US SAILING Sailor of the Week - Max Hinneberg

Ironically, Max Hinneberg (Aurora, CO) says he was motivated to start sailing at 21 on Lake Minnetonka, MN, on a friend’s Catalina partly because it was “an opportunity to leave work early and meet new people.” While he has met many new people, he has also worked very hard for the past 26 years on Hobie Fun Days, an event created to bring the pleasure of sailing to patients at Craig Hospital (Englewood, CO) who have experienced debilitating brain and spinal cord injuries. Since 1986, Max has been instrumental in coordinating sailors, hospital staff and volunteers to provide a fun day of sailing for hundreds of patients while raising thousands of dollars to support the hospital’s therapeutic and recreational activities. Max became hooked on sailing while watching fast and colorful Hobie multihulls zip across a Colorado reservoir and noticed the camaraderie of the sailors; he wanted to be part of it. Quickly he was inspired to share the “Hobie lifestyle” with others. At a recent Fun Days event, he recalls a patient on a ventilator with two nurses and a spotter with the skipper on a Hobie 21. The breeze was light but the windward hull 'lifted' for a second or two, the patient struggled to speak but said "more hull." Max says: “Seeing the patients out on the Hobies is something that makes you proud of what you have done, miles of smiles from the patients and their families is a memory that you carry with you and is something that will continue to inspire me for years to come.” According to his fellow Hobie Fleet 61 and Division 5 members, “Max’s hard work in the challenging task of organizing Hobie Fun Day has elevated the Fleet and enhanced the lives of people truly in need through the simple pleasure of sailing.” Next week at US SAILING's One-Design Symposium, Max will receive the national award for One-Design Creativity. Thanks Max!