08 01-02 Hotline Color...Brain Droppings Getting Started The Benefits of a Coach columns 6 8 10 12 4...
36
Transcript of 08 01-02 Hotline Color...Brain Droppings Getting Started The Benefits of a Coach columns 6 8 10 12 4...
JAN – FEB 2008VOLUME 37, NUMBER 1
The Hobie Class Association HOTLINE is the offi-cial publication of the Hobie Class Association ofNorth America (HCANA). Contents © 2008 HCANA.All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or in partwithout permission is prohibited. It is distributed sixtimes a year to HCANA Members. Its goal is to keepthe North American Region informed of the businessof the Class Association. Questions and suggestionsshould be directed to the address below. The HCANAis proud to be a member of the United States SailingAssociation (US SAILING).
The purpose of the Hobie Class Association of NorthAmerica is to establish and promote the higheststandards of Hobie Cat sailing/racing in its geographicboundaries in collaboration with the National andInternational sailing authorities.
HOBIE CLASS ASSOCIATION HOTLINEMatthew P. Bounds, Editor3798 Damas Dr.Commerce Township, MI [email protected]
The name Hobie Cat®, and the “flying H” logo areused by permission and are registered and li-censed trademarks of the Hobie Cat Company,P.O. Box 1008, Oceanside, CA 92051.
The Official Publication of the HobieClass Association of North America
OfficersChairBob Merrick
1st Vice ChairJohn Mork
2nd Vice ChairChris Wessels
Youth Program Dir.Mimi Appel
Membership ChairMike Levesque
SecretaryKathy Ward
TreasurerSteve Reese
Race DirectorPaul Ulibarri
HOTLINE StaffEditorMatt Bounds
CoverPhoto byReal Balance/Hobie Cat
Review CommitteeLaurie BoundsTheresa WhiteCindy PhippsMatt Miller
ContributorsPatti HenslerShauna KinneyJake KohlMike MadgeBarb PerlmutterBarbara PowersChris Wessels
seeyouonthewater
Thanks, Paul & Lori
This issue, I would like to use this space to thank our per-petual Hobie Class Association race management duo ofPaul Ulibarri and Lori Mohney. They have announced
that they will retire at the 2008 HCA AGM, held during theHobie 16 North Americans in Clear Lake, Iowa this September.“We have been a team for so long it seems like we are an old
married couple,” wrote Paul, thanking their respective spouses along with many oth-ers. “Our spouses, Vicki and Jerry, have supported us all along the way, and indirectlyhave contributed much to the class by helping us to remain objective. Though theHobie Life is all smiles to most, there have been times when our spouses have hadoccasion to tend our wounds. We thank them most sincerely. Their patience and wis-dom when we need it most is something that we cherish.
‘Finally, we thank Hobie for inventing the boat, the Company for its support, theClass for putting up with our nonsense, and all of you folks for keeping up thetradition. We have had a good run, and it has been fun.”
On behalf of the Hobie Class Association of North America, I would like to thankPaul and Lori for their years of dedicated service to the class. Through their effortsthe standard of Hobie Class racing in the North American region is second to none.
Lori will continue in her position as an International Hobie Class VP and will beinstrumental in making the 2009 Hobie 16 Worlds in Puerto Rico a reality. Paul willcontinue to serve the sailing community as an International Race Officer, Interna-tional Judge and will be spend more time fishing.
Moving forward, we have made a point to select the 2008 HCA NominatingCommittee early so that they can get a head start in their search to fill openings in theHCA-NA officers. We have a great Nominating Committee again this year (seeelsewhere in this issue) and they would be more than happy to have you send themyour recommendations. If you feel like you would be willing to help don’t be shy.
Thanks again to Lori, Paul and to everyone who helps make this class the best thatit can be.
See you on the water,
Bob MerrickHCA Chair
2 JAN / FEB 2008
features You Gotta Piñata! Fleet 514’s Not-So-Secret Hideaway
Bula! Fiji!The Hobie 16 Worlds
The Island HopNew England Style Distance Sailing
Personal ProfileHobie 16 World Champion Mick Butler
16
18
24
26
january/ february 2008
contents
16 18
photo / illustrationcredits Cover – Real Balance / Hobie Cat
See You on the Water – Stuart CrabbeContents – Ellie Martin, Real Balance/Hobie Cat, Barbara Powers, Sean Douglas/Hobie CatHobie History – Hobie Cat USA / Hobie HOTLINEJust in Off the Wire – Barb Perlmutter, Daytona Beach News-JournalDriver’s Seat – Stuart Crabbe / Mike WalkerGetting Started – Shauna Kinney, Matt Bounds, Tony Krauss, Tim Stonton / OnEditionPiñata Regatta – Ellie MartinFiji Worlds - Teri McKenna, Real Balance / Hobie Cat, Peter Nelson, Matt Miller, AndreGordeauxIsland Hop – Barbara PowersPersonal Profile – Sean Douglas / Hobie CatHobie’s Profiles – Dan Berger, HCA Division 14
HOBIE CLASS
www.hca-na.org 3
resources
Hobie History15, 25 and 35 Years Ago
Just In Off the WireNews and Notes
Driver’s SeatBrain Droppings
Getting StartedThe Benefits of a Coach
columns 6
8
10
12
4
30
31
2008 Regatta Schedule
2008 HCA Council Members and Contacts
2008 HCA / US Sailing Membership Applications
24 26
on the cover Hobie 16 Worlds, Fiji – Photo by Real Balance / Hobie Cat from the
crane as boats stream in at the end of the racing day
ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA
4 JAN / FEB 2008
World Championships www.hobieworlds.com
Hobie Tiger/Dragoon March 3–8 Langebaan, South Africa
North American Championships www.hca-na.org
Hobie 20 June 8–12 Yankton, SDHobie 17 / Hobie 18 / Tiger August 25–29 Harrison, BCH-14, H-16 Women / Youth September 5–7 Clear Lake, IAHobie 16 September 8–12 Clear Lake, IA
Area ChampionshipsMidwinters West March 1–2 San Felipe, MEX www.hca-na.orgROHR/NorthEasterns Aug 1-3 Rochester, NY www.fleet295.com
Other Events
2008 regattaschedule
HCA Sanctioned Division Regattas(shaded dates are tentative, shaded events are non-points)
Division 1—Hawai’iContact: Dan Williams–808•864•6067,[email protected]
Round The Bouys, the first Saturday of each monthKaneohe Bay, Oahu (non-points)
Kokokahi Sailing Club's 12th Annual Regatta August 16-17(course racing on Saturday, hull flying and pitchpole competitionon Sunday) (non-points)
Division 2—Southern CA / AZ / NVwww.hobiedivision2.com
US Multihull Championship (Alter Cup) April 22–26 Gulfport YC, FLwww.ussailing.org/championships/adult/USMHC/
Division 3—Northern CAwww.hobie3.org
Division 4—Pacific Northwestwww.div4.hobieclass.com
The following divisions do not have sanctioned regattasor have not submitted their schedules for 2008:Division 6—South TX, Eastern LAContact: Chris Green–281•352•1325, [email protected]
Division 8—South FloridaContact: Bob Johnson –813•960•1937, [email protected]
Division 9—Southern AtlanticContact: Loyd Graves–919•787•0222, [email protected]
Division 12—New EnglandContact: Dave Heroux –401•647•3203, [email protected]
REGAREGAREGAREGAREGATTTTTTTTTTA SCORERS:A SCORERS:A SCORERS:A SCORERS:A SCORERS:DON’T FORDON’T FORDON’T FORDON’T FORDON’T FORGET GET GET GET GET TTTTTO SEND O SEND O SEND O SEND O SEND YYYYYOUROUROUROUROUR
RESULRESULRESULRESULRESULTS TS TS TS TS TTTTTO:O:O:O:O:HOBIESCORES@YHOBIESCORES@YHOBIESCORES@YHOBIESCORES@[email protected]
www.hca-na.org 5
Division 5—Mountain Stateswww.hobiediv5.org
Division 7—Prairie Stateswww.hobiecatdivision7.org
Division 10—Great Lakes / Midwestwww.HCADivision10.com
Division 11—Mid-Atlanticwww.div11.hobieclass.com
Division 13—Mexico/Caribbean/Central AmericaContact: Alfredo Figueroa–[email protected]
Division 14—N. TX, OK, AR, S. KSContact: Tom Page –918•232•2598, [email protected]
No schedule as of press time.
