Dear Sailing Centre Principal / Instructor,

After competing in Pacer events, non-spinnaker sailors were able to see that a Pacer, equipped with a spinnaker, is transformed into an exhilarating and competitive racing boat. 

Close and exciting competition is the result!

Several enquiries on “how to make the transition to a fully-fledged racing dinghy”, has led us to this:

The Pacer Association is seeking expressions of interest from Clubs / Training Centres / individuals who wish to participate in a demonstration of spinnaker rigging and operation.

Interested?

This would simply be an on-the-beach session followed by questions and answers.

It is anticipated that this could occur during mornings at the beginning of the next sailing season and can be scheduled so as not to disrupt racing or sailing programs.

Perhaps interested parties could be grouped locally into a combined session. 

There will be no charge.

If you believe this will be of value, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

to register your interest.  A short message will be enough.

Pacer Association

Pacer Victorian State Titles 2023 - Mordialloc Sailing Club - March 11th - 13th

Congratulations to Paul & Emma Taig, the 2023 Victorian Champions!

Pacer National Championship Regatta 2022-23, Altona Yacht Club, Melbourne, Dec 28th to Jan 3rd

Update: Congratulations to Paul Taig, Emma Taig and Steve Cui, the 2022/23 Australian Champions 

The Pacer National Championship Regatta 22 ~ 23 has been confirmed! The event will be sailed at Altona Yacht Club at the top of Port Phillip Bay and will begin on the 28th December.

We anticipate great sailing conditions at the northern end of the bay and good representation from Altona and the surrounding clubs.

Regatta documents are here:

Notice of Race.pdf

More information is available on the Altona Yacht Club Page here:

https://www.altonayachtclub.org.au/sailing/pacer-nationals/

Shortcut to the entry form is here:

https://www.trybooking.com/CCZQF

The Pacer association supports the following regattas:

Altona Autumn Series. Visit https://www.altonayachtclub.org.au

Albert Park YC Winter Series. Visit https://www.apyc.org.au/

We regret to announce the passing away of Leslie Donald Sharp on 21 July 2015.  Les was the Inaugural Life Member of the Pacer Association of Australia, awarded on the 12 September 2003. To be awarded this honour a candidate must, “be a member who have given outstanding service and exceptional commitment to the Pacer Association and its objectives over a long and substantial part of their life, and who has been held in high regard and appreciation by the membership of the Association during that time”.  

Those who have had the privilege of knowing Les are in no doubt of his suitability for this award.  Les’s wife Pam, commented, “Les loved the Pacers and the Pacer people and camping with them for titles. I was so pleased for him when it was decided that he should be Life Member No.1, but I think he wondered what he had done to deserve it.”
 
A very modest man and a champion, winning the 1981 State and Australian Championships in Red Jacket, the first boat he built.  Always at the top end of the fleet, he was a highly competitive sailor who conducted himself at the highest standard of sportsmanship, always congratulating his fellow competitors at the end of the race.  Sailing until he was 83 years old, he shared his love and skills with many crew.
 
He started as a child sailing a converted canoe with his brother, and getting rather wet in the process!  His introduction to racing was in a cadet dinghy (Red Jacket) at Brighton.  Employment, marriage and family meant it was 1968 before he came back to sailing by joining the Beaumaris Yacht Club.  His first boat was a Heron, followed soon after by a Pacer.  Even while supporting a family of three children, he found time to participate fully in all the many tasks necessary to run a (then) very large club.  His formal roles included Committee Member, Membership Officer, Chief Maintenance Officer and Commodore.  He was awarded a Life Membership in tribute to his many contributions.
 
While Les had always built and repaired timber dinghies, after retiring from work, he began buying old timber Pacers and rebuilding them to a high and reliable standard.  If you couldn’t afford a Jim French fibreglass Pacer, you would do well to buy a rebuilt Les Sharp Pacer – it wouldn’t let you down & there was always the chance that some of Les’s skills would transfer to the new skipper.  It wasn’t only Pacers.  Minnows, Sabres and a couple of 125s were also restored to their former glory, his Minnows being highly sought after. A staggering total of over 60 boats passed through his hands in this manner. When Les retired he was sailing Silver Fox.  As each new or refurbished Pacer left his garage, he would try to name them in the fox theme. The last boat that Les sailed, which he also built, was Fox Folly.

He was a people person, even his home boatshed opened out onto the side street so that neighbours and friends could stop for a chat while viewing the work in progress.  The rear brick drive was always where you parked your car when visiting because that’s where Les would be.  If not, it was a short stroll to the back door for a chat in the kitchen over a cup of tea or coffee and one, (or two) of Pam’s delicious cookies.  The front door was very rarely used.
 
At the club and regattas Les would talk to everyone, including the children, encouraging them to enjoy sailing while improving their skills.  Always approachable and generous with his time and knowledge when help or advice was requested, it seemed he simply wanted people to get the same pleasure from sailing that he did.

Thanks Les.

Black Rock Yacht Club, Victoria

28th Dec 2021 - 2nd Jan 2022

A big thank you to Black Rock Yacht Club for hosting our 2021 / 22 Nationals championships. And congratulations to the overall winners Lauren and Eliza Kemp.

Thanks also to our sponsors:

Thomson Sails

Harken

Selki Watersport

Results HERE

Regatta photos

We had a fantastic fleet at the 2021 Pacer state titles. Results are here: https://www.sailingclubresults.com/results/club_1421/2020-2021/series_page16019.html

*********************

Enter the 2021 Pacer state titles here: https://www.trybooking.com/712900

Association membership is required and can be applied for here:  https://www.trybooking.com/694066

Notice of race is available here: NOTICE OF RACE

Sailing Instructions are now available here: SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

Current entries:

Pacer Victoria, Notice of AGM at Somers Yacht Club, 6th March, 2021 at 6pm.

> Somers YC will be open for boat drop off for the Pacer State Titles on Friday 5th March between 5pm - 6:30pm <

The Queensland Pacer Association have recently published their newsletter here.