Austinn Lane, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

It was a big week on the water in Wallaroo, with the 51st Tasar national championships held at the local sailing club from January 12 to 17.

The event attracted 37 teams of two sailors each, who travelled with their craft from around Australia.

The week started with an invitational race and a welcome to all on Monday, January 12, before the championship officially got underway the next day.

Tuesday’s weather only allowed one race, however Wednesday saw all three scheduled races held and all eight races were done by Friday, allowing each crew to drop their worst result from their points tally.

Australian Tasar Championships president, Blaise Vinot, says it was great to hold the championships in Wallaroo.

“Everybody here is welcoming and we have loved our time in Wallaroo, there is so much to do and learn here,” he said.

“It has been windy which is good for sailing, the facilities are great, the water is great and the protected area makes it great to launch your boats.”

After wrapping up racing on Friday, all competitors headed into the clubroom for the presentation dinner, which was a hit for all.

The club had drone footage of the racing on the television, along with a QR code available so people could watch it from their device.

Craig McPhee and Gill Berry claimed the overall win, amassing 15 points across the week to hold off the fast-starting Andrew Martin and Phil Potter, who ended the weekend with consecutive fifth place finishes to get 19 points.

Chris Dance and Jarka Kluth finished on 24 points, 16 ahead of fourth to claim a comfortable podium position.

Next year’s championships will be held in New South Wales, with the host club yet to be finalised. 

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 20 January 2026.