DON SHIELDS LIFE IN SHARPIES.

I joined Mordialloc 12 Square Metre Sailing Club in 1950 when it was located on Lambert Island. To get to the clubhouse we used a wooden punt which was attached by a chain to the mainland and the landing on the island. You had to pull yourself across with the chain. The punt held 12 people with very little freeboard. The Club had about 10 12 square metre yachts, housed underneath the Club.

When I was 12 years old I started to sail in a boat owned by Bill Leverett called "TEMPEST". My job was to operate the box bilge pumps attached to either side of the plate case. I progressed to forward-hand. I later sailed with Ted Rennie on "CSHINOOK", then Alf and Alex Murphy on "SOUTHERN CROSS", Bill Broadhurst on "COSSACK" and Brian Anstee on "AH TOO."

Ian Nichols was sailing with his fiancee Betty on a Snipe Class when I started sailing with him. He bought a 12 square metre Sharpie called "OVALTINEY." I sailed on this yacht with Nicho and Ray Frith for many years and learnt a lot.

In 1960, I took on loan, "PATIENCE" to Tasmania for the National Titles along with Bill Leverett and his yacht "TEMPEST". We were pretty happy with our performance. This year was my first impression of the new "Lightweight Sharpie". Lightweight Sharpies from Victoria were George White in "QUICKSURE", John Holstock in "NATIVE" and Keith Frost in "OMEGA". The outstanding performers at the Titles were John Cuneo in "DARING", Keith Tickle in "TENACITY" and John Crooke in "WAYWARD". New Lightweight Sharpies were being built in the major Sharpie Clubs in Victoria - namely Black Rock, Mordialloc and Frankston.

I became a Club Delegate to the Lightweight Sharpie Association in 1960. Ron 'Sport' McCrindle of Frankston Yacht Club was a top competitor and Titleholder in Heavyweight Sharpies. He bought a Lightweight Sharpie hull from Merv Anderson in Queensland and asked if I would sail forward-hand for him along with Sharpie Association Treasurer, Roy Barker.

I used to have a beer on Fridays after work with Peter Hosking from Chelsea Yacht Club. He had a Lightweight Sharpie called "MEMORIES". He said he was selling it and buying a Merv Anderson hull. He asked me to help fit it out and sail forward-hand for him, along with Max Bartle as sheet-hand. After many years at Mordialloc Sailing Club, of which I have many fond memories and helping build the new Club on the beach, I joined Chelsea Yacht Club of which I became a Committee Member and Sharpie Delegate.

Peter 'Horse' Hosking named his new boat "CRUNCHER". All his boats were named after racehorses. The elimination heats for selection of the team for Perth in 1963 were held in pretty hard weather. Heats were sailed at Mordialloc, Black Rock and St Kilda. In the heat at St Kilda we had a big swim, did a lot of damage to the hull and compressed the base of the timber mast. We took the boat home to Wally Hayes house in Chelsea and a team of us worked all night. We re-built the hull, plate case frames etc. We still had to fix the base of the mast so we obtained some fibreglass and resin and repaired it on the Esplanade footpath near St Kilda where the race was to be held. We finished 3rd and secured our place in the team.

In Perth we finished 6th overall. On return to Melbourne, Peter joined the three of us up at Black Rock Yacht Club so we could get better competition against Ron Allatt "RIVAL", George White "Futura", Porky Newman "TRAMP" and Keith Frost in "OMEGA". It paid off as we tied in the State Titles with Ron Allatt. In those days it was hard to get good spruce timbers for masts so we trialled an alloy straight section from Bob Keely in an invitation race at Mordialloc. It was a rough day and we had a big swim and when we got the boat up it rolled straight over with the weight of water in the mast. Our Association proposed that alloy masts should be recommended in the 3 year BAN. De Havilland spars became the most popular.

Later I sailed forward-hand for Pierre [Dick Laugier] and Peter Kessler on RUSH. We qualified for the National Titles in Glenelg SA 1964 and Sydney 1965. In 1964 the State Titles were held at Black Rock Yacht Club. We sailed a very good series and won the Title. It was the first time Black Rock Yacht Club had lost a Sharpie Title in 32 years. We were members at the Chelsea Yacht Club.

I bought my first LWS "RUTHLESS" from Geoff McConville in partnership with John Nichols. I was skipper, John forward-hand and John McGrath on wire. My next boat was "ZEPHYR" built by Geoff Spencer and I was at the helm. After that I had "BLOODSHOT" then "SHILO". I still own "SHILO" and keep it like a precious piece of furniture. I have it sailed for me in classic dinghy races as there is no room for a wheelchair and it would be far too hard to tack.

At this stage, I was Publicity Officer for the Victorian Association and had the position of State Delegate at National Conferences, as well as three times Team Manager. I was working for Synthetic Resins so I did a Diploma course in fibreglass at RMIT. I suggested to the Association that we should look into the manufacture of fibreglass hulls. I did my homework using foam sandwich, but because of the types of foams available, none were high density - therefore I estimated that I could only get the weight down to 200 lb and the minimum hull weight was 180 lb - that meant you had to build a hull at 160 lb to allow for fittings. Along came Macca Hazelgrove who built a hull using a core of micro balloon spheres. Next came balsa wood cores. Glass was recognised and Macca built boats for all over Australia. Other builders tried to change fullness on the bow section but they were getting away from the one design hull.

I designed a couple of different shaped rudder blades. The one they selected as an option was not the one I preferred as it tacked the boat much quicker, but at speed on a reach the tip of the blade created a vortex and you had no helm [disaster].

My business AQUAFLOW FIBREGLASS PRODUCTS P/L made foils for all classes. The rudder blade I preferred was similar to the Flying Dutchman Class.

I was a Sharpie Delegate from 1960 to 1980 when I retired. I had been Vice President of the Lightweight Sharpie Sailing Association and was honoured with Life Membership in Victoria. In 2017 I was made a Life Member of ALSSA.

During my time racing Sharpies, I owned three and it was noticeable with State Selection of 6 plus 2 country and 1 junior that it was always the same 6 each year. I thought it would be a good idea to have a second division for the boats who didn't make the State side. This idea was approved by all States so I donated a trophy which I think helped keep the class going.

In closing, I've loved my racing and the administration of the VLSSA and have lasting friendships with so many.

Don Shields.