Results: Results page

Cool European Sails too:

Weather seems to be unfriendly to the Hobie fleet, they should get a race in on Friday and Saturday, but today and Sunday look too strong.

http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/port_elisabeth

Here`s hoping the forecasters are wrong (they usually are).
If the wind swings to the West and gets strong while they are out there, the rest of the regatta will be held in Australia !! (Westerly blows straight offshore, next stop Australia.)

OOh, I`m an idiot - haven`t had my 4th cup of coffee yet. I read the temperature as windspeed .
But that site`s weather report is inconsistent with the following, which I trust a bit more:
http://iafrica.com/weather/portelizabeth/
Looks like Friday pm & Sunday are the only sailing days in the near future.

These conditions are just nuts:


There are some great crash photos on the worlds web site.

How many Hobie sailors can claim to be THIS brand-loyal ....
Only Brad Stemmet, as far as I know - and yes, it`s real, it won`t wash off.
http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2005/051026-02webgallery/pages/_DSC5960.html

I wonder how many other classes of boats would be able to race in these conditons.The laser comes to mind but I don,t think it would get through the surf.

Still pretty scary looking beasts. I went diving near Cape Town and ran across them. Those beady little eyes and that mounth full of teeth cranked up my breathing rate - and heart rate. They swam so close I could have grabbed on to one of them. Very impressive, very humbling.

Still, I wish I was there. It's a fantastic venue and South Africa is one of my favorite places in the world.

Congratulations, Mike Montague and Kathy Ward of Div. 3 on your 2nd place in the Master's!! We are so proud of you! Keep it up (and upright!!) in the Open. This one is YOURS to WIN!!!

Go Left Coasters!!!!

Hobie Tattoo? Oh... there are more than just a few of those around. Yeah, real ones that don't wash off.

Gee... I am missing not being the beach captain this year... NOT! Nor is the rest of our beach team this time around. Go Hobie Cat FRANCE!

For those that might not understand the Hobie system for provided boat events, there is a beach team that is responsible for keeping all of the (60) boats up to sailing condition and ready to race. Not a fun task with lots of damage from wind, waves and boat contact.

Here is the latest press release:

1998 World champion Blaine Dodds from Plettenberg Bay added another world champion title to his name when he won the Masters division of the Chevrolet Hobie Cat 16 World Championships in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth. Dodds and his 19-year old daughter Roxanne won the only race sailed in the class.

<<...>>
South Africans Belinda Hayward and Kim Wilkinson-Davies sailed a great race to finish second in the Women's division of the Chevrolet Hobie Cat 16 World Championships.

MEDIA RELEASE 27 OCTOBER 2005

GOLD FOR FRANCE AND SOUTH AFRICA AT CHEVROLET HOBIE WORLDS

The French team continued their strong showing at the Chevrolet Hobie Cat 16 World Championships being sailed in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth. After the first three days of the championships, world titles in both the Youth and Women’s category went to French sailors.

Pre-race favourites in the Youth competition and current European champions, Cédric Bader and Yann Montoya, continued their world-class performance to take win the Youth division. Tom Phipps and Andrew Taylor from Great Britain came second in today’s race to move into second place overall. Puerto Ricans Francisco Figuera and Martin Roldan finished in third position.

In the Masters championships, Blaine Dodds and his 19-year old daughter Rozanne took the world title after a frustrating afternoon on the water. After an on-the-water boat swap, the competitors waited for over two hours to get started on the race. However, by late afternoon the forecasted breeze was still not forthcoming and they came off the water with only one race completed. On Tuesday, the 53 teams competing in the Masters and Grand Masters disciplines only managed to complete one race as the final race was abandoned due to adverse weather conditions.

In the Woman’s championships, the French team of Morgane Laurancy and Marion Pennaneach showed their dominancy to take the world title. South Africans Belinda Hayward and Kim Wilkinson-Davies finished in second place with the Mexican team and former World Champions of Pamela Noriega and Andrea Mier y Teran in third position.

