HCA HOTLINE Jan/Feb 06

justinoffthewireLate Breaking News and NotesIHCA Council Elects ColinWhitehead PresidentSouth African Colin Whitehead, the second Hobie 16 WorldChampion ever, has been elected asthe new president of the International Hobie Class Association.Whitehead sailed with his sonMatthew at the recent Hobie 16Worlds. Matthew, who at agetwelve, was the youngest competitor in the event. Colin won hisworld championship sailing withhis father, Mick, when he was justtwelve years old. Colin and his sonhave been sailing together for twoseasons and form part of the topseven teams selected to representSouth Africa during the WorldChampionships.For the Whiteheads, Hobiesailing is definitely a passion and afamily affair. Colin sailed in 5world championships with his wifeTracy, while his sister RobbynMoir is also a former worldchampion. “Hobie sailing isMatt Whitehead and his skipper, Colin8definitely family-oriented andallows families to participatetogether in a sport. I love sailingwith my son as he’s very enthusiastic about his sailing and it gives methe opportunity to spend sometime with him doing something weboth enjoy. This Hobie 16 Worldshas brought me full circle as I’vefirst competed with my father, thenwith my wife and now with myson. It’s brilliant.”HCA Division 13 ElectsNew ChairmanMr. Alfredo Figueroa fromPuerto Rico has been selected asthe new chairman to representDivision 13 in the Hobie ClassAssociation of North America.alfredofigueroa40@hotmail.comDuring the last Hobie 16worlds held in Port Elizabeth,South Africa, there was a meetingwith representation from PuertoRico, Guatemala and Mexico, andAlfredo accepted his nomination asthe new chairman. Alfredo is verywell acquainted with the problemsand needs of Hobie sailing in ourregion, and has ample experiencethrough his exposure as Presidentof the Hobie Class of Puerto Rico.He is very active as a sailor andleader of the always cheerfullPuerto Rican Gang, and father ofFrancisco Figueroa one of the bestyouth sailors of the HCANA.I thank all the Hobie friendsthat have helped me during all thetime that I was chairman ofDivision 13.Have a Hobie dayArmando Noriega2006 Major Events UpdateThe Area Championships thatare confirmed are listed in theschedule or the NOR is in thisissue. The one that is coming soon:MidWinter’s East – We have someinterest in the Panama City, FLarea but have not nailed any datesdown—WE ARE WORKINGON IT—so stay tuned to thewebsite.The Hobie 16 Open event willbe in Rhode Island September 11–15. They are in the final stages ofgetting together their NOR and wehope to have it all solid very soon!The Hobie Tiger event has beenrequested by the Saint FrancisYacht Club in the San FranciscoBay area, in conjunction withAdam Borcherding and Division 3.We are in the decision process ofwhether to pair the Tigers with theHobie 20’s or 17’s. We are pushingfor the 17’s since we might have ahome for the H-20 and H-18 fleetdown in Texas.The Hobie 14’s will have ahome in Iowa with Chris Wessellsand crew, and that leaves us withthe Hobie 16 Women and Youth.Usually this event is held with theHobie 16 Open event, but this yearthe Rhode Island group could onlycommit to five days of racing. Wehave some ideas on the horizonand will be announcing this soon.So in summary, you will have tokeep your eyes peeled to the website and we will be sending out ane-blast as soon as everything isdecided 100%. Get those bids infor next year’s events!JAN / FEB 2006