Division 15—FL Panhandle, E. LA, AL, MS, W. TNContact Scott Beach - [email protected]
Division 16—Upstate NY, Ontariowww.nahca-div16.org
6 JAN / FEB 2008
15, 25 & 35 Years Agohobiehistory
1973
1983
Midwinter’s East has never been held in the same venue for more than a few years. In 1973,the venue was Apollo Beach, FL on the east side of Tampa Bay. The next time it was held therewas seventeen years later in 1990.
Hawaiians Mike Furukawa and Bobby Wythes charge upwind in the 1982Hobie 18 Nationals (reported in the Jan/Feb ‘83 HOTLINE), held in the AtlanticOcean off Key Biscayne, FL. It would be Jeff Alter’s first major championship win,despite being stung by a Portuguese man-o-war jellyfish in the last race.
In 1983, MWE had crossed the state ofFlorida and moved north to St. AugustineBeach, near Jacksonville.
By 1983, MWW had become a regularfixture in San Felipe and continues there tothis day.
In contrast to MWE, Midwinter’s West has almost always been heldin San Felipe, MEX – except for a few years in the early seventies whenit was held in Guymas, MEX. Guymas is on the east coast of the Sea ofCortez and much further south than San Felipe.
The first Hobie branded wet suits were introduced at the bargainprice of $49.95 for the full suit. That’s almost $240 today. Lots of shinyneoprene!
www.hca-na.org 7
1993
1983
A Hobie Apparel photo shooton Lake Powell, Utah broughttogether boats, clothing, modelsand Hobie Cat factory techs. Thereal sailor in this photo is theonly one with a beer in his hand –Matt Miller (third from right).
The IHCA unsuccessfullytried to get the IYRU (now ISAF)to accept the Hobie 16 as theOlympic Catamaran. Would acatamaran class still be in theOlympics if they had succeeded?
The 143-boatDivision 7Championshipswere held on ClearLake, Iowa. Hobieswill return in force toClear Lake thisSeptember when the14 / 16W / 16 Y and16 Open NorthAmericans come totown.
In 1983, you could order a “Groove Tube” sailbox or you could orderthe plans for a “coffin” style plywood box for only $6.
The 16 Nationals were held at the Bahia Mar Resort on SouthPadre Island. The Bahia Mar is still in business today. The event waswon by Hobie P. Alter – who is also still racing today, now with his son,Scotty.
How many Coleman products can we get in one photo? The guy carrying the lit Colemanlantern on top of the cooler is in for a really bad day if it slips off.
1993 was Hobie Cat’s 25thanniversary. 2008 will be the40th year our favoritecatamaran company has beenin business. Happy Birthday,Hobie Cat!
8 JAN / FEB 2008
justinoffthewireNews and Notes
Nominating CommitteeChosen
The HCA Board of Directors,in record-setting time, haveapproved the 2008 NominatingCommittee put forth by HCAVice Chair John Mork. The newcommittee members are:
Dan Borg, Division 16Paul Hess, Division 3Sheila Holmes, Division 14Slim Johnson, Division 7Rich McVeigh, Division 11
The Nominating Committeewill be charged with findingvolunteers for HCA Officers. Ifyou are interested in helping, pleasecontact one of the individualsabove.
New Membership ChairMike Levesque, former editor of
the HCA News, has volunteered totake over the Membership Chairposition after Tara Ames resigneddue to personal reasons. Mike hasbeen a fixture in the class for manyyears and wanted to get back intothings after the birth of his son lastyear.
Mike will be overseeing theimplementation of the HCA’s newweb-based membership databasesystem that will greatly improve themembership fulfillment function.
Mike’s address and phonenumber can be found on the 2008HCA Membership Application onpage 31.
HYSEF Tradition StartedHobie Fleet 514 member Diane
Zimmerman spent over 80 hourscreating a king size quilt madefrom Hobie event t-shirts. It wasraffled off at the annual PiñataRegatta in sunny Puerto Peñasco,Mexico (see article on page 16).The Hobie T-shirts were gatheredfrom all over the world by HCADivision 2 members.
Most of the funds raised weredonated to HYSEF (Hobie YouthSailing Education Foundation) inhopes of promoting youth sailing.The gentleman that won the quilt,Mr. Stewart Martin, has requestedthat he be allowed to return thegorgeous quilt next year at the2008 event to be re-raffled off to anew winner with proceeds againgoing towards youth sailing.Stewart will sign one square of thequilt in hopes that this is thebeginning of a long and strongtradition at the Piñata Regatta. He
says the quilt is just too beautiful tostay in one place and be forgotten.
The donation check, over $250,was presented to HYSEF BoardMember Rex Mitchell at theMojave Mojo Madness Regatta.Everyone at Lake Mojave and thePiñata Regatta was excited to hearthat this tradition has been started.
The Hobie Youth Sailing EducationFoundation (HYSEF), is the brainchild ofNevada Fleet 51 Hobie Fleet memberGordo Bagley. Its mission is to “assist anyindividual, group, club or organizationwith desires to help at risk youth findfulfillment in life with activities outside ofthe many problems that plague our societytoday.” The members of the board ofdirectors are Rex Mitchell, Peter Nelson,Mimi Appel, Mike Montague, MattBounds, Laura Sullivan, Bob Merrick,and Barb Perlmutter. Tax deductibledonations may be made in care of:
HYSEFc/o The Law Offices of Alan L. Mohill43020 Blackdeer LoopSuite 101Temecula, CA 92590.
Diane Zimmerman and Stew Martin show off the HYSEF quilt made from event t-shirts
BARB PERLMUTTER
www.hca-na.org 9
Gaulden ReedJake Kohl - With about 25
minutes to go until the startsequence at the start of theDaytona - Fernandina leg of theTybee 500, I saw an elderly manmaking his way past the catama-rans in the narrow beach with athree wheeled walker. Normally, Iwouldn't have given him too muchconsideration as I was deep into mypreparations for the leg. However,this guy attracted my attentionbecause he was walking withpurpose and grinning from ear toear as he was putting forth a prettyserious effort to navigate the sand,boats, and other obstacles. He wasobviously not an average beachspectator. He approached me andimmediately knocked me off-center when he said “I expect youguys will have a good day today -
I've heard about your light airability.” Perplexed, I said, “thankyou very much – I hope we do.” Hethen added, “Oh, and by the way,please don't forget a paddle today”after which he turned and made hisway down the beach. We hadsuffered through a painful beachlaunch the day before where wehad forgotten a paddle. I too wasthen grinning ear to ear as Iwatched him work his way downthe row of boats...It totally mademy day.
After making some inquiries, Idiscovered he was someone ofwhom I had heard of – though Iadmit I don't know much abouthim. His name was Gaulden Reedand he has been a cat sailor aboutas long as there have been fiber-glass cats. Gaulden passed away onNovember 6, 2007.
