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This year's Pacer Victoria State Championships will be held at Black Rock Yacht Club from 10-12 March.

The Notice of Race and Entry Form for this event is now available. More information about this event is coming soon.

This year’s Nationals were held at the YMCA Sailing Club of Canberra on the grassy shores of Lake Burley Griffin at the foot of Parliament House in Yarralumla.  New President Pete Strong and his able committee embarked on an impressive marketing campaign with a glossy promotional poster sent to all clubs in Australia with Pacers and 3 half page advertisements in Australian Sailing. The result was a lift in numbers to 20 Pacers (5 Non Spinnaker) and 3 Pacer Pursuits who were attending for the first time. The class thrives on its strength as the perfect trainer class for Parent and child or 2 smallish adults. This year we had boats from Victoria, ACT, South Australia & NSW. The Nationals in 2012/13 are most likely to be sailed at McCrae Yacht Club on the Mornington Peninsula and we expect number to swell to 30 + boats given the interest from the Canberra and Adelaide fleets.

Photos from this event are in the Gallery.

The following report is extracted from Phil Chadwick's daily log (text messages to family and friends) showing the up’s and downs of a difficult regatta and the emotional roller coaster it was.

Read more: Canberra Nationals 2011-12 Report

Read more: Canberra Nationals 2011-12 Results

It’s early in my first season in a Pacer.   We’ve rounded the first windward mark up with the leaders, it’s a sparkling sunny day with a nice breeze and the prospect of skimming down the reach under spinnaker beckons.  Sure, my kids haven’t had much experience with the spinnaker, but how hard can it be?  After having the spinnaker flog the entire reach while waiting for my struggling 10 year old crew to get the spinnaker pole onto the mast, both our faces red with frustration and the rest of the fleet long gone, I realised it was much harder than it looked!  The problem was that neither my son or my (bigger and older) daughter had the strength to push the spinnaker pole out.  It took the rest of the season to work out how to make it possible.  We’re now doing much better, so for others experiencing the same frustration; let me share what I have learned.

Read more: Making Spinnaker Work Child's Play

This is an article that Darren Sherriff from Parkdale YC wrote for his club quarterly newsletter in 2010 after competing in his first championships competition.

He entered after only one and a half years of club sailing after meeting and being encouraged by Lisa Barrand of McCrae YC.

He learned that the qualification to compete in the National Pacer Championships is not to be a world beating sailor, you just need to have access to a Pacer.  A good sense of humour goes a long way too.

He submitted this to encourage others to become a competitor in a National Titles event. Click on "Read more" for an encouraging article about attempting your first Pacer Nationals.

Read more: Make this your first Nationals - Canberra 2011-12

Home Builders Pacer Plans & Instructions

Detailed building plans and instructions for ply wood Pacers are being produced now by Pacer Australia Inc in conjunction with a professional boat builder and are now for sale for the bargain price of $220. Delivery is expected from April 2011. All enquiries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The following events are supported by the Pacer Australia committee and we invite all Pacer sailors to join in the fun:

March 2012

Sat 10th - Mon 12th - Black Rock Yacht Club - Victorian State Titles

April 2012

Fri 6th - Mon 9th - Lake Boga Yacht Club - Easter Regatta