After the race, Hayward said that they were ecstatic with their silver medal. “Obviously we would have loved the gold, but I’m extremely happy with our performance. Although the winds were light and shifty, I am really delighted with our results.”

Bruce Tardrew and Sarah Turnbull of Australia took the grand masters title. The oldest competitor and skipper in the race, 65-year-old Harry Handley from New Zealand proved that experience does count to take finish second. Handley sailed with South African Lynda Paarman.

After the difficult sailing conditions of the previous day, today saw lighter winds with strong sea swells. Some Hobie Cats were towed into the bay by jet skies as competitors struggled against the huge beach breaks. The first race was abandoned when the wind shifted and a new course had to be set.

For more information, visit the event website on www.chevrolet.hobies.co.za.

That picture looks like they wrapped the jib on purpose and have three people on board. Maybe a rescue? Diane left this morning and is a little concerned by the pictures.
How good are those youth? I know how good Francisco, Jorge,Jason,Juani and Mike are, and they are getting beat.

Pat - Kenny and Diane will be fine - Just don't do this!

PRESS RELEASE
HOBIE CAT 16 WORLDS 2005, FALL FROM ONE EXTREME TO THE OTHER
Favourites grab the first titles

Port Elizabeth / South Africa, October 27th 2005



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The Hobie Cat 16 World Championships 2005 fell from from one extreme to the other, as the wind dropped from 46 to 5 knots within three days. The women and youth teams completed three races in total and the masters and grand masters only one. On Thursday October 27th, the French youngsters grabbed two titles: Morgana Laurancy and Marion Pennaneach in the ladies' class and the current European Champions Céder Bader and Yann Montoya in the youth. Past World Champion Blaine Dodds and his daughter Roxanne from South Africa won the masters. The Australians Bruce Tardrew and Sarah Turnbull were world's best grand masters of 2005.

Youth - Mission almost completed
Céder Bader and Yann Montoya already won the 2005 Europeans Hobie 16 Youth and Open in Heiligenhafen, and now they can add the Youth World title to their list of achievements. Céder Bader: "Our goal for South Africa is to win the Youth and to finish top five in the open championship." They finished in second and first position in yesterday's wild conditions. Although they prefer strong winds, the French managed to stay in the lead in today's light circumstances. Bader: "We were seventh at the first upwind mark and fourth by the second time we passed it. The wind was shifty and decreasing. We had some troubles with rounding the updwind mark, since it was positioned close to the surf." The 2004 ISAF Youth Hobie Cat 16 World Champions Tom Phipps and Jon Cook (GBR) came back from a fifth to a second positon overall, due to a second place in race three. Juani Maeglie and Cristina Guirola from Guatemala won bronze.

Women - Gold on the finish line
"We could just barely stay ahead of the Mexican girls at the finish line", told Morgane Laurancy after her victory. She and her crew Marion Pennaneach, Hobie 16 European Women Champion in 2004, finished fourth in the last race, which was good enough for the Hobie 16 Women World title 2005. Pennaneach: "We started as the very last boat, but we passed many teams in the second downwind leg, by making use of the waves." The French girls haven't sailed on a Hobie 16 for a year, because they switched to matchracing. Laurancy: "I think it helped us to improve our racing abilities." The competition was close with the other French team of Marie Duvignac and Pauline Thevenot. Unfortunately, they started their championship with an OCS (early start), which threw them out of the battle for gold. But they did not give up and won the last two races. The 2004 Hobie 16 Women World Champion Pamela Noriega and her crew Andrea Mier y Teran from Mexico dropped to the third place, as the South Africans Belinda Hayward and Kim Wilkinson-Davies climbed up to the second position. Only half a year ago, they teamed up for the Hobie Worlds 2005. Hayward: "We found a sponsor and trained four weekends on the sea in Cape Town. The rest of the time, we sailed on the ponds around Johannesburg. Before that, I had not sailed for eleven years. We were hoping for gold, but nobody told us how good the youngsters are. Especially the European teams."

