As emotions come into play and people feel that the rug has been pulled out from under them, you need to get back to the facts and what really happened here and not feel sorry for the sport of Cat sailing.

This could be a new beginning for open class organizations as well as those of us that prefer to race in a very strict One-design environment. The common goal that many do not recognize is that there is a difference between open class sailing and Hobie Class One-design sailing. Many of you will argue the term One-design sailing, my definition of One-design is; Large fleets, all sailing on the same type and size of boats under strict class rules. Open class often has rules, but typically is a group of many different boats. Many of them do not comply within their own class rules. F18 is a fantastic attempt at creating a One-design 18-foot class and I support all of their efforts but the only way it will be successful is the sailors must keep their boats within the F18 rules. When I raced in Europe at Texel I was very impressed with the F18 and F20 measuring, weighing etc. that went on. It gave me a great feeling of equality. However this is still a different animal with a wider approach on class rules then Hobie Class racing and it should also stand-alone and hopefully be successful.

The Hobie class remains strong world wide because of the relationship between the class, its members, the rules committee and most importantly the manufacture for continuing to spit out boats that could easily be updated instead they have built boats for over 25 years that comply within the class rules. Yes there have been small upgrades and rule changes yet most have been well thought out and designed to have a minimal impact on the racers pocket book.

Open sailing is another world and it is a good world just different than what the Hobie class has always stood for. In my career I have found that the most enjoyable racing is a large fleet all on identical boats racing with friends. This is my personal preference but at the same time I completely understand the desire to race open class boats. In my world we could all be in bathtubs and it would be great as long as they were all the same brand of tub.

As I read these threads many people have more then one boat. I believe that another way to consider this is that some people may show up to a Hobie regatta with their Hobie 16 and add to the numbers of that fleet to create a better one design racing fleet and that same person may bring their Taipan to the open class regatta the following weekend to race in it as well. It has always been the belief of my father, Hobie, and Hobie Cat racing that a strict one-design program is the root of the success of the Hobie Class. The more boats of the same class and size equals better racing. Hobie Cat racing has never swayed from this thought process that is why many of us still love to sail that VW bug (Hobie 16) around the course with a whole fleet of bugs to race against.

I was not involved in the recent meetings to make this decision, nor do I know where it will go from here. This is what I do know or at least this is my personal opinion on what the thought process is.

1. In an effort to rebuild Hobie One-design racing, the HCA (NAHCA) and IHCA with the support of the Hobie Cat Company decided to go back to their roots and grow their own classes as was done successfully through the 70’S and 80’S by only allowing class legal Hobie Cats to race at their sanctioned events. Note “class legal” as this does not mean all Hobie’s only those that have maintained their boats within the class rules.

2. The HCA (NAHCA), IHCA and the Hobie Cat Company are not trying to hurt open cat sailing. They only want to see open class, F18 class and any other catamaran sailing or racing thrive while standing on it’s own and functioning under the open class formats.

3. The thought process behind this was not a mandate from Hobie Cat Co. It has been discussed amongst the HCA (NAHCA), Hobie Cat and the IHCA for the past 10 years as to whether or not allowing X boats to race at sanctioned Hobie events is good or bad for the size and quality of racing for the Hobie class. After reviewing the past 10 years, the majority of the HCA (NAHCA) and its active vocal members concluded that the X boats were not increasing one design racing. If anything, they were fragmenting the existing Hobie classes.

4. The Hobie Cat Co. can also be blamed for fragmenting its own classes by introducing so many different Hobie boats. Economically, it was imperative for the Hobie Cat Co. to stay in business to cater to the beginner and family market of cat sailing. They have introduced a range of non-racing cats that have brought many people to the sport of cat sailing. They now feel it would be good to focus on certain boats for racing and assist to grow these fleets while still selling recreational boats.

