Four distinguished sailors have been recognised for their incredible achievements in Olympic class sailing, receiving their personalised Barranjoey Pins at the 2022 Western Australian Awards last month.

With an extensive list of achievements between them, Andrew White (Pin #24), Tessa Parkinson (Pin #171), Colin Harrison (Pin #173) and Russel Boaden (Pin #176) received well-deserved recognition by the Australian sailing community at the event hosted by Mounts Bay Sailing Club.

One of the first athletes to qualify for a Barranjoey Pin, Andrew White represented Australia alongside skipper Rolly Tasker at the 1962 Flying Dutchman World Championships in St. Petersburg, Florida. After a hard-fought Regatta, the competition saw the pair place second amongst a tough field.

Andrew and Rolly on the Falcon IX in 1962

Andrew and Rolly were a hit with the international media of the day, with Rolly informing the Florida Press that Andrew’s job was trapping Kangaroos when in fact, he was a librarian.

In addition, an heroic effort by Andrew during an America’s Cup qualifying race in 1974 saw him help recover the crew of a helicopter which crashed on the course while covering the event. To read more about it click here.

Andrew White (Pin #24) standing second to the left, holding plaques

Tessa Parkinson (Pin #171) with skipper Elise Rechichi represented Australia in the 470 class at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning the gold medal after a convincing regatta. The pair had finished 3rd at the 470 worlds earlier in the year and prior to their Olympic campaign had won gold in the 420 class in 2004 in both the ISAF Youth Worlds and the class World Championships.

Colin Harrison (Pin #173) made his international debut alongside Noel Robins and Jamie Dunross at the 2002 IFDS World Disabled Sailing Championships in Medemblik, the Netherlands. He went on to represent Australia at four consecutive Paralympic Games from 2004-2016, winning Bronze in Beijing in 2008 and Gold in Rio in 2016.

Last but not least, Russel Boaden (Pin #176) competed alongside Colin Harrison and Graeme Martin at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, winning Bronze in the 3-person keelboat class. He and the team went on to win two bronze medals and a Silver at the 2013, 2014 and 2015 IFDS World Disabled Sailing Championships, respectively, before winning the gold medal at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016.

Australian Sailing congratulates Andrew, Tessa, Colin and Russel on their incredible achievements and welcome them proudly as the most recent Barranjoey Pin recipients.

For more information on the Barrenjoey Pin, visit the Australian Sailing Team website here.