Masters and Grand Masters - Real survivors
Although they completed only one race, the masters and grand masters are real survivors. Yesterday, they struggled in the extreme conditions with strong wind and high waves. Today, they floated over the swell without pressure in their main sails, waiting for a little breeze. It did not happen and they had to return to the Hobie Beach, surfing the waves. This morning, wave ski's and swimmers were needed to pull the Hobie 16s through the surf. There was a high short break with probably five knots of wind, which is not a good combination. The race committee postponed the race initially, but once the youth and women teams were out on the water, the wind started to shift. As a result, the race had to be cancelled and the postponement flag went up again. Meanwhile, the masters and grand masters discussed the strategy for the boat swap. Some of them decided to go for a ride with the jet ski and change cats on the sea.

Wild first racing day
Wednesday October 26th started with a calm breeze from the north, blue skies and lots of sun. Music resounded over the Hobie Beach. The masters and grand masters got the honour to start off the 2005 Hobie Cat 16 World Championships. Just before their first race, the wind already shifted to the east and started to pick up. At the end of the morning, the H16s were swopped with the youth and women teams, who completed two races in row. By the time the masters and grand masters left the beach for their second race, the wind had increased to more than 20 knots. Getting to the starting line caused some problems. The brand new Hobie 16s capsized all over the place, even under the pier. Some teams decided to return after multiple nose dives, and others continued. But all of them got troubles to manage the extreme conditions, with wind gusts up to 35 knots and huge waves. Sailors were washed off the trampoline. In the mid-afternoon, the race committee cancelled the race and all boats arrived safely back on the beach.

The three day open qualifier for the seventeenth Hobie Cat 16 World Championships will start tomorrow. The top 112 teams will go to the semi-finals, starting on October 31st.

/// The End

Is that Mike?

Yep - That's our Mike! - Looks like he made it back on the boat.

Just had a Skype conversation with Steve Fields down in SA. He was able to give me a reality check on the boats and conditions.

Steve says, although the pictures and some reports sound dramatic, the boats are holding up well. The ones that went through the pier had some gel coat chips and one had a slightly bent mast.

Apparently they have a pretty small launching beach that is tucked up against the pier. The wind is either too light for launching or full-on in the afternoon. They had some pretty tough surf to get through. They have used jet skis to ferry boats and people back a forth to help hurry up the process in some cases. They have to cart the boats up off the beach each day and into a compound for the night.

Steve says they expect sail able conditions in the next few days followed by another hard blow period.

Differences in the French Boats as compared to what we do here in the US and Australia? Mostly these are hardware differences.

Their masts are all aluminum. I bet they are wishing for CompTips about now... that would help in the high wind. The CompTip flattens the top of the sail slightly. Shrouds and bridles are 5/32. Forestays are short and they are using a length of line to adjust out the slack when the jib is up. That requires a good knot if the jib comes down!

They have large ronstan jib clew blocks. They have the velcro jib batten pockets that leave no batten sticking out to catch in the mast and halyards. They have the old Tren Tec jib car (Brass knuckles) and swivel cleats mounted on the crossbar.

Main Ratchets are the Carbo Harken. Hard to make jaw angle adjustments on the beach. They are using a 3" upper for some reason.

They are set up with the power paks. 6:1 downhauls, 2:1 outhauls and jib halyard cleat system.

Hobie Cat France uses asymmetrical upper rudder castings and then bent tiller arms, so that looks different but the function is the same.

Tramps are similar, but have double grommets down the center. A grommet in the tramp for the skippers trapeze bungee. Side bars have a narrow strip of neoprene on the outer radius and it stops at the shroud. Makes for a slippery seat and nothing ahead of the shroud.

Boat change over has been slow as they have an inconsistant beach team. The original beach captain has pnumonia or something.

