Former Sharpie sailors team up for offshore racing

by Peter Campbell on 19 Oct 2010 A crew of former champion Sharpie sailors, led by Justin Wells and Edward Fader, tomorrow evening will start a major campaign of inshore and offshore yacht racing out of Hobart with the two-times Sydney Hobart Race division winner Dump Truck.

Dump Truck, a Ker 11.7 originally campaigned out of Newcastle, NSW as Tow Truck, was to have begun its summer pennant program in Division 1 of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s opening pennant races on the River Derwent last Saturday.

Unfortunately, galeforce winds forced club officials to abandon racing and Dump Truck will now start her campaign in the Combined Clubs Offshore Race conducted by Bellerive Yacht Club, starting tomorrow evening.

This 50 nautical mile race from Hobart to the Isle of Caves and return takes advantage of the Royal Hobart Show holiday on Wednesday in providing a midweek offshore overnight race.

Bought by Wells and Fader earlier this year after another successful Sydney Hobart Race, Dump Truck won the Derwent Sailing Squadron’s winter series on the Derwent for its new owners.

During the summer Dump Truck will also contest major offshore races including the Maria Island, Mewstone and Bruny Island races that make up the Southern Offshore Series, and also the Launceston to Hobart Race at Christmas.

'We are using this season as a stepping stone to contesting the 2012 Rolex Sydney Hobart,' said co-owner Justin Wells, who will skipper the yacht in offshore races while Edward Fader is the skipper in inshore racing.

'Most of the crew sailed together when we were all co-owners of our previous boat, One Steel, and all of them joined Edward and I when we bought Dump Truck,' Wells added.

'Edward and I are bought former Australian champions in Lightweight Sharpies, as are Frazer Read and Sam Ibbott. We also have Fred Barratt in the crew.'

'We have entered Dump Truck for all three handicap divisions, IRC, AMS and PHS, in the inshore and offshore,' he added. 'The experience this summer will be a tough preparation for the Sydney Hobart next year.'

Dump Truck’s major opposition in Division 1 in tomorrow night’s race include Fork in the Road (Gary Smith), She’s the Culprit (Todd Leary), 2Unlimited (Greg Prescott) and Bellerive Yacht Club commodore David Creece’s Dekadence.