IHCA Appoints Brian Phippsas Youth CoordinatorIn an effort to increase youthsailing, the IHCA has appointedBrian Phipps, well known catamarancoach, to assist the Hobie regions andcountries develop their youthtraining.Who is Brian Phipps?Catamaran sailing started formyself in my 20’s (1970 ish) havingsailed dinghies at junior and youthclub level. Over the next period ofmy sailing life, I raced catamaransat club, national and internationalevents, gaining respect as a catsailor with talent, but without thefinances and support to move tothe next level, Olympic sailing.Having qualified as an educational teacher, like many, I soonmoved into something moreexciting – working in the marineindustry on sales, marketing,production and development ofbeach and performance catamaranproducts. This brought me intocontact with many sailors and ledto myself becoming increasinglyinvolved in the teaching andcoaching of individuals and teamsin catamarans.Taking a few years out withCookie my wife, lead us around theworld ending up back in the UKon my home sailing watersFalmouth, Cornwall (the pointy bitat the bottom left of the UK). Herewe established the first performance training and coachingcentre in the UK with a specificprogram for catamarans under thebanner of “The Cat Clinic.”Running the center, teaching alllevels of sailing both dinghy andcats, plus coaching individuals andteams to a higher level was a verywww.hca-na.orgactive part ofmy life formany years andthe base formuch of myfollowingcoachingBrian Phippssuccess.Working with the RoyalYachting Association (RYA), Iestablished the basic catamaranteaching program syllabus. I wrotearticles on catamaran racing, finallypublishing “The Catamaran Book”- soon to be updated to include aneven broader range of catamarancraft, techniques and skills.With a growing family, I movedback into club sailing, workingwith young sailors, bringing thefun and excitement of catamaransailing along with me. The RYA atthe time was developing theirjunior and youth racing strategy tofeed young sailors into theirOlympic program and I took onthe role to develop the Youngsailors in Cats program. Startingfrom nothing and measuring oursuccess against the French youthsquads, we embarked on a 5- yeardevelopment program that finishedlast year. Early days were tough,but the results started to improve inyear three. In 2004, we had ourstrongest squad ever, taking all themajor European youth titles andfinishing well up in the world titles.More than this, we had a junior(11- 15 yrs) cat squad sailingHobie Dragoons and a promisingHobie 16 squad with years of youthsailing ahead of them. I can takesome credit for this success, but themajority must go to the youngsailors, parents, class associationand manufacturer that supportedmy efforts and allowed us to putthe “UK Young Sailors in CatsProgram” on the map.In 2005, I stepped back fromthe role as RYA national youthcatamaran coach. I have enjoyedthe freedom to coach juniors, youthand adult cat sailors all around theworld, including an active part inthe EHCA’s youth coachingsupport program.From my experience, I recognisethe huge importance of attractingyoung sailors into catamarans;accepting the difficulties, rewardsand challenges that it brings. Ourfuture is not as an aging fleet. Wehave a strong class structure,exciting product and opportunitiesto offer young sailors. We onlyhave to tap into them and offer thestyle of cat sailing and class supportthat stimulates their sailing nerves.Can I help? Well, I hope so.In the future, I want to draw on myown experience and that of othersto help individuals, clubs, associations, regions, and MNA’s to comeon board and develop their ownstyle of Young Sailors in CatsProgram. If I can make it easier forothers to bring together fleets andtraining, and increase the numbersof young sailors in Hobie cats of alltypes, we will be well on the way toredirecting our future and strengthening our class.Please contact me aboutanything to do with young sailorsin Hobie Cats, be it information,support or advice and I will do mybest to help.Brian Phipps 44 (0) 1326 3676191 home 44 (0) 7974 194308 mobilebrian.phipps@windsport.co.uk9

driver’sseatThe Return of an Old FriendWhere did my Hobie Class News go?by Matt Bounds, HCA HOTLINE EditorWhen I was just thirteen years old, mydad bought our firstHobie 16. With that purchase,came a free subscription to the Hobie HOTLINE. I was immediatelyhooked. I read and re-read thosefirst issues until they were nearlyworn out. I was transported to exotic locations for the WorldChampionships and wonderedwhen I might be able to go. HobieAlter, Wayne Schaefer, and all theother champions of that era weremy heroes and role models.As time passed, the HOTLINEgrew up. What started as a littlenewsletter for Hobie Cat ownershad grown into a full-fledgedmagazine. The HOTLINE borewitness to the introduction of theHobie 12 Mono-cat, the Hobie 10,the Hobie Hawk (RC glider), theHobie 18, the Hobie 3.5, theHobie 14 Turbo, the Hobie 17 and21 and the Hobie 20 Miracle.Towards the end of its run in 1995,it covered the introduction of the10first roto-molded Hobie, the Wave.But the HOTLINE kind of lost itsway. It became a more of a marketing tool for the Coleman Company, promoting Alpha sailboards,Hobie Power Skiffs and otherColeman products. The HobieClass Association started theNAHCA News in part because theHOTLINE was trying to serve toomany masters. Eventually, itbecame a financial drain on theHobie Cat Company, who pulledthe plug in mid-1995.For ten years after the demise ofthe HOTLINE, the NAHCA News/HCA News kept plugging along,filling the void left behind. But itjust wasn’t the same. However, withthe advent of electronic publishingand especially e-mail, producing ahigh-quality magazine has neverbeen easier or more economical.So why the name change? Well,for many of us, the HOTLINEbrings back memories of the “goodold days.” Over and over again, I’mtold that the best parts of thismagazine are the “Hobie History”pages. This is just an extension ofthat. There’s a lot of brand value inthe name. From a practicalstandpoint, it’s a lot easier to say –“Hobie Class Association News,”while descriptive, is a mouthful. Sowith the blessings of DougSkidmore, President of Hobie Cat,and Jeff Alter, owner of the Hobietrademarks, Matt Miller and Iembarked on designing a new coverlogo. A combination of old andnew – just like the magazine itself.The volume number – 35 – is whatthe original HOTLINE volumewould have been if it had been incontinuous publication since thefirst issue in March 1971.For now, only the name haschanged. As a volunteer editor, mytime resources are far too limited tomake drastic changes. Any changeswill be gradual and evolutionary.The official name is “Hobie ClassAssociation HOTLINE.” But we allknow what you’ll call it. Welcomeback, old friend.JAN / FEB 2006

