Background
Harris was born on 31 October 1955.
Harris was born on 31 October 1955.
He was selected to represent Australia in in his first Paralympic Games at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. He did not medal at the 2012 Games. He lost his hand as a result of a chemical explosion when he was sixteen.
As of 2012, he lives in Oatley, New South Wales, and owns an Information Technology company.
He also skis and cycles. He is coached by the Perth-based Grant Alderson.
As of 2012, he had a sailing scholarship with the New South Wales Institute of Sport. Harris started sailing when he was about ten years old.
He has twice (1983, 1985) competed in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, a distance of just over 1,170 km.
Harris first represented Australia in 2002 at the World Championships in the Netherlands, in the Sonar class. He competed with Colin Harrison and Stephen Churm for the first time at the 2012 International Association for Disabled (IFDS) World Championships in the Sonar event, where the team finished fourth. On the last day of competition, he and his crew dealt with a wind speed of 10-15 knots.
At the 2012 Dutch-hosted World Cup, he and his teammates finished third over all in the Sonar Paralympic class.
They had been at fourth following the first day of competition. His team at the 2012 Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth, England, finished fifth overall following the fourth day of competition.
He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in sailing. lieutenant was his first Paralympic selection.
He did not medal at the 2012 Games.
In October 2013, the trio were named Yachting Australia"s Sailors of the Year with a Disability. In November 2014, Harris shared the Yachting Australia Sailor of the Year with a Disability award with Daniel Fitzgibbon, Liesl Tesch, Colin Harrison, Russell Boaden and Matthew Bugg. The Australian team of six sailors beat Great Britain by one point at the IFDS World Championship.
Their score was 37.0 to Great Britain"s 36.0.
Harris is a sailor and has been a member of the Cronulla Club since he was very young.