I am deeply saddened this morning by the news that Darline Hobock of Tulsa has passed away. She was an integral part of the formation of the US SAILING Multihull Council, the driving force behind the Portsmouth Committee, and a firebrand withing the wider sailing community. She was an accomplished Thistle sailor and deeply involved in volunteer activities at her home club. She was a dachshund enthusiast. Unlike some of her generation, she embraced advancing technology and served as the web liaison for multiple committees and councils within US SAILING. In 2003, the Darline Hobock Sportsmanship Award was established for teams that demonstrated outstanding character at the annual US Youth Multihull Championship for the Stevens Trophy. I'm pretty sure that it is a toss-up between Darline and Gordon Isco as to who has attended more Alter Cups than anyone else in the event's history... and she always came to volunteer.

I can't express how much Darline meant to me and to the Council. She wasn't a cat sailor, yet she took our branch of the sport under her wing and treated it as a life's cause. Even when she was discouraged at how things within the National Governing Body were going, she stuck with it and never wavered. She was a fine debater and she was clear-minded and sharp right up to the end.

Arrangements are being made later today, so I don't have many details to pass along right now. I know where services will be held, but not when. My heart goes out to Darline's dear friends in Tulsa who will miss her most, including Betsy Beddow, who has the difficult task of setting aside her grief in order to make sure Darline's final arrangements are in accordance with her wishes.

Eight bells... at long last, Darline's watch is at an end. Fair winds to a sweet, sweet woman who is quite literally irreplaceable.

Stanley's Funeral Services
3959 East 31st Street
Tulsa, OK 74135-1508
(918) 743-6271