News - Saturday 29th October
PRESS RELEASE

FRANCE AND TAHITI WIN FIRST RACE IN OPEN QUALIFIER HOBIE 16 WORLDS

Strong wind keeps competitors ashore

On Saturday October 29 th 2005, France and Tahiti won the first race in the open qualifier round for the seventeenth Hobie Cat 16 Worlds in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Both teams, Alban Bruna / Jean Bernaz (FRA) and Telva Veronique / Kaya Guillain (TAH), gained convincingly their first victory. Although the conditions looked perfect this morning, they became rough again and further racing was abandoned. Spectators had a good time on the pier watching the spectacular sailing of the H16 crews out on the Indian Ocean. Back on the beach, all hands were needed to bring the equipment safely in.

Race one

After yesterday's complete cancellation of competition due to a 40 knots offshore wind, today started with a nice breeze from almost the opposite direction. It increased very quickly before the first start and already shifted to the north-west. The starting gun was fired at 10:00 hours AM, with about 20 knots of wind and it continued to build up. Most of the teams went to the left side of the course. Only six decided to try their luck on the right, which did not pay off. The H16s that took a long starboard tack also fell behind, but the ones that took an early flier came out best. Bruno and Bernaz were first at the upwind mark: “We kept this position throughout the race. It was difficult sailing with high and short waves.” They finished about three hundred meters ahead of the runners-up, Fletcher Warren and Georgia Myers from New Zealand. Meanwhile, eleven crews out of forty-three gave up due to the wild conditions. Boats were blown over and the beach master warned the competitors of the next race: “The wind and surf are picking up. If you do not feel comfortable, do not go out. If you want to reef your mainsail, there are ropes available.”

Race two

During the boat swap, the H16s were tuned for high winds, as it had increased up to 30 knots in gusts. Some of the teams did reef their mainsail. All of them were allowed to leave the beach at 11:15 hours AM, whereafter the struggle against the elements started. The conditions were rough and required a very good teamwork. Veronique Telva and Guillain Kaya from Tahiti knew how to play this game and took the lead pretty soon. Skipper Telva: “We are used to sail in these conditions, although it is normally a little bit less extreme at home. We did not have a good start, since we missed the five minutes signal, but we have been in first position all the time.” According to Telva, they were one or two minutes ahead of Mark Laruffa (ITA) and Joshua Selig (RSA). Telva: “In the end, we had difficulties to find the finish line. They shortened the race, so the gate was gone. We stopped and looked around, before we knew where to go.” After his arrival back on the beach, experienced Hobie 16 sailor Mark Laruffa explained that it was really scary: “The waves just smashed your feet off the boat. The wind must have been easily 35 knots. I have never depowered my side stays that much.” The South African ladies Belinda Hayward and Kim Wilkinson-Davies, silver medallists in the Women World Championship, performed a remarkable feat by finishing in third position. Twenty-seven teams out of forty-three completed the race.

Sunday will be the last day of the open qualifier with 83 teams, representing nineteen countries. On Monday October 31 st , the semi-finals will start.

/// The End

TEAM EUROPE UNITES COLOURS

“I haven't seen any German or French identified crews, so maybe we are united in one European team”, said Ute Vrijburg from the European Hobie Class Organisation. Yesterday early in the evening, all competitors of Europe were dressed in the same T-shirt and had a drink together in the yacht club. Before the photo show started, Ute praised the organisation of the seventeenth Hobie Cat 16 Worlds and of course the French winners: Cédric Bader and Yann Montoya (Youth), and Morgane Laurancy and Marion Pennaneach (Women). Ute: “They already won European Gold, give them a big hand. Thank you for being here!”

PRESS RELEASE
TELVA/KAYA (TAH) WIN OPEN QUALIFIER HOBIE 16 WORLDS 2005
France and South Africa win today's races

Port Elizabeth / South Africa, October 30th 2005



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Veronique Telva and Guillain Kaya from Tahiti won the open qualifier round for the Hobie Cat 16 World Championships 2005 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. On Sunday October 30th, they finished second in the first race, in which the locals Andrew Ward and Steve Arnold took the victory. Maxime Clercq and Yoann Bonte from France just barely won the second race. It was another spectacular day, as sailing off and towards the beach became a tough challenge. The surf was high with an offshore wind that was not really strong ashore. Everybody around helped the sailors. The beach master gave advices through the microphone and the public encouraged the competitors and clapped for every successful action.

