Hobie 16 World Championships - Fiji

18th Hobie 16 World Championships
Laucala Bay,Suva, Fiji
8th - 19th October 2007

The factory crew is leaving for Fiji this week. We leave Thursday night. This will pretty much strip our tech help at the factory for a couple weeks. We will be trying to stay on top of issues on-line as best as possible, so it may take a day or so to respond to some issues due to work commitments there and time changes.

I will post some photos and info about the site when we get there. The boats are supposed to arrive on-site today. The Hobie Cat Australasia crew will be building starting today. Hopefully <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> all 60 will be done when we get there on Saturday.

You can see posts about the event here:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=6397

or at the Hobie worlds site: www.hobieworlds.com

Thanks Matt! I'll be following this one for sure! Hope you have a great time!

wow, what an undertaking! I hope it's a great event!

I am betting on Worrall, Aaron.he has been doing a lot of 16 sailing in the last few years.

We are flying out tonight.

The Australian factory guys have been there since Monday setting up. Boats arrived Tuesday night.

The event is starting to come together!

Looks like Hooper's saving the tramps just for you, Mateo. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Being that the boats are already there. What would be the procedure for the container falling off of a ship enroute?

Well, at least with the numbers on the inside of the bows, it'll be tougher to be called OCS! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

From Steve Leo...

Nick Price from Down Under is going to be doing live updates daily from the beach and around town in the evenings in Fiji. Here is the website so you can have all your friends and family tune in while you sheet in in the Hobie 16 Worlds

Live updates of Worlds

Peter, look closer the numbers are not inside. Maybe the boats lined up so close to each other make it seem like that. But they are not.

Nothing like a bunch of brand spanking still smelling like drying fiberglass boats lined up on the beach! Images are pure beauty. I had a very deep love for the H16s cant wait to get another one. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Matt - Keep the updates coming. Looks like a fantastic venue and a great effort by all of those at Hobie Cat.

You're right. Rats. I guess that'll keep us honest!!

Matt,
The sail design on the logo looks remarkably like the turbo fin on the Mirage Drive. It took me a while. But I knew I had seen that somewhere...

The graphic for the event is not how the sails will look. Does look like the Turbo fins though!

We finished placing the (60) boats on the beach today. We have 4 different color schemes. Each color has a different color jib and sail number set. Say the blue jibs are on boats 1-15. That color is used to remind sailors where their boat is to land on the beach when they return. The beach is set up with 4 sections and colored banners will guide them in. We have to keep them organized or it is impossible to find a boat number on the beach during the event. You have to remember... at the provided boat events you get a different boat for each race. We do as many as 5 races a day. You may have as little as 20 minutes to find the boat and tune before being ordered off the beach. Most teams meet the boats coming in so they can easily find their boat. Once all the sails are up and you have so many boats on the beach, you can imagine how hard it is to find a certain boat / sail number.

Check out the office Kevlar and I have for the next couple of weeks! We have wireless, but no plug in power in the check in/out tent.



Here is the whole beach set up.



Boat shots...







We do get mud though in the grass areas when it rains. It was pretty wet this morning in some places.

[img]http://www.hobieco.com/linked_images/worlds/07_worlds_08.JPG[/img]

Cool, it is a crazy world when someone that far away can update us on such a cool event going on.

Matt, Thanks! Great pics! You'll have to get one of those wind up chargers for your lap top! I can feel the excitement! Keep it coming!

We had the opening ceremony last night. Lots of fun.




and now we are into the event...

OFF THE BEACH!!!



More photos on the Race forum: Hobie 16 Worlds Photos and Stories

First two races are done...

Masters and Grand Masters are done for the day.

Results here: http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2007/results

Event site here: http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2007

Womens and Juniors teams are on the water.

Womens and Youth teams got in five races today. Results are up.

Matt, The site seems to be down right now, though I could view the results. Love to see how our teams are doing! Way to go Erin and Caitlin! Hope Sandra and Carol had a chance to move up. Thanks!

I meant to say... We got five races in today. Women's and youth results are up.

Looking like another beautiful day here in Suva. The weather has been nearly perfect. Nice breeze keeps the heat down. We have been having mid to high teen wind speeds, but for yesterday. It was pretty light. Not much trap work. That is good for the beach team though. Little or no damage! Only problems have been on the launch and retrieve. It gets pretty busy with 56 boats all trying to head out at once. On the return they were running down wind onto the beach and trying to turn up and stall at the last seconds. Makes for some hairy moments as they start stacking up on the waters edge!

Bad link to the event site earlier... sorry.



Event site: http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2007/index.html

GO ERIN AND CAITLIN!! and good luck to everyone competing, looks like a beautiful venue. Keep the updates coming Matt, (including all the dirt)

Dirt?

