Past Crew
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Harry Blom
Harry started sailing at around 12 years of age when his father bought the family an NS14. After a few years learning the ropes he graduated to a Moth. Many modifications were made over the years until the family bought a Red Witch Trailer Sailer. After a 10 year hiatus, Harry and some friends bought a Sonata 8 which they sailed to the Whitsundays and raced occasionally. Moving to Townsville Harry raced every week for 4 years on a Carter 33. Having moved back to the Sunshine Coast Harry has been racing at club level virtually every week and often twice. He has also delivered boats up and down the east coast of Australia and from as far away as Martinique back to Australia. He has also participated in the 2021 & 2023 Brisbane to Gladstone, the 2021 Surf to City, the 2022 Brisbane to Hamilton and numerous Moreton Bay races.
Simon Tyler
Simon is an experienced sailor with a passion for the sea that has spanned over 40 years. He first learned to sail in the UK, during Easter Cadet week and quickly fell in love with the sport. He enjoyed dinghy sailing for a few years after which he socially sailed on and off.
In 2013, Simon rekindled his love for sailing and began sailing weekly out of Mooloolaba. Since then, he has gained extensive experience crewing on and delivering yachts, covering close to 15,000 Nm.
In 2021, Simon participated in the Hamilton Island race week, achieving 2nd place in division 2. His dedication to sailing and years of experience on the water have made him a skilled sailor with a wealth of knowledge about the sport.
Chris O'Shannessy
Chris’ first sail was in 1990 at Kurnell Sailing club on board his dad’s Paper Tiger. After migration to Queensland in 1989, he was afforded many sailing opportunities to sail on Hobbiecats, Sportsboats and yachts up to 53ft.
Chris has previously participated in 2 Brisbane to Gladstone races and the 2022 Sydney to Hobart where he ranked 3rd in Australian Sailing CBH. Chris is a regular podium occupant at club level on his Elliott 7 sportsboat and the Mighty T7 Mister Magoo at Hamilton Island Race week regattas.
He currently takes part in club sailing, mainly in the Combined Club Series Moreton Bay and has raced on many other regattas such as Sail Paradise, ABRW, Hamilton Island Race Weekend and the Kingfisher Series to name a few. Chris will also be competing in the 2023 Bay to Bay yacht race later this year.
Garth Bickford
Garth started sailing about 14 years ago when he was 6 in his family yacht, a Compass 28. He never really enjoyed sailing until he was about 11 when he had a go on a Hobie 16 during a try sailing day. This kickstarted his passion for sailing and has been competing regularly ever since.
Garth regularly takes part in TP52 racing both inshore and offshore with Zen and Smuggler, MC38 racing with Swish, Infotrack and RapidPay, Monday Night Twighlights on Victoire and a Mumm30 called Bandit, skiff racing on Sydney harbour, VXOne racing with SailorGirl and her dad, and match racing on Sydney Harbour in Elliot 7’s. He has also taken part in numerous regattas on Ynglings, J70’s, RS21’s with the sailing champions league and Etchels on Sydney Harbour. 2022 Sydney to Hobart was Garth’s second Hobart, in which he finished 9th on IRC onboard TP52 Smuggler. Garth has also represented Australia in multiple world championship events in Optis, Lasers, J70’s and RS Feva’s.
Shane Kearns
A career soldier (Royal Australian Engineers) who only started sailing when his rugby career was coming to an end and he needed another sport that allowed plenty of time off!
After discharge from the Defence Force, Shane started Getaway Sailing Adventures and specialised in trips to Lord Howe island with novice sailors, doing the trip over 30 times.
Shane also conducted many Safety and Sea Survival courses throughout Australia, Hong Kong and NZ as one of the only instructors to finish the 98 Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
Shane also sailed with the late John Walker on his Petersen 34 Impeccable, where he first met the rest of his crew.
After John died in 2014, the crew reunited to sail “the little boat that could” to try and win their first Hobart!
Jim Nixon
Jim’s first sailing adventure was on a leaky raft built from petrol drums scavenged from Lane Cove tip along the nearby river.
Soon the lure of that river took hold, with a childhood spent mucking around in boats of all types.
Next came the step up to the harbour in various cats, dinghies and small keelboats, JOG boats, half-tonners and NS38’s.
Then the open ocean on boats such as,Impeccable,Pippin,Atara,Phoenix,Morna,Copernicus,Piscesand nowKomatsu Azzurro, which between them have won most of the Cat 1 and 2 ocean and BWS points score races over those years under IOR, IMS, IRC and ORCi handicaps.
He races his own highly modified Swanson Dart at Manly YC with a gorgeous all-girl crew.
Duncan McRae
Duncan somewhat surprisingly continued sailing in his teens despite shipwrecking a friend’s Flying 11 on Rocky Point at Balmoral in the early days.
An extended period doing bow on various Adam’s 10’s was rudely interrupted by a casual sail on ‘the rotbox’ (Impeccable) in a Wollongong race in about 1996.
Induction to the cult ofImpeccablewas swift, and he raced with John Walker for many years, continuing with the same core crew to this day on the mighty (shinybox) Komatsu Azzurro.
He mostly sails an NS14 in the placid upper reaches of the Parramatta river with one of his three children, until he forgets the joys of offshore sailing and commits to yet another Hobart.
Michael Doherty
As Michael’s father was a Naval Architect by profession and boat builder in his spare time he was under the influence of boating from his beginnings. A Manly Junior on Sydney harbour was his first venture into sailing. He lives on Pittwater’s western shore where getting to and from home is just another boat ride. He also sails a Farr 1020 on Pittwater.
Michael’s first Sydney/Hobart was in 1978 with the Rice family on their 3/4 tonner, Chance. In 1981 he joined John Walker for the first of many Impeccable rides to Hobart. After a number of Hobarts on Greg Zyner’s Copernicus, Michael is looking forward to sail to Hobart this year on Shane Kearn’s Komatsu Azzurro with, yet again, John’s Impeccable group of sailors.
Adrian Herington
After many years of climbing and Kayaking, fatherhood required a slight change of course. The purchase of an old 34′ timber sloopTuruaenabled childcare afloat and a crash course in sailing. This soon led to being recruited as bowman on David Taylor’s Sydney 36Pisces, for the 2006 Hobart race. This in turn led to many other ocean races withPisces, Copernicus, Bellandean, Fork in the road and Komatsu Azzurro. Being Hobart based the “Sydney” race provides an entertaining ride home!
Clint MacKinlay
Clint is an Argentine descendant of Scots and was part of the 2017 Sydney-Gold Coast Komatsu Azzurro winning crew by pure destiny, while he was in Sydney on a 6 month university exchange at UTS.
Clint was invited onboard Azzurro after a crewman had to leave the crew unexpectedly a few weeks before the race. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for since arriving in Australia. Azzurro won the race, so now Clint is the official “good luck charm”!
In Argentina, Clint started sailing at 7 in dinghies and never stopped. Nowadays he usually races in 30 footers in ORC club C division as a Jib & Spinnaker trimmer.
Clint has been part of race winning teams in the Rolex South Atlantic Circuit and the Argentine ORC Championship twice.