Local Cowes sailor wins SB3 charter at SGW
'Winner of the SB3 charter, Mike Harrison with Wendy Jackson of Rhumbline at Skandia Cowes Week - Skandia Geelong Week'
Martin Silnevs
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At the recent Australia Day in Cowes event a Cowes local won the major prize of a free charter of an SB3 at Skandia Geelong Week in 2009. That local was Mike Harrison, who happens to be part of a very dedicated sailing family. Mike's wife is the Chairperson and Secretary of the International Cadet Class Association and his son will be competing at the B14 Class World Championships in Hobart in January.
Mike himself is the Commodore of Crouch Yacht Club in Essex, however is set to retire in December.
The timing is perfect, with Mike hoping that his son will be able to crew the SB3 with him at Skandia Geelong Week. His son came second in the UK Nationals last year.
Describing his win, Mike said 'I have just recently moved to Cowes and was invited by a close family friend to race on a class 1 yacht on Wednesday (Australia Day) at Cowes Week'.
'After putting in an abysmal performance in the race I insisted on buying the crew drinks afterwards at Cowes Yacht Haven and the skipper also insisted on buying rounds of drinks.
'This round of consolation drinks turned into a winner having my ticket drawn as the recipient of the Skandia Geelong Week SB3 charter prize. I am absolutely thrilled to win this prize and looking forward to my first visit to Australia' he said.
Barbara, Mike's wife will be ending her role as Chairperson of the International Cadets, which she has held for eight years and has recently been awarded a lifetime achievement award for services to junior sailing.
Mike has also been National Chairman of the International Cadets from 1990-1991 and five of the current Skandia Team GBR have come through the cadets ranks during his term as National Chairman of Cadets. He is now retiring from competitive racing after fifty years of sailing with a long and distinguished career.
Mike is co-chairman of SailEast, the East Coast organization that runs a series of in-shore regattas. In 2000 he won the overall series. In 2002 he had the great pleasure to skipper a class 1 yacht that won the East Coast regional offshore series called the East Anglican Offshore Racing Association. In 2004 he was the Impala class European Champion and in 2007 he ran the SailEast series again.
We look forward to welcoming Mike and crew to the event in January!
by . 
swansea /newcastle, NSW