Like the late hours stuff at the Bars? The hotels in Suva are spread out a bit. We have been pretty tame thus far. Heats up in a few days as the main groups of sailors arrive.

They have had excellent live music every day on the beach.

The event site is amazing. Especially in that it was just a rocky cove just three months ago. The cove was filled and a beach was made. Most of the heavy party stuff is scheduled here at the venue. They erected a HUGE tent building, bar, shops, cultural displays. There is food available on site at several locations during the day. Other stuff is close by.

The rum is good and plentiful! Plenty of pretty ladies too!

What is up with the web cam?I can,t get it to come thru today.Seemed to work not bad last night

Not our deal, so not sure what is up. The local wireless may be an issue. Pretty taxed when the sailors are on the beach. May be more of an over all band width issue. The Hobie sites get hammered during his kind of event.

They are off the beach!

12:50 PM Wednesday the 10th. Light air still, but a beautiful day.



Here are some additional shots from around the event compound. I placed them in a gallery to help keep the thread download time down a bit...

http://www.hobieco.com/linked_images/worlds/gallery10-10-2007/index.html

Masters and Grand Masters done for the day.

They got in two races. Now the Women's and Juniors are out for ... maybe two. They have yet to finish the first. It is now 4:35 PM here.

More photos and stories are up on the event site at www.hobieworlds.com

They're kickin it!! One of only 3 US youth teams. We need to work on that number.

The US youts are doing well, a 3rd, 6th, and 12th out of 24 boats so far. Nice!!

Go Erin with a BULLET!!! Rondo's gotta be jumpin' out of his shorts with excitement! Ooohhhh...bad image...

GO ERIN AND CAITLIN!!!!!

Matt Perkins Kickin' it up as well - 204 RepreSENTS!

Matt, THANKS! What great pictures! Looks like the only thing you'd want to add is a little more wind. What an amazing event! Go 448! Go 204!

Update - Thursday Morning October 11, 2007 9:15 AM

The Juniors and Women's teams are leaving the beach. The wind is in the 10-12 kts range. Getting all the boats off with a straight on-shore breeze (Small beach area) is taking a bit of time. The carnage is on the return! Gee, can't wait for more wind! I hope the direction swings around a bit more side shore. This is, at least, a very protected spot. A long break water protects the beach. No surf... it is just the number of boats and the rocks on either side we worry about during launching and landings. Damage means late nights of repair work for the repair team.

I'll work on getting a few close ups of the rigged boats and sme people pictures in a little bit. Check the Hobie forums here: http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=6397

Winners!!!

After two races this morning, Marie Duvignac has won the 2007 Womens Worlds and Jason Waterhouse has won the Juniors!

The Masters are out (12:15) they are possibly doing three.

I have placed a few photo galleries up o the Hobie forums this morning.

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=6397

Masters on the water. Two generals then a start.

Winners!!

Blaine Dodds (RSA) has won the Hobie 16 Worlds / Masters.

After 3 races for the Masters and Grand Masters we are now landing boats back on the beach at 4:45 PM

Full results will be posted on the event website his evening.

The qualifying races for the main event start tomorrow.

Friday the 12th here. 12:45 AM

We had heavy rain this morning and through the 1st race. Winds were at about 15 kts. It has since stopped raining and was HOT when the wind died off for awhile. It was very wet and now very sticky.

We are already into the second race of the qualifying round. There are 108 teams racing to qualify for the 30 spots available in the open event. There are 54 teams on the water now for race two.

We had a few bang ups out there and boat 19 is retired for repairs. We have a total of 60 boats here. Normally we will have 56 on the water at a time which leaves us with 4 spares. The qualifying round is not quite full with a few of the planned sailiors having been pre-qualified, so we actually have several more spares on the beach.

I will have a few more pictures up on the Hobie site shortly.

Into the third race of the day. Looks like we will get in four today.

Weather has come around and it is very pleasant. We have around 10 kts of wind.

Last nights party, prize giving for the women, juniors and masters was excellent. Live entertainment, lots of food and an open bar. I think the party was still in full swing well after midnight.



There are LOTS of great photos on the event site:

http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2007/Imagegallery.html

Why is the flag from PR bigger than the others??

When the Puerto Ricans come to party... they party BIG!!!

They slipped their own flag onto the flag pole, took down the event sized one.

Geezz ...rowdy bunch huh <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

ahhahaha Puerto Rico lo hace mejor siempre!

Did the Ozzie's streak the M/W/Y trophy presentation with their giant blow up Kangaroo? (Done at 2004 Mex Worlds)

I have a question: what happens to all the event boats? Do they get sold in US an Europe or just Europe or what? and how can i get my hands on one?
thanks

The event boats are sold by Hobie Cat Australasia. They sold most to the island here and are taking 20 back to OZ.

No chance of getting one in the US as they surely will sell all from there.