Gaulden was a resident ofVolusia County, Florida for 89years. He served on the BeachAdvisory Board for 20 years. Hehelped create the local advocacygroup, Sons of the Beaches to tryand keep the beach toll-free. In1933 he was one of the first surferson the east coast and later wasinducted into the East CoastSurfing Legends Hall of Fame. Hefounded Daytona Beach HobieFleet 80. He was a lifelongenvironmental activist. In the lastfew years he tirelessly worked tobring the dream of a butterflyconservatory to Manatee Island inthe downtown area. Donations maybe made to the Daytona BeachButterfly Conservatory andEducational Foundation, 111North St. Andrews, OrmondBeach, FL 32174.
10 JAN / FEB 2008
Matt Bounds, HOTLINE Editor
Brain DroppingsWhat’s on my mind . . .
driver’sseat
New ColumnAs you will notice when you
turn the page, there’s a newcolumn in the HOTLINE. ShaunaKinney has been a regular con-tributor over the past year and hascommitted to writing the “GettingStarted” column in the comingissues. If there are specific topicsyou want to see covered in theHOTLINE, please let me know [email protected].
We Sleep in a Bed of OurOwn Making
The recent decision of theInternational Sailing Federation(ISAF) to eliminate the multihulldiscipline from the sailing portionof the Olympics has brought aharsh dose of reality down on themultihull community. For many,many years, multihulls haveoperated outside of the “yachtingestablishment” and it worked wellfor us when we still had 100+ boatregattas and were highly visible.Those days are gone.
It’s time to get involved at ahigher level. I’m not just talkingabout the local yacht club, USSAILING or ISAF – all of that isgood. I’m also talking about ahigher level of intensity andmarketing. When was the last timeyou “sold” your sport, your passion
to someone? Have you updated youfleet’s / division’s website with yourcurrent information? There’snothing that screams “this is a deadsport” than a website that isn’tcurrent.
Have you posted your fleet’s /division’s 2008 regatta schedule onthe major sailing calendars? (USSAILING, Scuttlebutt, SailingAnarchy, just to name a few.) Howare we going to make our sportgrow, to keep it from fading away,if we fail to promote it?
As a group, we are abysmal atmarketing our sport. It’s a toughsell – it’s expensive (both time andmoney), it’s complicated and it’sboring to watch for the uninitiated.However, it usually takes just acouple of rides to get somebodyhooked. Make a commitment tointroduce at least one new personto the Hobie Way of Life this year.
The reason ISAF was able toeliminate the multihulls wasbecause they don’t see us. Makesure you get seen and heard thisyear. Volunteer to update thewebsite. Join a yacht club and getinvolved. Usually all it takes israising your hand and saying “Iwant to help!” Help the local Laserfleet run a regatta. Maybe they’llhelp you run yours. Don’t fadeaway. Rant off.
The Advantage of HobieFleet Membership
When I collect bits for everybody’sfavorite column, Hobie History, I alwayscome across items that are profound, yetdon’t fit into the “collage” format. This isone of them, from the Jan/Feb 1973Hobie Cat Hot Line. What is mostprofound is that it is still very true today.
Your Hobie Catamaran ClassAssociation Fleet system hasexpanded rapidly since it’s incep-tion, boasting over eighty fleetswith a number of applicationspending. In the past, many fleetshave taken advantage of the fivemember minimum established bythe Class Association to get off theground and have built rapidly toinclude the majority of boat ownersin their area.
The Class Association head-quarters is constantly receivinginquiries from areas around thecountry regarding fleet member-ship and we are pleased to putthem in touch with the nearestfleet or, if no fleet is available in thearea, we endeavor to bring all of thenon-associated individuals intocontact, supplying all of thematerial so that a new fleet may beformed.
Membership in a Hobie fleet ismore than just “belonging,” asmany people feel they must join forthe sake of joining. There is much
www.hca-na.org 11
more to it. First of all, the “natureof the beast” the fact that nothingon the water under sail can keeppace with a Hobie, requires that aperson search out fellow HobieCatters for a friendly dice up anddown the bay, and later swap hullflying stories over a cool glass. Thisfriendly two-boat challenge soonresults into a gaggle of Hobies,using improvised marks and honorstarts resulting in an imprompturegatta. This is all great fun, but itis as far as it can go. The obviousnext move is to call a meeting of atleast five of the more enthusiasticskippers and propose chartering anew fleet.
Fleet membership is not allracing. Quite the contrary; themany other advantages far out-number the competition end ofHobie Catting. For example, yourHobie fleet is a great introductionto friends with a common interest,exciting sailing, surfing andcamping. Families create familyfriendships and enjoy weekendHobie regattas as a way of expand-ing their associations. Next is theexchange of technical data andmaintenance ideas fostered byassociation with other knowledge-able skippers. And then the primereason, organizing more racingevents, complete with officials, acommittee, pre-set marks, startingguns, trophies, group fun, annualbanquets, etc. More organizedracing has proven to increasesailing ability and racing skill, andis absolutely essential if a skipper
hopes to work into divisional,national and world Hobie competi-tion. As your fleet grows, you willfind that skippers consistently fallinto classes as far as sailing isconcerned.
When the starting line-upbecomes too large for the racingcommittee, a division should bemade and A and B fleets (possiblya C fleet) established with amandatory move-up in these fleetswhen winning a first position at aregatta.
One skipper requested fleetinformation inan area thatincluded manyHobie ownerswho all be-longed to theirown yacht clubsand sailed onlyin yacht clubregattas in themultihulldivision. Withthe help of theClass Associa-tion, he wasable to bringthe rest of thememberstogether toform a HobieCat fleet andenjoy theadvantage ofsailing in one-design regattas.This did notinterfere with
the yacht club membership of theindividuals. Quite the contrary, itenlarged the racing schedule andmade it possible for yacht clubmembers to qualify for divisional,national and world Hobie competi-tion.
The Hobie Fleet dues areminimal and the enhanced racingschedule takes you to many bays,lakes and oceans offering anorganized sailing challenge and agroup recreational change ofscenery that you would neverexperience on your own.
12 JAN / FEB 2008
Shauna McGee-Kinney
gettingstartedWorking With A CoachA coach can take your performance to the next level
A coach helps push sailorsto the next level by identi-fying and assisting the
sailor to change bad habits. Sailorsturn to coaches to improve theircompetitive skills. Coaches canmotivate a team and provide struc-tured learning, where sometimesthe team has procrastinated in thepast. There are different resources asailor can seek out to improve theirskills:
• Professional Coaches• Class Champions• Veteran Sailors• Schools
Professional CoachesProfessional coaches can be the
most expensive coaching option.When choosing a coach, consider
their interest in your class, theirstrengths and the distance he orshe will travel to coach (travel maybe an expense to the team). Youcan share the cost and gain insightby sharing the coach with severalother sailors at your same level.
Advanced sailors are the bestsuited to take instruction fromprofessional coaches. They havestrong sailing skills and are readyfor rigorous training and fine levelsof detail. Because experiencedsailors have put in the time andcommitment to the sport, they aremost likely to get the best returnon their investment.
A professional coach can befound through word of mouth oradvertisements. Check with yourlocal sail maker or other competi-tive sailors.
Keep in mind, that there aresome risks when you organize alarge group for coaching. Insuranceis frequently required by the entitythat manages the waterways andlaunches, such as a city. Somemajor cities, like Los Angeles,charge sales tax on the grossreceipts (money collected fromparticipants) and require a higherlevel of insurance. Occasionally adeposit, permit or prepayment offees is required.
Participants should also beaware of the terms of coachingprior to committing. Whenorganizing a large coaching session,check your local rules. In somecases, small groups and groupslaunching from private clubs maynot be subject to local oversight.