membershipmattersDues Are DueIt’s that time of year again.by Diane Bisesi, HCA Membership ChairFor those of you that don’tknow already, I took over asthe Membership Chairstarting last August. I would liketo thank Eliza Cleveland for helping me through the transition intothis position. I hope that I will beable to provide members with thesame level of service as Eliza provided. I welcome the opportunityto help out in a sport with the people that share the same passion:Hobie Sailing.With the New Year approaching, it’s time again for you to renewyour HCA Membership. Just areminder – the dues amount haschanged on standard membershipsfrom 30 to 35. Please make surethat you use the 2006 Membershipform that is posted on the HCAwebsite and in this magazine whensending in your dues. There areseveral membership optionsavailable – check the membershipform for the details.Please renew early to continueyour HOTLINE subscription andavoid problems at event registration. Remember, HCA membership is required for HCA sanctioned events (points regattas). It iseach fleet’s responsibility to checkHCA membership at eventregistration. The current membership list is available for downloadwww.hca-na.orgfrom hca-na.org. We make it easyfor you!I thought it may be helpful tolet you know what happens whenyour membership is processed.Each and every form is reviewedagainst the current database to seeif your address, phone or e-mailaddress has changed. It is important that the information is legibleand completely filled out. Newmembers need to have numbersassigned and a listing is generatedfor them to have membership cardsproduced. With over 1,000members in 2005 I have quite atask of reviewing and updatingevery membership and enteringany new members. Please help meby getting your membership inbefore the busy sailing seasonstarts. It is my goal to continue toincrease membership for 2006 andbeyond.Fair Winds,DianeSpeed your way through registration by renewing your HCA membership now!Don’t forget to renewyour membership inUS Sailing, too!(Use the form on page36 and save 10!)11

womenonthewaterLooking Back on 2005And forward to 2006Heather Morrison, HCA Women’s RepresentativeWell, as sailing seasonwinds down, I havethe opportunity to reflect on the last few events inwhich I’ve participated.In the last HCA News, therewas a great spread about thewomen’s Hobie 16 North American event in Ventura in July. I’d liketo say congratulations to the newwomen champions – Annie Nelsonand Kathy Kulkowski. Greatsailing! What challenging conditions we had! I learned so much bygoing and had the chance to meetsome great youth and womenracers. After our first day of racingwe also held the women’s annualmeeting. We had great attendanceand discussion. The minutes areposted on www.hca-na.org.The WOW at Clear Lake, Iowa12In September, my husband andI traveled to Clear Lake, Iowa forthe Hobie 20 North AmericanChampionships. The NA’s wereSo watch out male skippers these women are ready to take overthe helm!The last women’s event Ipreceded by a “practice” weekendregatta with nuclear winds (becareful what you wish for). I sawmany women crews working theirtails off in the high winds! Too badsome of that wind didn’t hold forthe following week of racing. Aftera couple of days of decent air, it justdied to light and fluky (you don’tknow the meaning of fluky untilyou’ve sailed at Clear Lake!) Ilearned what patience is—althoughI don’t seem to have it. Thehospitality and social events provedto be fun-especially “animal house”and the butt dart contest (don’task). You had to be there! Thanksto HCA Division 7 for putting ona great event.As part of the “Last Regatta,” Ihad the pleasure of providing aWOW workshop for the localladies who wanted to learn moreabout sailing and racing. What agreat group! We used a Hobie 16as a demo boat and they asked aton of good questions. I think a lotof these ladies had a desire to learnmore about sailing, but might alsoconsider learning a bit more aboutracing. We talked about starts, theracing sequence, and flag signals.attended was Shegatta at Lake RayRoberts in Texas. The event beganwith another WOW workshopconducted by Sheila Holmes.Racers learned about racing rulesand some tactics. Shegatta provedto be another success this year. It’sa weekend of men doing thecooking, boat set-up, and boathauling while the ladies get to dothe fun stuff sailing! This yearwas extremely windy but many ofthe women teams handled theconditions well. As in previousyears, this regatta signifies empowering women to take the helm andpractice racing and sailing. Sheiladoes a great job of putting on theevent which includes a shrimp boil,breakfast burritos, a “Studly DoRight” auction and raffle. Ladies,if you haven’t attended one of theseevents, you really need to considerthis! Get it on your schedule fornext year!Sadly, the boat is covered andpacked away for the winter. I lookforward to next year and willcontinue to plan more WOWworkshops and promote women’sHobie sailing! See you on the startline!JAN / FEB 2006

