Cartoon of the day from Hamilton Island

by Media Services on 19 Aug 2007 Here is today's great cartoon from Mark O'Brien at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. Day two was marked by another day of carnage on the water with five protests in the Cruising Division. Living Doll had one of those days where you wished you hadn't got out of bed: they were going through spinnakers like they were kleenex.

Living Doll was in good company with a number of IRC boats ripping their kites to bits, releasing them early or doing the good old fashioned 'trawling for prawns' manoeveur. It was a mixed day for the fleet with a large 'wind against tide' seaway and gusts up to about 25 knots.

Ropabull, a Beneteau 42, suffered serious damage to their port side during a collision close to the finish line. It's fair to say the owner Mike Roper, a lawyer, was ropable.

Various other reported incidents included a man overboard situation, a dislocated shoulder, and one episode which we personally witnessed: a crew member diving head first from the windward to leeward rail.

Mark O'Brien's cartoons will feature daily for the duration of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. Originally from the south island in New Zealand, he discovered his talent for cartooning early and spent most of this school and university days drawing in the margins of text books.

His first job after graduating from university was as an economist for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Posted on a Ministry outpost on a Pacific island, the 22 year old found himself with a good salary, beach house and a maid. He says that the experience ruined any chance he would ever have of holding down a normal nine to five job.

He started drawing race cartoons in 1990 when the Whitbread Round the World fleet arrived in Auckland and has never looked back. This year he drew some great cartoons of the America's Cup which were so popular we asked him to do the same for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

http://www.monstacartoons.ifp3.com/

Email: mark@monsta.co.nz

Telephone: +64274954596