Class ChampionsAnother great option for
advanced competitors is to invitethe class champion to coach. TheHobie Class Association GuestExpert Program is a great solutionfor divisions and fleets. Thesuccessful and established GuestExpert Program has a champion
There’s a Guest Expert somewhere in the middle of that crowd
Hobie P. Alter conducts a Guest Expert Program at the Piña
MATT BOUNDS
www.hca-na.org 13
sailor deliver structured trainingthe Friday before the regatta. Formore information contact:
Kim Edmonds501•868•[email protected]
Your division or fleet might alsoarrange for travel and accommoda-tion for the coach in trade forpresenting and teaching. Variousmembers of the fleet may bewilling to donate frequent flyermiles and accommodation.
Veteran SailorsBeginner to intermediate sailors
can gain the most from workingwith a veteran sailor. A veteransailor can act as a mentor, demon-strating everything from riggingand launching to reading the windand swell. Veteran sailors can beeasily and frequently contacted.There is less embarrassment askingquestions in a dialog with one
veteran rather than asking aquestion in front of a group. Thisone-on-one approach may be bestfor a new sailor. The coaching canbe tailored to the needs of theparticipant.
Veteran sailors are plentiful inall of our fleets and divisions. Manywill volunteer assistance withoutformal requests and are interestedin providing assistance. In a fewfleets, veteran sailors have orga-nized practice sessions, free ofcharge and available multiple timesa season.
SchoolsBeginner sailors, crews and
recreational sailors can get excellentquality and cost efficient training ata sailing school. Sailing schoolsprovide gear, a facility and have thenecessary insurance. Sailors whowant to try racing but are not readyto invest in the sport can evaluateand experience sailing through aschool.
Sailing schools can be foundthrough local universities, somemunicipalities, some sailing clubsand recreational organizations.Many schools offer private coach-ing in addition to scheduledclasses.
Follow ThroughBe sure to put your training to
good use. The best sailors get outon the water often – they getrepetition and frequency in bothpractice and in competition. Bepersistent and consistent. If youfind you are dropping to lowerplaces in competition after training,follow through on your training
and keep it regular. Refining newskills can be challenging.
If you are a seasoned competitoryou can reinforce your skills bycoaching and mentoring othersailors. Whether you are new orexperienced, change the venue andpractice with different teams (eventemporarily practicing with newcrew) to get variety and gain newinsight. Find and use trainingexercises and tips that are availableonline, in video and in books.
Shauna McGee Kinney is living inPerth, Australia and raced beach cats forover six years prior to moving from LongBeach, CA. She is a member of HobieFleet 51 Las Vegas, continues to promoteHobie Division 2 racing and activelysupports new crew in AZ, CA and NV.Shauna can be reached [email protected]
ata Regatta
Coaches play a big part at the ISAF Youth Worlds
TIM STONTON / ON EDITION
TONY KRUASS
16 JAN / FEB 2008
Every October the Tucson Arizona, HobieFleet 514 hosts the famous Piñata Regatta inRocky Point (AKA Puerto Peñasco), Mexico.
It was recently chosen as the Division 2 Champion-ship venue. Even though our 2007 event was heldduring the Hobie 16 World Championships in Fiji,we still had thirty-six Hobie Cats sailing on the warmwaters of the Sea of Cortez. Sailors from Arizona,California, Nevada, Colorado, Texas and New Mexicoall enjoyed two days of double trapeze wind, racingand partying.
Fleet 514 is very unique. Every participant pitchesin and lends some type of regatta assistance. JackLangley, Fleet 514 commodore, was the regattachairman. Jack, with the help of Doug McMaster,directed 8 races over two windy days. Our raffle wasagain awesome thanks to chairman Barb Perlmutter,who coordinated sponsorship funds and nice raffleprizes. Every boat had pre-registered to guaranteetheir free T-Shirts, meals and drinks as well as acompetitor bag filled with goodies. The handcraftedtrophies were stained hardwood with unique mirroredsailboat shapes and nice metal plaques.
Saturday evening’s party was bigger and better thanever under our large Tecate tent. It began with ourpopular Salsa Contest. Then Fleet 514 provided themain course and regatta participants all contributed ayummy side dish. Over 185 folks enjoyed our Dinner/Raffle party. Hundreds of great prizes were raffled off.The high point of the evening was when we raffled offa one-of-a-kind King Size Hobie T-shirt Quilt, madeby Diane Zimmerman. Over $250 from the specialquilt raffle was donated to the new Hobie YouthSailing Education Foundation (HYSEF). The winnerof the quilt was Stewart Martin. Stewart suggestedthat he re-donate this quilt at next year’s event so wecan continue to support HYSEF. The quilt is a truework of art and a sure treasure for any Hobie Sailor todisplay. Fleet 514 wants to thank all participants who
helped begin this quilt raffle tradition. The fleets alsodonated over $300 to a local youth home; the residentswere extremely grateful for our generosity.
Lynn Edde provided homemade breakfastmunchies each day. We also served plump hot dogsafter sailing on Sunday. Tecate supplied cold beer and2 large circus style tents with accompanying chairs andtables. We began the event with two large circus styletents, however the wind was so strong one tent endedupside down on the beach. We managed to keep onetent secure for the entire regatta; the shade waswelcome during the 90 degree daytime temperatures.
Saturday winds were strong, double trapeezing.Sunday’s wind blew even harder. The sand wasblowing; the swell was rough and dolphins providedon-the-water entertainment.
We certainly want to thank all of our generoussponsors: Hobie Cat, Lexus of Albuquerque, Kokatat,Stohlquist, The Cat House, Joe Flores Chevron,Murray’s Marine, Team McLube, RedBull, DesertDivers and others too numerous to mention. For acomplete sponsor listing, entry information andpriceless event photos, visit our website atwww.fleet514.com
Make sure to mark your calendars for next year’sDivision 2 Championship Piñata Regatta on October11-12, 2008. This is an event you’ll want to plan avacation around. It’s a beautiful spot on the beach tocamp, sail and enjoy the Hobie life. Hope we see younext year!
feature
You Gotta Piñata!Hobie Fleet 514’s Not-So-Secret HideawayBy Barb Perlmutter
www.hca-na.org 17
Clockwise, from above:
Jeff Perlmutter and crew charge the camera (Jeffis only identifiable by his hair)
“Are you sure this is the right way to round theweather mark?”
Nothing compares to the sunsets over the Sea ofCortez in Mexico.
Preparing for a sunset sail
ELLIE MARTIN ELLIE MARTIN
ELLIE MARTIN
ELLIE MARTIN
18 JAN / FEB 2008
feature
Hundreds of competitorisland in the south Pacifi
www.hca-na.org 19
rs, of all ages and nationalities, converged on a smallic last October to reaffirm the Hobie Way of Life
STORY BY PATTI HENSLERPHOTO BY REAL BALANCE / HOBIE CAT
20 JAN / FEB 2008
Clockwise, from right:
Fijiian war drums call the sailors to battle.
“Hey Dad – don’t you think he should let off his jib halyard a bit? ”
Kids + Hobie Cats = A grin from ear to ear on the beach. Is this notwhat it’s all about?
Driving upwind, trapped out and back, these kids would put most ofus to shame on the race course.
Adults or Youth? You have to look closely to tell that this hairy markrounding is all kids.
TERI MCKENNA
TERI MCKENNA
REAL BALANCE / HOBIE CAT TERI MCKENNA
www.hca-na.org 21
t all came to a chaotic end, waiting in windinglines for customs clearance, tripping over moun-tains of bags stuffed with wet clothing and Hobiegear and side-stepping through crowds of people.
Two weeks of soggy weather, lively parties and fiercecompetition now rested in Hobie Cat history after aten-hour Air Pacific flight from Nadi, Fiji to Los An-geles International. That was added to a four-hourdrive on a tire-busting, potholed road from Suva, Fiji,a long return home from the 18th Hobie 16 WorldChampionships.
