.
The Australian Sharpie Sailing Association
The association consists of representatives from each state with anactive sailing Sharpie fleet. Office bearers in the association include an:
- Australian Commodore
- Australian President
- Australian Measurer
- Australian Secretary
- Carnival Secretary
- Regatta Technical Advisor
- Australian Regatta Secretary
- Australian Publicity Officer
Each state division (chapter) of the association also has its own office bearers, typically including a President, Measurer, Secretary, Race Officer and Publicity Officer.
The Annual Carnival and National Titles
The Carnival is held annually in consecutive states in the following order:- South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
- Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
- New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
- TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
- VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
- QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
The National Titles trophy consists of 7 races. These races are preceded by two invitation races.
National Awards
A number of perpetual trophies are presented at the end of the annual carnival. These include the following:- Australian Champion (Addison Brothers Trophy, Sir Dallas BrooksDallas BrooksBrooks made his first-class debut for the Royal Navy against Cambridge University in 1919 as a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium. The same season Brooks made his debut for Hampshire against Surrey in the County Championship...
Trophy, Geoff Augustine Memorial Trophy) - Runner-up Australian Champion (Alcorso Trophy)
- Third Place Champion (Fred Meyer Memorial Trophy)
- Fourth Place Champion (Phil Durham Memorial Trophy)
- Overall Consistency Champion (The O'Grady Cup)
- Best Junior Skipper (Tomlinson Trophy)
- Most Carnival Wins (Mark Peelgrane Memorial Trophy)
- Best Country Representative (Red Hand Trophy)
- First Non-State Team Competitor (Don Shields Perpetual Trophy)
- Overall Consistency on Handicap (WestpacWestpacWestpac , is a multinational financial services, one of the Australian "big four" banks and the second-largest bank in New Zealand....
Bank Trophy) - Open Invitation Events (Ray Callard Trophy)
- First Non-State Team Competitor Handicap (George Laurens Trophy)
- Golden Oldies (Golden Oldies Trophy)
- First skipper over 50 (Erky Mitton Trophy)
- First female skipper (Graham Keys Trophy)
- Champion Team (Bishop Teams Trophy)
- First Handicap Champion (Bretts Handicap Trophy)
- Chug-a-lug