Wilson McShane, Yorke Peninsula Country Times
Wallaroo Sailing Club was in the spotlight over the weekend of January 25-27, hosting the Tasar state heats where two of its crews placed in the top three.
The event attracted 10 Tasar sailing crews (boats of two people) from across the state, including Port Pirie and Adelaide.
Wallaroo Sailing Club commodore Margaret Pope said Clayton Bay’s Craig McPhee (skipper) and his crew, Wayne Hale — who recently also won the 50th national Australian Tasar title — claimed a relatively comfortable victory.
“(McPhee) is an excellent sailor,” Pope said.
“He was the person everyone tried to beat, but they didn’t quite make it there.”
WSC’s Trevor Hildyard (sk) and Lee Sorrenson, and Kym Flint (sk) and Karen Westlake trailed McPhee, placing second and third respectively.
Pope said, despite warm weather and winds between five and 17 knots, the event ran smoothly and was enjoyed by competitors.
“After the races, everyone gathered around and chatted and socialised, and discussed what had happened out there.
“And the competitors were really impressed with (race officer) Peter Elverd and (assistant race officer) Neville Hank’s course.”
Hank, who sailed with Pope in a national sailing event more than a decade ago, said Wallaroo had also hosted state heats in 2023.
Clockwise from top left: Lined up. The field of boats lined up on the beach before racing; Preparation. Sailors prepare their boats before racing; Sailing. Wallaroo Sailing Club stalwarts Neville Hank and Margaret Pope aboard the commitee boat.
Photos: Yorke Peninsula Country Times.
Hank said the 2025 heats attracted a range of returning competitors.
“It was well attended by the Tasar members; a lot of them have been coming here for a long time,” he said.
“They met up with friends they sometimes hadn’t seen for a couple of years.
“We kept saying ‘oh there’s so and so and there’s so and so’, and although they’re not sailing anymore, they’re still coming along to follow what’s been happening in the class and support the sailors.”
He said, although state championships often help sailors accrue points for an upcoming national event in several classes, this did not apply for Tasars.
WSC will find out in the next couple months whether it will host the Tasar state heats in 2026.
This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 29 January 2025.