--------------

It POURED RAIN last night. Man when it rains here... it is SOLID. The site is very wet and the beach is suffering from erosion done by the run off.

Now I understand why so many vehicles have snorkels. No kidding... snorkels to get through deep water. I have to get a shot of one for you.

Here are some shots from this morning. Boats are off the beach and into race 5 of the qualifying round. We have three days of qualifying then 3 days of semi followed by 2 days of finals.



More shots from this morning are linked from the Hobie forums.

Are there any Fijians competing? Or from the rest of the pacific for that matter?

Wow - Siau with a 5?! That's grrrrrreat!!

Yes, many from Fiji and the South Pacific. 26 countries are represented.

-------------------
Race 6 is on.

The wind has behaved and come up to about 15 kts. We will easily do 4 today (race 5-8). We will see if more can be squeezed in as the day goes on.

The scoring has been smooth. Results for the first race were posted on the notice board before the second set of boats left the beach.

The official entry list is here: http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2007/entrylist.html

These look to be the South Pacific Teams:

Shayne Brodie Torika Brodie FIJ Open
Bruce Clay Lee-Anne Lee FIJ Open
Hugh Maybin Samuel Maybin FIJ Open
Marshall Nusbaum Masha Proskouryakova FIJ Youth & Open
John Philp Truman Bradley FIJ Open
Matthew Sheppard Moape FIJ Open
Grahame Southwick TBA FIJ Grand Masters & Open
Tony Stearns Janet McCullough NMI Masters & Open
Didier Arnould Jennifer Delattre TAH Open
Michel Le Calvic Marie-Joseph Juen TAH Open
Michel Le Calvic Marie-Joseph Juen TAH Grand Masters
Teva Le Calvic Arnaud Bourdelon TAH Open
Francois Macouin Vaitea LO TAH Masters & Open
Eric Paofai Bernard Reichard TAH Open
Teiva VERONIQUE Moana LE CALVIC TAHITI Open
Damrongsak Vongtim Sakda Vongtim THA Open

Many French teams are actually from Nuemea such as this one... of my favorites!

Matt, thanks for the excellent reports, but how'd you get her to "pose" for you? All in the name of photo-journalism I guess... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Not my shot, but a nice one eh? That shot is on the event site.

We have been on hold hre this morning due to heavy rain and inconsistant wind direction.

The racing yesterday was cancelled due to rain and lack of wind, so the qualifying round was scored from the first two days of racing. We had a welcome party last night at the compound with an open bar with finger foods served all around. Due to some registered sailors not arriving, 49 teams were moved on into the main event. We now have 112 teams for the semi finals event. This will be three days of racing then a cut to 56 teams for the finals starting Thursday.

We start the semi finals today. This morning (Monday the 15th here at 12 PM) the wind is till light, but weather forecasts are for increasing breeze from the trade direction as a new high pressure arrives. The low we were in is still lingering though, so give a whistle for us (local custom to bring wind).

The boats are ready... the sailors a ready... we are ready on the beach...

Some new photos are posted over on the Hobie forums here:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=6397&start=0

2:15 PM and still on a weather hold. The wind is just sub 5 knots.

2:30 and OFF THE BEACH! is called.

Wind is 7-8 kts.

3:00 PM

Race One of the Hobie 16 (Open Division) World Championship is ON!!!

ALL CLEAR!!

Race one in the books.

Protest last night by Enrique Figueroa over an encounter with the lee end boat on the start line. He drifted with current into the boat. Apparently did not properly clear himself with a 360 turn. He had a 13th, but has had to retire from race one to avoid a DSQ by the judges.

Race number 2 is scheduled this morning. It is Tuesday the 16th here and 10:00 am. Boats are ready. We are waiting for the breeze to fill in. Looks like a clearing wind that should push the low pressure off by this afternoon or tomorrow. Our fingers are crossed and we are whistling for wind!

Matt, Many thanks for the FANTASTIC coverage! Please convey my thanks to the rest of the team, putting on the event, and taking pics etc... This should sell some boats!

We are off the beach for race 4.

Results for races are posted before the boats even hit the beach!

Check the scores here. Now through #3 in the semi http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2007/results/

More beach area pictures are posted over on the Hobie Cat forums and tons are up at the event site.

See event photos and videos here: http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2007/Imagegallery.html

Wednesday the 17th (9:40 AM)

We are ready and waiting for the wind to fill. Race 5 was completd last night. Today is the last day if the semi. Tonight we cut the fleet from 112 teams to 56 for the final. Using the round robin format, we have to finish even numbers of races. We are looking for 3 or 5 races today to even up the scoring. The beach team will be going over the (60) boats tonight to tension up tramps, so three would be good! Last nights finish was a bit late with the last start at about 5 PM. That made for a darker than desired check in. We hope to be done, shower and get back for tonights party!

10:10 AM and OFF THE BEACH! is called for race 6.

