Rolly Tasker

Rolland ("Rolly") Tasker (AM) is an Australian sailor who won Australia’s first sailing medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. He and John (Huck) Scott won a silver medal in their 12m Sharpie after a count-back."W.A. Hall of Champions" inductee booklet. (2006) Published by the Western Australian Institute of Sport] [ [http://corporate.olympics.com.au/sports.cfm?SportID=19 Australia and Olympic sailing] ] In 1958 Tasker won the Flying Dutchman World Championship. [ [http://www.australiansailingteam.com.au/?Page=21827&MenuID=Our_Story%2F13474%2F21825 The History of Sailing in the Olympics] ]

From 1969 to 1985 Tasker dominated ocean racing in Western Australia with the five sister yachts called "Siska". In the 1978 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, "Siska IV" was denied official starter status on a technicality. Tasker started five minutes ahead of the fleet and crossed the finish line 20 hours ahead of line honours winner "Apollo". [ [http://www.sahof.org.au/hallOfFame/memberProfile/index.php?memberID=215&memberType=legends Sport Australia Hall of Fame] ] He won numerous other ocean racing events in his career including taking line honours and first place in the Queen Victoria Cup off Cowes, England. He took first place in A-division of the disastrous 1979 Fastnet race. In the Parmelia Yacht Race from Plymouth to Fremantle in 1979 he took line honours and the win.

Tasker was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions in 1986 and the Sport Australian Hall of Fame in 1996. He became a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 for his services to sailing.

He operates a successful sail-making business based in Phuket, Thailand called Rolly Tasker Sails. [ [http://www.rollytasker.com/ Rolly Tasker Sails website] ]

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