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rulesinplaySpinnakers and PoliticsThe status quo is maintained for the Hobie 16by Bob Merrick, HCANA 1st Vice ChairThe International HobieClass Annual GeneralMeeting took place duringthe recent Hobie 16 World Championship in South Africa. A majortopic of discussion was the use ofspinnakers on the Hobie 16. Therecent poll of the North Americanclass members on the subject gaveus firm footing for our position.But first, let me give you somebackground on the issue. TheInternational Sailing Federation(ISAF) conducts annual YouthWorld Championships in a varietyof ISAF International Olympic“feeder” classes. However, there isno clear cut Youth “feeder” class forthe Olympic Tornado. Very fewmultihull classes (with the exception of Hobie Cats) have achievedInternational Class status fromISAF – a prerequisite for use in theYouth Worlds. For two years(2002–2003), there was nomultihull discipline in the ISAFYouth Worlds. In 2003, Hobie CatEurope was willing to supplyHobie 16’s to the ISAF YouthWorlds in Poland, but ISAFwanted a boat with a spinnaker.Thus, Appendix B to the IHCAClass Rules was added by theIHCA Council in early 2003which allows spinnakers for “specialyouth events only.”14Since that addition, the European Region has been sailing mostof their Hobie 16 youth eventswith the spinnaker. There was ayouth spinnaker class at theAustralian National Championships in 2004. Were these “specialyouth events” as defined byAppendix B?A number of us in NorthAmerica have viewed this aspotentially damaging to the onedesign nature of the Hobie 16class. In December of 2004, theinitial notice of race for the 2005Hobie 16 Worlds specifiedspinnakers for the Hobie 16 Youthevent. Whether or not this waslegal according to our class ruleswas drawn into question and agreat debate followed. Eventually,the IHCA Council voted anddecided that the Hobie 16 YouthWorlds would not be conductedwith spinnakers, but that did notend the debate.It was clear that the IHCAwould have to clarify its policy onthis issue at the 2005 AGM. Sinceit is our job to represent the classsailors in North America in theIHCA Council, we decided to askyou what you thought about theuse of spinnakers in the Hobie 16class. At the time I am writingthis, we have had 183 classmembers respond to our poll. Hereare your responses:1. Are you in favor of a spinnakerfor the youths?No – 152 (83.1%)Yes – 31 (16.9%)2. Are you in favor of spinnakersfor adults?No – 157 (85.8%)Yes – 26 (14.2%)3a.Would you still sail a 16 if it hada spinnaker?Yes – 75 (41.0%)No or no answer – 108 (59.0%)3b. If no, would you still race your16 with out the spinnaker?Yes – 117 (63.9%)No or no answer – 66 (36.1%)4. Would you still sail a 16 if it didnot have a spinnaker?Yes – 163 (89.1%)No or no answer – 20 (10.9%)5. How do you think a spinnakerwould generally affect participation in the Hobie 16 class?Increase participation – 15(08.2%)Decrease participation – 139(76.0%)JAN / FEB 2006

No affect on participation – 29(15.8%)Rules in Play:IHCA 2005–2008 Class Rules — Appendix BGiven this response, the NorthAmerican position on the issue wasclear. We did not want the spinnaker introduced in our region forany events. In the end, it was up tothe IHCA council. The result wasa policy statement issued by theIHCA council (facing page).The result is not exactly whatwe wanted in our InternationalClass, but given the response fromthe North American membership Ithink it is clear that this issue willnot directly affect the Hobie 16class in our region. We willmaintain the Hobie 16 as a strictone-design class for all sailors –with out a spinnaker.IHCA Supplement to the International Hobie Cat 16 Class Rules.THE USE OF THE SPINNAKER IS ONLY AUTHORIZED FOR SPECIAL YOUTH EVENTS.1. The IHCA General Class Rules and

www.hca-na.org 7 1986 1996 (Left) The Hobie Power Skiff is introduced. Now you could have Hobie mark and safety boats working your Hobie Cat regatta! (Right) Alpha Sailboards, an Austrian manufacturer, was aquired by Coleman, the owner of Hobie Cat. The HOTLINE expanded with coverage of Alpha information and events. (Right) In January 1986, the .