Race 7 is on the water.

Race 8 is on... they are on the first windward leg. Local time is 1:50 PM. The race committee is pushing to get through two more after this. We need even races for the round robin format, so we are trying to go to race 10.

Last turn around was a record for the event at 19 minutes from the last boat in to the last boat back off the beach. That is inspecting 56 boats... signing off 56 and then signing back on the next 56. They tune and then get back on the water. That is a busy time here on the beach, but things are going VERY smoothly. We should be able to pull this off. The winds are up. It is now 12 kts at the start and 14 kts at the weather mark.

Race 9 has been called off the beach! 2:50 PM

3:10 PM

Race 9 has started.

Course 1 G O

12 kts at the start line. 2 OCS called, one cleared.

4:35 PM

Race 10 is on the water. First start was a General Recall. We are in sequence for another start.

Day one of the finals. Thursday the 18th here at 11:15 AM

The wireless connection has been down this morning. No problem... the wind is too.

We are getting a freshening breeze now out of the trade direction.

We got in 5 races to finish the semi with a total of 10. Boat assignments were done by finish position of the semis. I suspect we will be called off the beach soon.

Last nights "Cut" party was a good one. Lots of entertainment. It was another theme party. "Bollywood". Lots of indian dress.

I have a couple more image galleries to share over on the Hobie forums. One from last evening after the last race of the day.

Race 11 is on the water.

First race of the finals has left the beach (12:10 PM)

Ouch! Physician, heal thyself of thy OCS!

After waiting thorugh a rain squal... they are now off on race 12.

Race 12 is done. There is a big thunderhead behind us that is spitting out lots of lightning. The boats are headed back to the beach. Seems the storm is headed away, but it is putting on a good show. Nearly constant rumbling.

Great job with all these updates Matt!

Are they racing in the rain at all, or does all the rain over there come with the threat of lightning?

Mike

Rain? Yep. They are racing in the rain. The lightning seems to only happen over the mountains, but yesterdays storm was intense. Some of the guys were hearing buzzing as the static charged... then released with lightning. Then it would start again. Pretty scary as the storm was reported to be returning to the beach. It shut off though... lucky for us.

Today is the final day of the event. We are now waiting for the breeze to fill on the course (10:00 AM). The boats are ready... sailors are geared up... the RC is trying to set the course. It is sunny and hot. A short bit of rain just now. Just enough breeze to keep it comfortable. As always, it is humid and sticky.

The organizers are getting ready for the finals banquet. They have dug up the floor of the main building and are building a river system complete with little bridges. They have added more lighting and are dragging in plants and flowers. This should be a HUGE one! The event has been filled with good music and foods, so I suspect that tonight will be over the top.

Tonight we arrange the boats for the take down process. We will be packing 20 in a container for export. The rest stay here. That is a good thing for the beach crew. We should be able to wrap this up tomorrow.

As always... it seems that time flies once it is over.

I only wish for more time to enjoy Fiji. The ones who have been traveling to other areas during the event have brought us wonderful stories about river rafting, diving, beautiful beaches, surfing and lots more... what a beautiful place. Thank you Fiji!

I took a bunch more pictures around the site this morning:

http://www.hobieco.com/linked_images/worlds/10-19_morning/index.html

Interesting... the Puerto Rican flag seems to have shrunk over night.

They have been called off the beach for race 13. We are told they are planning 3 races this morning, back-to-back, no boat change.

Race 13 done... Pedro Colon takes another bullet. Butler should still be in the lead.

Check out the "Druah" tacking.

Unfortunately, my camera lens cover clicked partly closed during this sequence... but you can get the idea.

They release the "tack" and walk it aft. They move the rudder from "stern" to "bow" and the boat reverses direction.

Earlier this week he was sailing with a sugar sack sail (sacks sewn together for sail cloth). The local ladies made this "traditional" sail during the week and he showed up today with it.

http://www.hobieco.com/linked_images/worlds/10-19_druah/index.html

Race 14 has been postponed and the boats are headed in. There has been a lot of thunder inshore and the wind has died off as rain has come over us. (1:20 PM local time).

Lunch!

That's boat type known as a Proa here; it's an asymmetric cat (or outrigger boat as seen). They "tack" by reversing directions, or shunting.

Matt: If you get a chance, ask him how much open water he is willing to cover, and how sea worthy the boat is. I'd be interested in hearing his views.

Great job by Pedro. What happened to Enrique this week???

Light air. The 'ricans are human when the wind doesn't blow. (The Doctor has sailed in Syracuse enough to qualify as a lake sailor.)

That is not a proa, that is the new Hobie adventure Island prototype ! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Wouter

Does that mean we'll see more "The Future Of Sailing Has Arrived!!" posts?

That was a fun thread, but I just don't think that thing is even as close to the AI for the future of sailing.