Four generations of Calvert family sailing champions

by Peter Campbell on 21 Mar 2010 When young Jock Calvert won the Tasmanian title in the single-handed Sabot dinghy class at Wynyard over the recent long weekend in March, he became the fourth generation of champion sailors in the Calvert dynasty from the Huon.
And his younger brother, Angus, is not far behind.

It was a great week for the Calverts, his grandfather Don notching up a remarkable 58th pennant win on the Derwent with his 25-year-old 40-footer Intrigue.

Jock, 12, and Angus, 10, come from a famous family of Huon Valley apple growers whose major summer sport has been sailing: on the Huon River, the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, the River Derwent and internationally.

Their great grandfather Charles built the internationally famous yacht Caprice of Huon, a yacht that twice represented Australia at the Admiral's Cup. Their grandfather Don represented Australia in the One Ton Cup and the Admiral's Cup with Intrigue and their great uncles Hedley and Barry were also champion sailors.

Their father, the late Bruce Calvert, won the prestigious Prince Philip Cup for the International Dragon class with Jock Robbie in 1997 and was an outstanding sportsboat skipper before his sudden death aged only 43 a couple of years ago. Their uncle, David, is a highly regarded ocean racing yachtsman, with his children also into sailing.

Young Jock and Angus have followed their late father Bruce by starting their sailing careers in the Sabot class, with the ongoing family sailing skills obvious.

Jock won a hard-fought Sabot senior State title sailed in the open waters of Bass Strait where the Wynyard Sailing Club next summer will conduct the Australian championships from 27 December to 3 January.

Sailing Loose Cannon, Jock won the senior one-up title on a countback from fellow DSS/RYCT Dinghy Group sailor Jacqui, sailing Another White Boat. They both finished the seven race series with 11 points, but Jock had had two
wins to Jacqui's one win. This is the first season in Sabot Seniors for both Jock and Jacqui.

Third place went Luke Phillips, sailing Rough Edge from Kingston Beach Sailing Club, on 13 points. The senior competition was hotly contested, with the seven races being won by six different sailors: Jock Calvert (two), Jacqui Walker, Hugh Foster, Robbie Hunt, George Nicholas and Luke Phillips.

In the Development division, also one-up, results were also close between three other sailors from the Dinghy Group, with first place going to Nemesis (Lachlan Hargreaves) on 7 points. A countback decided second place in favour
of Pacemaker (Baylie Kelly) from Loanwolf (Angus Calvert) after both finished on nine points.

The junior trophy went home with Snap-e-tom, sailed by Thomas Cooper and Isabella Henry-Millhouse, from the Tamar Yacht Club.

A fleet of 34 Sabots contested the State championships, sailed in ideal conditions with 12-15 knots, encouraging two two-ups, 10 development and 22 senior Sabot sailors to stretch their sea legs off the north-west coast. Due to low tide in the Inglis River, the fleet enjoyed an impromptu beach party at Old Port, 1.5km east from the yacht club, for their luncheon break on the Sunday.