Craig Jelfs from Cromer has won his 7th Australian Championship in the Hartley TS16 Division, making him the only skipper to ever attain this feat.
The 53rd Hartley TS16 Australian Championship was held at Portarlington Sailing Club Victoria, in December 2017/January 2018, where a fleet of 16 boats competed for the championship. Sailing with crew and boat owner Neil Bilsborough, together they fought challenging weather conditions with wind ranging from 5 to 35 knots in choppy seas. Sailing their boat ‘Ultimately Sinister’, Craig and Neil won the series with a race to spare.
Craig’s history in sailing began at Drummoyne Sailing Club at the age of 12, where he first sailed a Sabot, then Flying Elevens, 12ft skiffs, 16ft skiffs, OK Dinghy’s and finally in to Hartley TS16’s. During Craig’s time in the Hartley TS16’s he has skippered and won 7 Australian Championships, 5 State Championships, 2 Club Championships and 1 Overnight Yacht Race in Victoria. Neil Bilsborough, his son Brendon and daughter Leanne have all crewed and won a variety of Championships with skipper Craig Jelfs from 1993-2018.
Skipper Craig Jelfs – 7 x Australian Championships
Year Boat Name Skipper/Crew Venue
1993/4 Betty Craig Jelfs/B.Bilsborough Glenelg, SA
1994/5 Betty Craig Jelfs/B.Bilsborough Williamstown, VIC
1995/6 Betty Craig Jelfs/B.Bilsborough Southport, QLD
1996/7 Betty Craig Jelfs/B.Bilsborough Drummoyne, NSW
2001/2 Xtremely Sinister Craig Jelfs/N.Bilsborough Drummoyne, NSW
2003/4 Xtremely Sinister Craig Jelfs/L.Bilsborough Boreen Point, QLD
2017/18 Ultimately Sinister Craig Jelfs/N.Bilsborough Portarlington, VIC
Neil Bilsborough from Winston Hills, has been competing in and/or assisting in the running of more than 23 Australian and State Championships since 1978. Neil has been regularly sailing at Drummoyne Sailing Club since 1977 and has been involved in the Hartley TS16 Division as a committee member 20+ years, NSW Measurer 15+ years and State Rep 5+ years.
Neil a talented builder has been building Hartley TS16 boats since 1978, beginning with 1st Hartley TS16 named Lollipop. From there, he went on to build 3 successful boats to win Australian Championships, including his latest build, ‘Ultimately Sinister’. Neil mentors individuals in the process of building Hartley TS16 boats and has created a special video showcasing his latest build ‘Ultimately Sinister’ on YouTube with the help of his granddaughter Ebony, this video has been viewed over 7K times. http://bit.ly/2G1490y
– Melissa Jelfs