Los Angeles wasn’t the only international airportwith a migration of Hobie sailors returning home. The
world competition included approximately 240 teamsfrom 28 countries, competing in five classes – Youth,Women’s, Open, Master and Grand Masters. For thesecond time in twenty-one years, Fiji hosted thecompetition, in Suva instead of Pacific Harbor. Onlythis time the beach was man-made.
Wheelbarrow and shoeshine boys from the streetsand markets of Suva teamed up to build the dream ofreclaiming a local beach and creating Hobie Village.The transformation at Laucala Bay from concrete,mud and water to the vast stretch of tropical beachand National Sailing Center was not a simple task. Itinvolved intense meetings of the minds, brutally hardwork and volumes of determination to haul sand, rockand dirt from various sites, including a sandbar in thenearby bay. Under the direction of Fijian sailorGrahame Southwick and others from Fleet 252, theproject was accomplished by embracing the challengeand shunning adversity.
Long before our arrival, teams of workers struggledthrough daily torrential rains, and numerous adversi-ties to complete their demanding project. After we
arrived, it didn’t take long for us to understand andadmire the Fijian attitude and how it all cametogether. When it rains, they enjoy it or ignore it butnever, ever run from it. They smile and laugh their waythrough the day. Exuberent “Bulas!” (Hello) fill theears of each and every visitor for there is no such thingas “strangers” in Fiji.
Life is full of joy and serenity, a highly contagiouscondition for even the most stressed visitor. Roadsidevendors greet you like an old friend and if you ask, willsell you a “heap” of mangoes for less than one USdollar. Muscular men wear skirts with freshly pressedshirts and adorn their ears with fresh hibiscus. Villagesreveal a mixed but rich heritage – Chung’s GroceryStore shares the sidewalk with Punjab’s Hardware.Pretension and strangers don’t live here. Hey, isn’t thatthe Hobie way?
Back at the new Hobie Village, a huge tentsheltered gathering competitors eager to enjoy theimpending event. On site were bure (thatched houses)that provided glimpses of Fijian heritage and talents(carvings, weavings, barkcloth making and pottery, toname a few). “Yummi’s” fast food shack offered stirredcurries and fried fish with chips while other snackshops offered smoothies, coffee, sandwiches and icecream bars. The best loved spot was Trapp’s bar, athatch-roofed playground of sand and liberatinglibations.
The festivities premiered on October 8, 2007 with aflurry of registration for the Women’s, Youth, Mastersand Grand Masters. Prevailing winds of anticipationand excitement filled the air as the teams greeted oneanother and prepared for three days of competition.All would be racing on brand new Hobie 16’s, fur-nished by Hobie Cat Australia.
Tuesday morning’s first race was called off thebeach by the feverish beat of the lali (a hallowed logcut in half ). Native drummers, two or sometimesthree, stimulated onlookers and competitors alike withtheir feverish, rhythmic pounding. The races beganunder dry, sunny to partly cloudy skies and decentwind that ultimately dedicated itself to the group’sracing series. Old Man Weather, however, was notgoing to be that charitable again.
Greeting sailors under the bigtop on Thursday’sLava Lava night were roving waiters serving drinksand hors d’oeuvres. Multi-cultural dancers and musicrocked the night and hula girls seized most of the
PETER NELSON
22 JAN / FEB 2008
attention. Winners in each group were determined andprizes were awarded. Celebration and high-spiriteddancing coaxed the crowd to its feet and the eveningswiftly passed by.
Fijian resident Paris Lyons, at the young age ofthirteen was eager to learn the ropes of Hobie racing.Friday, October 12 wasn’t going to be an ordinaryschool day because she volunteered to crew for RogerHensler in the qualifiers. It didn’t matter to her thatthe winds had livened up and the clouds began leakingbefore the first race. While heavy rain pelted her faceand hefty winds slapped the sails, Paris courageously
donned her harness, life vest andgloves while listening to Roger’slast minute instructions. Alongwith 53 other hopeful teams, theywere off the beach enduringblinding rains and stuck-to-the-sailtelltales to do their best.
Meanwhile, under the bigtopspectators gathered and the secondgroup of competitors prepared fortheir turn at the helm, people weresweltering. The torrents of waterstreamed down closed, plasticdoors and mixed with the risingtemperatures to create the normalsteam-shower effect. Puddles ofrain water seeped through holes inthe rubber Pro-Floor. Thankheavens for the event announcerand emcee, the ever dedicated,
informative and entertaining Dan Mangus! He keptthe crowd informed of events on the course andpositions at the marks, interspersed with his fascinat-ing tidbits of sailing stories. His high spirits helpedkeep the inclement weather and heat from tarnishingthe fun of it all.
The first competitors on Sunday morning riggedtheir boats, then waited under the bigtop for the rainto subside and the wind to stir. A puff ruffled through.Hopes soared. Then it whipped around in what couldbe safely called a severe windshift and rocked thebeached boats with full sails. Skippers and crews burstout of the tent and jumped on boats, averting whatcould have been a major tangle. The tumult subsidedand they returned to the tent when minutes later, amuch stiffer puff caught several boats and attempted
to turn them over. Another scramble to rescue raringboats precipitated the lowering of the sails untilfurther notice.
The wait for a race lingered with the humid, cloudyair as people wandered the quagmire. Rains emptieduntil there was no more. The sun came and went,teasing the wind into submission. The wait culminatedin an early call on Sunday just before 1400. That leftplenty of time for one and all to gather their gear andprimp for the party that night. Trapp’s bar, the thatch-roofed party central with the deep-sand covered floorenjoyed an early rush for drinks. Talk was thick with“what ifs” and “let’s hope”.
It was expected that at least 30 qualifiers would beselected to race in the finals. Suspense for the resultshad been building but with no races on the second day,most competitors knew their place finish. What theydidn’t know was how many more than 30 places wouldbe available.
Bula Night was in full swing by 7 PM with rhythm,drinks, appetizers and animated competitors crowdingthe tent. The huge crowd of competitors and soon tobe non-competitors for the upcoming week of finalsrocked the humid night. It was Lori Mohney’s job toannounce the final participants. Anticipation mountedafter number 30 was call and escalated with each oneafter that, finally getting the last and final spot –number 49 went to Joanne McNamara and ReneeWinchester from Australia. Let the semi-finals begin.
How fast time goes, we were into week two. Bynow some of the non-competitors went their separateways. Some slipped off to private islands to relax andshare tropicalbeauty with happynatives. Othergroups took daytrips to do whitewater rafting andsip kava withvillage chiefs whileothers opted tosnorkel the pristineturquoise waters insearch of colorfulcoral and tropicalfish. Shopping thestreets for sulas,cannibal forks and
TERI MCKENNA
www.hca-na.org 23
carved tiki heads inlaid with Mother of Pearl providedmementos of a trip to be remembered. For many,sipping sweet coconut milk with the backgroundsinging of happy Fijians was the pinnacle of an islandvacation and a welcome respite from the rigors ofcompeting.
Back at Hobie Village, the final week was justshaping up. After boat allocations were revealed, thefirst competitors feverishly rigged and tested the boatsto their standards. Others wandered the soggy groundsin search of commemorative clothing from Wai Tui’svillage store or searched the resident bure, where thelittle ladies wove baskets and made bark cloth whilechit-chatting and snacking. Marseu Rafai was weavingvoi voi (pandanas leaves) and talking about the Hobieson the beach. A sixty-something grandmother, shetold me she had never been on a Hobie but wouldreally like to give it a try. She also explained that theweather was not normally rainy this time of year andlaughed as she stayed dry in her little bure.