First fleet - Bad luck
Although the seventeenth Hobie Cat 16 Worlds experienced the biggest storm and waves so far on Saturday, this Sunday morning started calm. After a postponement, the teams were allowed to leave the beach at 11.30 am for today's first race. Allan Lawrence and Nicola Francis (RSA) took the lead from the beginning, but capsized just before the finish. Francis: "We were by miles ahead, but while reaching downwind, Allan got washed off and we could not keep it up. We came in fourth, but we are very disappointed of course. Yesterday, we broke the tiller bar prior to the start, so we have had bad luck so far." Andrew Ward and Steve Arnold took advantage of their fellow-countrymen and won the race. Ward: "We had a clear start at the middle of the line. We had 18 to 25 knots out there and the swell from yesterday was difficult. Especially downwind, you had to keep your bow up. We rounded the top mark in fourth position, took an early gibe and came second at the gate." The boys from Tahiti were second, followed by Fletcher Warren and Georgia Myers from New Zealand.

Landing safely on the beach was the final challenge for the first fleet, as the wind came straight ahead of them. John Dinsdale from Hobie Cat France watched the teams coming in and gave them advices and complimented their actions: "Catch your wave! Well done number 20. See, they were on the back of the boat and nothing happened." It was like a real time show with lots of spectators. Christian Wright and Charlie Clement from Hong Kong caught the best ride and surfed their way down to the shore and just missed another H16: "We went off so quickly."

Fleet two - Close racing
The second shift faced an even bigger surf with more wind on the Ocean, so some crews decided to reef the mainsail. All the people on the beach helped the competitors through the waves. The boats were pushed as far as possbile and the spectators on the wall clapped and cheered for the sailors. The beachmaster used his microphone to comment upon their actions in the surf and asked for help as one team capsized: "Give them a hand guys." At least ten persons jumped into the sea. In the end, everybody got out safely. "Thanks to all the helpers on the beach", spoke the beachmaster. Meanwhile, the wind had picked up to 25 knots. It was close racing between the top four teams. Maxime Clercq and Yoann Bonte had a good start at the committee boat and choose for the left side of the course. They rounded the upwind mark first and kept this position: "The second boat was only a few meters behind us. It was great to surf the waves." Robert and Paula Archibald from South Africa came in second: "It was very gusty and choppy. In the first beat, we choose the left side. We went to the right in the second beat, since we were too lazy to tack that often." Shane Peterson and Jesse Dobie from Australia finished third. Jobie: "We were fourth, but Mark Laruffa capsized at the bottom mark in front of us and we could pass him." Laruffa: "I am probably the capsize king so far."

This evening, there will be a welcome party for all competitors of the 17th Hobie Cat 16 World Championships. The official overall results from the open qualifier rounds and the qualified teams for the semi-finals will be announced. The semi-finals will start tomorrow.

/// End

"The South African ladies Belinda Hayward and Kim Wilkinson-Davies, silver medallists in the Women World Championship, performed a remarkable feat by finishing in third position. Twenty-seven teams out of forty-three completed the race. "

GO JUST KIM !!! Must be humbling to be one of the all-male teams who retired becuase the conditions were too wild, to find out that an all-girl team consisting of a skipper who hasn`t sailed in 11 years, and a crew who hasn`t sailed offshore except for a few days training before the event just KICKED YOUR BUTT ALL OVER THE OCEAN ..

Go girls

Winners of the first two races:
Enrique Figueroa
Shaun Ferry
(full results posted here)

Top US finishers - Bob Merrick (7th - race 1), Mike Montague (15th - race 2)

Report from Rich McVeigh: