Gary Smith

Gary continues the great tradition of outstanding sailors produced by our island state.

A member of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Gary had an outstanding sailing career in dinghies highlighted by his brilliance as a sailor and his exceptional boat-building skills.

He was Fireball class Australian Champion in 1983 and then won the North American Fireball Championship in 1984 prior to winning the World Championship in the Fireball class in San Francisco in 1984.

The windy course on San Francisco Bay and the way they sailed and set up their boat were such that Gary and his crew Nick Connor had the world title won with a race to spare.

Gary then moved to the Sharpie class winning the Australian Championships in 1986.

All of these wins were in boats that he built.

Gary then moved to the Flying Dutchman class winning the 1987 Australian Championships and the Australian Olympic trials in 1987 followed by the Dutch National Championships in the same year. With his crew of Dave Connor, Gary represented Australia in the Flying Dutchman class at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

As a world champion and Olympian Gary takes his place alongside the great Tasmanian sailors. Gary was inducted into the Tasmanian Yachting Hall of Fame in 2010.