For the first day of the semi-finals, Old ManWeather co-operated as best he could. The rain wentinto seclusion but the long-awaited breezes were lazy.Race one was delayed until afternoon. When thetwitter of wind backed down, boats were finished atthe mark. Cheers, bongo music and dancing emanatedfrom the lively Caribbean tent. Pedro “the Doctor”Colon and his American crew, Sharmane Fontenotwon the race. Although each one of them is backed byplenty of Hobie racing, the two of them raced togetheronly once before the Worlds. The joy and enthusiasmcoming from the Pirates of the Caribbean tent was
entertaining andcontagious. Win orlose, it created afestive occasion foreverybody.Flowing rumhelps, too.
Still sloshingthrough puddlesby day two of thesemi-finals,everyone wasthankful for onemore day of no wetstuff pouringdown. Decent
winds made several races possible – four in all. Aconsistent spectator, Mrs. Worrell was heard cheeringthat day. Her son, Aaron, made his first rounding atthe weather mark in second place. He kept his positionby finishing in second place. She was elated. Herhusband had sailed Hobies years ago and now her sonwas keeping with tradition. Munching on a sandwichshe explained that her son asked if she wanted toattend the competition, knowing she would have tomake the trip from Melbourne, Australia. Her strong“Yes” answer was validated by her staunch support andconstant presence.
A different take on the eventswas expressed well by eleven-year-old Will Nelson from the Seattlearea. Dad, Peter, won a spot in theopen by making the pre-qualifyingcut. Hanging out with his mom,Ruth, Will mingled with a child’scuriosity and loitered under thesweltering big top. Knowing he wasaccompanying his parents on achartered boat to Tonga at the endof the competition, one mightwonder if he was anxious for theraces to be over. When asked, hisreply was accompanied by aforearm wipe to his wet forehead.“I can’t wait for it to COOL OFF!”
The family orientation wasblatantly apparent at the 18th
Worlds. A big focus of Hobieracing these days is passing the passion to the youth.In a family like the Waterhouse’s, dad Rod and hiswife Kerry sailed the finals while daughter Bridgetcompeted with boyfriend Jeremy in the Youth. SonJason sailed the youth with Michael McCormick andwon the event. Ages of sailors in the Fiji Worldsranged from 10 to 72 years. A generation gap doesn’tseem to exist in this sport.
A huge advocate for getting youth involved hasbeen Fiji’s Grahame Southwick. Initially, he asked twoof his employees who sail Hobies to let him know ifthere were any youth interested in learning the sport.By the next day, Grahame had 30 kids lined up whowere interested but never had the chance to sail. Inlight of this, Grahame set up a donation program forthe youth program. Several sailors pitched in gloves,
MATT MILLER
ANDRE GORDEAUX
24 JAN / FEB 2008
trap suits, life vestsand tools for thecause. The spiritflourishes asGrahame endeav-ors to step up thelearning with theFijian kids whilehelping them tomaintain theirpatience and skill-learning. His
recent protégé, 13-year-old Keveni Natadra, was doingvery well in the finals and finished well in the Youthcompetition.
“Bollywood” was the night everyone was waitingfor – the “cut party”. More tension and excitementfilled the moist air as the drinks, food and entertain-
ment beckonedcompetitors to thefunfest – a celebra-tion for some, adisappointment forothers. Jewel-adorned Indiandancers shimmiedin sexy outfits onstage while thehungry crowdfeasted on curried
food. Music captured some attention until LoriMohney took the stage. The question of which 56teams would sail the final two days was the imperialissue. In the spirit of fun and with respect to crews,Lori broke with tradition and made the cut announce-
ments by callingthe crew namesfirst instead of theskipper’s. Thetension wassquelched bycheers and jeersfrom the animatedcrowd. The list wasread and thesuccessful teamscheered for theirshot at two more
days on the water.Before the night could be complete, all competitors
were welcomed to the Puerto Rican Rumfest wherethe challenge was to consume bottles of the potentliquid until it was gone. Judging by the quiet crowd thenext morning, mission was accomplished.
The final two days of racing netted only 3 races, thelast on Thursday shortened at the windward mark.After enduring heavy rain between races, competitorsbobbed on their boats as the rain, once again, pacifiedthe wind. Some boats needed assistance to get to thebeach when they failed to catch any trickle of wind.While dropping sails, the wind clocked and fired up –but it was too late to be of any help. Soggy, wearybodies trudged through the hotel lobby that night,carrying water-logged gear. With the intermittentrains and constant humidity, everything became andstayed – soggy.
Winding up to the last day, the Sun Vs. Clouds and
Rain battle persisted Frequently winning, the showersthat quelled the winds for nearly two weeks were at itagain. The waiting game prevailed but eventually gaveway to a race. Hopes for a second were dashed whenthe wind shifted and died. Lightening and thunderperformed under moody skies and the boats were sentto shore. By 4PM it was determined that the wind washeavily sedated and not coming back. It was over. Wewelcome the new Hobie 16 World Champions – MickButler and Susan Etherington from Australia.
By the time the first guests arrived at the final partyFriday night, the tent was barely recognizable. A ship-wrecked Hobie stood amid a tropical resort with astream, palm trees and bridges. There was the promiseof a loud and fun evening, thanks to the bands andfree-spirited celebrants. In his speech to the crowd thatnight, Ian Lyons, TFL Connect representative andsponsor for the party, promised not to make a bigspeech and noted that his credit card was behind thebar so “drink up and enjoy the night on Connect”!
As we close the book on the 18th Hobie 16 Worlds,we thank all the sponsors and hard-working peoplewho made this event such a smashing success. We lookforward to another year of competing in one of themost exciting sports in the world – Hobie Catting.Old friends and new will practice and match skills onwaters all over the world in preparation for the 19th
Hobie Worlds 2009 in San Juan (rumfest, anyone?).What champions will the next chapter bring?
REAL BALANCE / HOBIE CAT
ERIN LAPORTA
ANDRE GORDEAUX
www.hca-na.org 25
26 JAN / FEB 2008
One of Fleet448’s mostpopular and
long-standing fun sails hasbeen our annual Island Hop to Cuttyhunk,Martha’s Vineyard, and the Elizabeth Islands.It’s a day sail, leaving from Gooseberry NeckBeach in Westport, MA. Wind permitting, we tryto leave the beach by 10 AM, and head over to Cutty-hunk for the first leg, as it is just over 6 miles away.We stop at a beach to gather our group together andsee where we want to “hop” to next. This event usual-
ly brings out many less ex-perienced sailors or newFleet members. Since somany of us are often sail-ing with new crew orfriends, it’s important tomake sure that all the sail-ors are comfortable withthe conditions and capableof making the next leg ofthe trip before we head offthrough the channel.Sometimes it’s too windy,sometimes not windy
enough. Sometimes it’s choppy or there are swells.Sometimes the winds are dying during the course of
the day, sometimes increasing. Other weather factors,such as rain, fog, or thunderstorms may play a role inthe decision where to go next. You never know whatit might be like as the day unfolds, so we never knowwhere, or how far, we might get.
Some will reach Cuttyhunk and decide to headback to the beach where they can sail effortlessly in thelee of the land for the afternoon. The rest of us will
pick our second island hop stopand head off through the narrow
channel. Favorite spots mightbe Menemsha, on Martha’sVineyard, or Tarpaulin Cove—several islands further up theElizabeth Island chain. On the return, a short stop atQuick’s Hole gives us another opportunity to makesure everyone is within sight and comfortable with theconditions before we continue back to the beach.