5. The Hobie Cat Co. was slow to get into the high performance boat market and certainly missed a beat in the days of the Prindle 19 and the Nacras. They now have caught up and currently build a solid range of boats to appeal to all types of competitors. The H16 is a fantastic inexpensive simple race boat that appeals to both the advanced sailor and the beginner sailor. The H17 is a great single-handed boat, the H20 is a great boat for the high performance non-spinnaker boat that has all the bells and whistles of the Tiger or even a Tornado. The Tiger is a fantastic boat that is fast fun raced with spinnaker and manufactured F18 legal and has won a few F18 worlds. There are pockets of TheMightyHobie18’s and even H14’s still racing and they are also good boats and I do not think anybody wants to discourage them from racing but focusing on fewer boats will create bigger fleets.

6. The decision of the HCA (NAHCA) is not a DIG on cat sailing. It is an effort to get more focus on the boats they represent with hopes to have larger starts with their primary racing boats; the H17, TheMightyHobie18, H Tiger, H20 while still allowing all other class legal Hobie's to race with hopes of them switching into the focused classes. At the same time hoping that maybe some of the open guys will consider dragging out their old Hobie or purchasing a used or new Hobie in addition to their open boat and joining in with this group.

7. There is an amazing amount of great people that have been involved over the years in the HCA (NAHCA) and IHCA and they deserve all of the respect in the world for keeping cat sailing alive. Most of these people are one design, same boat, and large fleet type of people and are part of Hobie racing because that is the format they prefer. I personally want to thank each and every one of them for preserving Hobie class sailing and allowing me to share this with my son and family. Hobie sailing has been my life for 35 years I was six when my father built the Hobie 14. This allowed me the opportunity to compete in a great sport and to meet fantastic people around the world with common interests.

8. For those of you that have never been to a Hobie Worlds or even a Continentals it is very hard for you to have a complete understanding of the big picture. With out the support of the regions around the world, the manufactures and the class members these events would not take place. These events are instrumental in giving people something to strive for and once you have participated in a Hobie Worlds, I’m sure you will be coming back for more. From the Thursday night fleet races, to weekend points regatta, the continentals and then a worlds, these events are all equally important and are part of the food chain that makes the Hobie class successful. The Hobie class has a ton of things to manage just with our own fleets and goals give them a chance.

Many of you that don’t know me probably think that I’m just another Hobie Cat Company puppet. On the contrary, my father Hobie sold the boat business in 1976 and my family receives no income from boat sales. My family’s attachment to the Hobie brand is primarily in the Surfboard industry, which does not have a lot of crossover with sailing. My family’s attachment to Cat Sailing is for the love of the sport!
I still compete in events Domestically and Internationally, I have raced in the last three Tiger Worlds with as many as 85 Tigers on the starting line (talk about fun), and I have raced F20 on a Hobie Fox in around Texel. I will be racing at the Hobie 16 worlds with my 11 year old son as crew (his first worlds) in a 200+ competitors round robin series with 56 brand new Hobie 16’s on the line in Cancun, I currently race a Tiger on the West Coast with currently 16 tigers on the line at a weekend Hobie regatta. I have done many guest expert seminars, campaigned a Tornado in 1984 and finished third in the US Olympic trials. I have sailed Stiletto nationals, many monohull events, competed in the Pro-series sailing series on a Hobie 21 and a formula 40 also raced in the Hogs Breath 1000 twice etc. etc. Most of my sailing I have paid for out of my own pocket. I was the Executive Director for the Hobie Class in the late 80’s early 90’s. I was involved with the NAHCA when they moved to allow X boats and I currently sit on the IHCA rules committee. In my position on the rules committee the manufactures and the additional regional members know that I will always favor the class over the manufactures and I’m one for slow moderate rule changes that keep our Hobie boats as equal as possible. I will always support the class and strict one-design rules as these rules are what make our class strong. I know all of the players involved personally and I know how hard these people work to maintain the HCA (NAHCA).

For those of you that don’t understand the bigger picture HCA, IHCA and the rest of the regions around the world just go to hobieworlds.com and look at the list of competitors competing at the worlds on Hobie 16’s.

I usually do not like to participate in this kind of Forum, as I know much of what I have said here will be taken out of context and used against the class, the Hobie manufactures and probably me. If you do not hear from me again on this subject please realize I’ve said my peace and I do not intend to compete in a battle of words, I only want to sail amongst friends on equal equipment.

Sincerely
Jeff Alter