1969/70 - Aussie Titles - Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, Brisbane.

Where to start. We had just turned 17 and this was our first Aussie Titles............

The Sharpie Aussie Titles were usually held between Boxing Day and about the 9th of January.

As the titles were in Brisbane, Mum and Dad decided that we would have a week or two in Surfers beforehand.
Mum, Dad, my sister Leeann and I towed Dad's Sharpie to Surfers Paradise, we were staying at the "Island in the Sun" on the Esplanade. I drove the majority of the way with a BIG L plate connected to the back of the yacht. The yacht suffered a little damage due to a design fault with the trailer, not my driving, so we delivered it to Merv Anderson a very famous Sharpie builder of that era in Sandgate, Brisbane.

Dad's crew Willo towed our Sharpie to and from Brisbane. Thanks again Willo.
Mum and Dad had booked a room at the Waterloo Bay Hotel in Wynnum for Chic, Horace and me. Remember the three of us were only 17 so not legally allowed to drink. Chic and Horace caught a train from Melbourne to Sydney to Brisbane to Wynnum, where I met them and we walked to our hotel. Our room was on the 2nd floor. See photo below. The toilet/bathroom was on the corner. To us it was absolutely brilliant. For brekky, we would go downstairs to the lounge.

The pub was booked out with Sharpie sailors so it was a great atmosphere, I remember Fred Murdoch from WA stayed there. Mum and Dad and Leeann stayed at a motel nearby. I think Willo and Rolly and some other insterstae Sharpie sailors stayed there as well. I remember one of the SA sailor drove a brand new 1969 Pontiac Parisienne.

Sailing results: I cannot remember where we finished back it was at the bottom end of the fleet. Can't remember any of Dad's results. Willo may, if so, I will update this page. Update: I finished 39th and Dad finished 20th out of 46 starters. I have the full results which I will add to this page in the future.

I remembered on the rest day, Chic and Horace went into the Breakfast Creek Hotel, as it was owned by one of Chic's relatives.

On the other rest day, the club organised a picnic on Peel Island in Moreton Bay, everyone caught the ferry except for Chic, Horace, Me and a mate who crewed on one of the SA boats. We sailed our Sharpie across to Peel Island, as we crossed one of the sandbars in Moreton Bay a neighbouring powerboat suggested we keep an eye open for the sharks, they had seen some. When 4 of you are sailing a plywood boat that isn't what you want to hear. Anyway, we never saw any. Coming home we had a beautiful reach with the flattie up the whole way home. Memories that you remember.

Another night there was a party at some sailors place and we were driven there and back by Daryll Lyons from BRYC who I think was sailing with Peter Lyons. Anyway, one of the interstate guys was pissed and started flashing himself, well, Brian and Johnny Collins straightened him out.

When the titles ended, Willo towed our boat back to Melbourne, while Chic, Horace and I caught a train back to Melbourne. In Sydney, we had a few hours stop over before catching the Southern Aurora home. So we visited KFC and bought a bucket of chicken and walked over to the park, and the 3 of us walked around making chicken noises. We were mad.

I can't remember the three of us being drunk, we didn't drink much at all, BUT that increased exponentially at our titles in 2 years time in Adelaide.