Island Hop 2007 was one of our most unusualevents. On Saturday August 18th, the winds were 20–25 mph with gusts to 35 mph. Fleece was thebeachwear of the day. To make matters worse, thewinds were out of the north—not a good direction—and the seas were even nastier further off shore. Thedecision was made shortly after arrival to cancel the
feature
New England Style Distance Sailing
On the beach at Cuttyhunk
BARBARA POWERS
www.hca-na.org 27
event for the day. Our turnout was great—18 to 20boats—45 or more people. If the wind had cooper-ated, it would have been one of our best Island Hopsin several years.
Big Bragging Rights!! Only one Hobie 16, TomTherrien’s, dared test the conditions off GooseberryBeach. It was clearly a 3-man day on the boat. Noproblem putting 3 not-so-small guys on the boat—other than the fact that they can’t get out of eachother’s way very quickly. Tom and 7 or 8 others spentthe day swapping rides on two-mile screaming reachesalong the beach—about the only thing a north wind isgood for—keeping the chop away if you stay near thebeach.
About half of the participants there said that theywould be able to return the next day, so the Island Hopwas rescheduled to Sunday.
Island Hop I 1/2Big Difference. Sunday’s weather brought no wind
to speak of, but left 14 anxious catamarans raring to goto the Elizabeth Islands. However, the wind arrivedlate, coming up around 1PM. Another decision wasmade to cancel, due to the logistics of getting out tothe islands and back by 3:30–4:00 in time to pack up,have a cookout, and with enough time to leave for
home at a reasonable hour on a Sundayafternoon. Three boats did headoff to Cuttyhunk. By this timemost everyone had been playingon the beach for hours with avariety of beach toys, or pad-dling around in kayaks, and werenot inclined to start riggingtheir boats for a sail in the lightwinds. This was the first time in16 years that we had not made itto any of the islands. However,that disappointment was short-lived. We decided that theSeptember 22nd Fleet 448 FallFun Day would just have tobecome Island Hop II.
Island Hop IIIsland Hop II was held with 13 boats on a beautiful
fall day with temps reaching 80 degrees. This is a rarething in New England that late in the season. A quickmeeting was held, and we shoved off the beach at10:30 for our first stop at Cuttyhunk Island. Just asthe first three 16’s left the beach,the sky turned dark grey and athink fogbank rolled in. A decisionwas made to head to Barney’s Joy,along the coast about a mile away,and wait for the fog to lift.
Finally, the fog lifted and thereappeared CUTTYHUNK! Weleft Barney’s after agreeing to keepeach other in sight and turn back ifthe fog returned. It was a fast, 7-mile reach over to the island, andeverybody made it there by shortlyafter noon—just as the sunreappeared. We walked on thebeach, had some sandwiches,snacks & drinks and tried to decidewhat we wanted to do next.Because of the threat of more hazeand fog, and that it starts to getdark earlier by the end of Septem-ber, we played it cautious andheaded back to Gooseberry.
The good news—the ride back was terrific! A nice10-15 knot breeze filled in from the southwest.According to the GPS, John averaged 18-19 knots,flying the spinnaker all the way. Everyone was backquickly and safely, and even the less experienced sailorshad a great ride home. The usual cookout of ham-burgers, chicken, chourizo, linguica, (locally-made,spicy Portuguese sausage—to those of you not fromthe Providence-New Bedford area) and fresh corn onthe cob was prepared while we all broke down ourboats. Glad to see so many Fleet members and friendscome out for one or all of the 2007 Island Hop series.Next year will be our 17th anniversary of the IslandHop. All are welcome. See you there!
BARBARA POWERS
Three brave souls head out in the chilly breeze
28 JAN / FEB 2008
feature
Personal ProfileAn Interview with Mick Butler, 2007 Hobie 16 World Championby Mike Madge
HOTLINE: First let’s start by saying congratulationsto you and your crew Susan Etherington on a fantasticregatta. Maybe you can give us some of your thoughtson how it feels to be World Champ now that you havehad some time to reflect on it.BUTLER: Bloody awesome! I still pinch myself occa-sionally to make sure its real. Twenty-four years inHobies and eleven Worlds - I know how hard thesethings are to come by. It is still hard to believe ournames are to go up there with all the greats of the pastand future.
HOTLINE: You havebeen close before at previ-ous worlds was there anything that you did differ-ently to put you on topthis time?BUTLER: I put moreeffort in for these Worldsthan any before - mostlybecause I believed I owedit to Sue. She moved toIndonesia fourteenmonths ago and made acommitment then to keepour team going throughto Fiji. Sue traveled toAustralia for training andregattas right through tothe worlds
HOTLINE: Going in tothe last day you had apretty sizable lead. Was
part of your strategy to cover your nearest competitors?BUTLER: We never considered it a big lead. Whenpeople all around us, people we really respect, are pick-ing up 30’s and 40’s, a six point lead seemed insignifi-cant. We knew what was required. As soon as thedust settled after the start in the last race, we found toour delight that besides having a reasonable positionfor ourselves, we were in better shape and in contactwith the Noumeans. From there we just covered thewhole race. The fact that we got 4th in that race is dueto them taking us to all the right places.
HOTLINE: The wind at these Worlds seemed prettylight and shifty. With Australians being renowned fortheir big wind skills, how did you manage to stay soconsistent and avoid the big scores some of the favor-ites endured?BUTLER: We managed to get eight descent starts -not always at the right end of the line and we gotrolled a few times - but never in the first three or fourminutes which meant we sailed most of our first beatsin clean air and on our terms. Consequently, we nevergot to the top mark in deep poo and were able to playthe percentages in the second half of the races.
HOTLINE: Did you do any specific training?BUTLER: Sue’s the one in great shape. My pictureswere air brushed to protect the innocent. I do cycle towork. It’s only 15 minutes each way, but I try to have ahalf hour run with the dog before this. I believe thatnothing can beat time on the water and I tried to sailevery weekend right through our winter because theWorlds were less than a month into our regular sea-son. We also sailed together for 8 days out of the lastfortnight before we flew to Fiji.
SEAN DOUGLAS / HOBIE CAT
www.hca-na.org 29
HOTLINE: You and Susan have been a team for anumber of years. What qualities does she bring as acrew to be successful?BUTLER: Desire. The drive to be the best she couldbe and I guess that inspired me. The most importantthing is that we became good mates and we enjoyedsailing together. We were a team and no one gotblamed for errors and we always had a drink togetherat the end of the day whether it was to drown our sor-rows or celebrate.
HOTLINE: What crew weight do you sail at?BUTLER: 134 kg (295.4 lb)
HOTLINE: Now that you have won do you thinkyour goals with respect to Hobie sailing will changeand will you be at the next worlds to defend?BUTLER: As you will have guessed from the above,Sue is going to retire as World Champion. It was ahuge commitment to go for Fiji and one that provedto be very, very worthwhile, but it is impractical tocontinue. I will carry on, it really is “my way of life”and besides, who is going to miss the chance to partywith the ‘Ricans in their home town?
HOTLINE: Did you find most of the top teams weretuning the boat similar?BUTLER: Nearly everyone was in middle hole on theshroud adjuster and most were taking the jib clewquite low, we were amongst the lowest. It was prettycommon given the light conditions for rigs to bepulled quite tight although I believe it can be overdonein the less than trapping conditions.
HOTLINE: What did you do in order to get goodstarts? BUTLER: I think patience was the key and avoidingpacked areas of the start line
HOTLINE: I noticed in a few pictures that youseemed to be standing further back on the boat thensome other crews. What advantages did you gain bythis?BUTLER: I think most of the pictures of us trapeez-ing were reaching back to the beach. Going to wind-
ward I will start trapeezing just behind the shroud,stepping back to let Sue out and ending up back onthe corner casting once we are fully arced up.
HOTLINE: Aaron Worrall was over in North Ameri-ca last summer. Have you entertained any thoughts ofcoming?BUTLER: I came to Santa Cruz back in 96 and be-tween starting a family and work things have con-spired to stop me from making a repeat offence. Pauland Mary Anne Hess [who made it all happen back in96] have tried hard to get me over again. This year Iwas head down, arse up getting the boats finished forFiji, so I guess it was a sacrifice I won’t regret eventhough it looked like one hell of a regatta.
HOTLINE: Thanks, Mick for taking the time out todo this. Maybe we’ll see you in the heartland of Amer-ica at the 16 North Americans this year.
SEAN DOUGLAS / HOBIE CAT
30 JAN / FEB 2008
Chair
Bob Merrick
141 Short Beach Rd.
Branford, CT 06405
203•488•7820
1st Vice Chair
John Mork
8504 NW 88th
Oklahoma City OK 73132
405•621•9826 / 405•229•8817
2nd Vice Chair
Chris Wessels
5600 Lakeview Dr.
Clear Lake, IA 50428
641•357•4577 / 641•423•7638
electedofficers
2008hcaboardofdirectors
voting members
DIVISION 1Dan Williams
45-155 Unahe PlaceKaneohe, HI 96744
808•864•[email protected]
DIVISION 2Dave Martin
138 Sheridan Dr.Henderson, NV 89074
702•914•[email protected]
DIVISION 3Jason Moore
8360 N. PoplarFresno, CA 93711
DIVISION 4Dave Wilder
2525 Minor Ave E. #103Seattle, WA 98102
DIVISION 5Stephen Cooley
10952 W Hampden PlaceLakewood, CO 80227
303•619•0572 [email protected]
DIVISION 6Chris Green
2220 Brae LaneLeague City, TX 77586
DIVISION 7Andy Larson1021 N. Mae
Storm Lake, IA 50588712•732•1532
DIVISION 8Bob Johnson
906 Woodcliff AvenueTampa, Florida 33613
DIVISION 9Loyd Graves
4709 Glen Forest DriveRaleigh, NC 27612
DIVISION 10Jeff Rabidoux
5705 Lake St., P.O. Box 524Glen Arbor, MI 49636
248•361•[email protected]
DIVISION 11Ron LaPorta
120 Netherwood Dr.Coatesville, PA 19320-1467
DIVISION 12Dave Heroux
27 Foster Center Rd.Foster, RI 02825-1326
DIVISION 13Alfredo Figueroa
921 Verdi St., Reparto SevillaSan Juan, PR 00924
(787)[email protected]
DIVISION 14Tom Page
P.O. Box 961Claremore OK 74018-0961
918•232•[email protected]
DIVISION 15Scott Beach
8221 Grand Bay Blvd.Panama City Beach, FL 32408
DIVISION 16Theresa White
601 Demong DriveSyracuse, NY 13214
on the web
International Hobie Class
Association
www.hobieclass.com
Hobie Cat Company USA
www.hobiecat.com
Hobie Product Support
www.hobiecat.com/support
Hobie Community Forums
www.hobiecat.com/community
appointedofficers
Women’sRepresentative
Danielle Burns4601 Shisler Rd
Clarence, NY 14031716.759.1908
1 HAWAII
resources
Championships Coordinator
Lori Mohney
2812 E Shore Drive
Portage, MI 49002-6581
269.327.4565
Guest Expert Program
Coordinator
Kim Edmonds
13323 Eagle View Land
Roland, AR 72135
501.868.8801
HOTLINE Editor
Matt Bounds
3798 Damas Dr.
Commerce Twp, MI 48382
248.980.7931 (cell)
248.360.7926
Scorekeeper
Bill Jeffers
Hobie Feet 204
Syracuse, NY
585.370-9160
For Local andCountry contacts:
hca-na.org
Hobie Class Association
of North America
www.hca-na.org
Women’s Hobie Cat Racing
www.hca-na.org
Guest Expert Program
www.hc-na.org
Web Master
Rich McVeigh
14813 Fireside Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20905
301.384.3695
additional resources
Membership Chair
Mike Levesque
45 Patriot Way
Uxbridge, MA 01569 USA
508•278•3887
Secretary
Kathy Ward
1331 Robertson Way
Sacramento, CA 95818
916.715.3133
Treasurer
Steve Reese
131 Skowhegan Ct.
San Jose, CA. 95139
408•362•0991
Youth Program Director
Mimi Appel
3357 Collins Road
Marcellus, NY 13108-9647
Race Director
Paul Ulibarri
3334 Fulton
Victoria, BC V9C 2T9
Canada
250.474.7580
www.hca-na.org 31
32 JAN / FEB 2008
US SAILING is the national governing body for the sport of sailing and merits support through direct membership. USSA’s missionis to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the United States. Here’s what you get:
• A $10 discount on annual membership dues.• Discounted entry at every regatta that is hosted by a member club or organization that uses the USSA insurance
program.• A $20 West Marine coupon with each renewal.• A free Racing Rules of Sailing book.• Eligibility for USSA’s outstanding one-design insurance for Hobie Cat-manufactured catamarans.• Member discounts on USSA gear, clothing and accessories.
Your membership identifies you to US SAILING as a multihull sailor, ensuring your voice is heard at the national level.Participation in your individual class and in the National Governing Body keeps you in touch and on top of the sport.Thanks for supporting US SAILING with your membership – John Williams, Program Administrator
NAME: Bobby Ray EdmondsHOME FLEET: Hobie 241, Little Rock, Arkansas, Grand Maumelle Sailing Club.AGE: 39PROFESSION: Owner of Arriba Performance Products, making “Hobie Hot Sticks”HOBBIES: Sailing, paintball, martial arts, boxing, working out with friends. Shopping withmy wife. (I have to play nice since I bought Arriba.)LAST BOOK READ: Kingdom Principles, by MylesMunroe. Mr. Brown Can Moo Can You?, by Dr. SeussLATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Surviving a familyvacation at Disney World with 125,000 screaming kids.WHY DO I DO WHAT I DO: I learned many life lessonsfrom my grandfather. He takes life head-on, nevermissing a chance to experience life out of caution or fear.When I set a goal, I work at it until I accomplish it,regardless the cost.QUOTE: Arriba's tagline: “We can demand nothingfrom the sea, so we must demand everything from our equipment.”PROFILE: Competitive yacht racer since '96, H16 Division 14 Champ '03-'04,GMSC Overall centerboard Champ 2005, Ultimate 20 National championships2nd place, US SAILING Championship of Champions 2006 …results withheld.HIS BOAT: Hobie 20 sail #1000 – “One Grand Cat”.
NAME: Dan Berger, A.K.A. “The Cat Reaper”HOME FLEET: Virginia Beach Hobie Fleet 32
AGE: 39PROFESSION: I am an IT guy by day and self-proclaimed“Local Parts Guy” by night.HOBBIES: Mountain biking, unicycling, juggling, sailing(of course), home remodeling, classic Mustang restorationLAST BOOK READ: Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn RandLATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Bought a “Cottage house”built in 1925. Just starting the remodel.WHY I DO WHAT I DO: I love sailing and anything to dowith it. There is nothing like putting an old Hobietogether from parts then sailing it. I feel that it isn't agood day of sailing unless you have a spectacular, fly-through-the-air-like-Tarzan, watch-the-boat-come-over-on-top-of-you, make-spectators-grimace pitchpole.
QUOTE: “It is always easier to ask for forgiveness, thanit is to ask for permission.”
HIS BOAT: Owned and sailed many boats over theyears including an A cat, Supercat 20 tall rig,
Prindle 19/18-2/18 classic, Hobie 16/17, Hobie F14(14 with Hooter!!) BUT I’ll always go back to myfavorite, the Hobie 14.
