Fleet 276, Michigan and
Division 10 were well represented at the recent Hobie 20 – Hobie Tiger
Continental Championship held in Pensacola, Florida. Several boats from Michigan, Illinois and Ohio attended.
Gregg, Giselle, Karen Ann and I departed Detroit early on Friday (Sep 12th)
afternoon. Gregg had secured a tow
vehicle for the trip – a 2004 Chevy Suburban 4WD with a DVD player.
4 tanks of gas, 6 movies, numerous CD’s, countless McDonald’s and
1200 miles later we arrived in P’cola. Oh-PA!!!!
The plan was to drive
straight through the night. But we
made a serious miscalculation in the amount of time it would take to get there
– plus gaining a hour when we crossed into the central time zone.
Arriving at 5:30 AM, we dropped the boats off at the regatta site then
went back to Gulf Breeze for breakfast at a local Waffle House (Awful House).
They had the air conditioning turned up so high that the girls had to get
their jackets out of the truck. You
couldn’t see out the windows because of the condensation.
After breakfast, we went
back to the regatta site and started putting the boats together since we
couldn’t check into the condo until 1:00 PM.
More and more people started to arrive.
Rob Jerry and the Fleet 204 gang arrived with a couple double stacks and
a triple stack of Tigers. Much to
our surprise, Fleet 204 and the Puerto Ricans (with their many, many gallon
stash of Don Q) were staying at the same condo complex. My first thought was oh, oh…this place isn’t going to
know what hit them – PARTY TIME!!!! Luckily
we all behaved (we did get some verbal warnings about loud music) and didn’t
get evicted. Whew!!!!
After checking into the
condo we showered and CRASHED for a few hours.
We did go back to the boats later in the day for an evening sail.
The wind was good, temps were warm and the sail was exciting.
Sunday was to be a practice-racing day but there was no wind.
I’m glad we sailed Saturday evening.
On Sunday evening, Kirk Newkirk of Key Sailing hosted a BBQ at his home
for the competitors. The party
really started to roll when the Don Q showed up.
Too much fun.
Monday was the first day of
official racing. The wind was up at
sunrise out of the east. We were
all pretty excited at the prospect of spending the day on the wire.
Means (18.7) Davis was the PRO. After
the skipper’s meeting we sailed one race, came in for lunch and then sailed 3
more races. Lunch became an issue early in the week.
The organizers ordered 6 foot long Subway sandwiches that were cut up for
everyone. The problem was that
there was not enough sandwich to go around and at least 1/3 of the competitors
went hungry.
K-A and I were doing well
until we got caught OCS on the second race.
That one hurt because we finished in 5th.
It seems to be my M.O. at Continentals and Worlds.
I sail my throwout on the first day of competition.
Nervousness maybe??? After
that we had to be very careful and play nice in order to avoid anymore OCS’s.
But if you don’t get an OCS once in a while…you’re not trying hard
enough. That evening a welcome
party was held at Key Sailing.
Tuesday had good wind again
from the east but the lunch situation did not improve.
You would figure that the organizers would order more food.
They didn’t and again about 1/3 of the competitors went hungry.
They finally got with the program on Wednesday with more food than they
knew what to do with. Since the
wind had been up very early for the past few days, the RC decided to start
earlier at 0900 first shape instead of 1100.
Some of the team’s heads were still a little foggy at that time in the
morning. But it was a good move to
take advantage of the morning breezes. By the end of the day, the wind had shut
down. We finally got off the water
at 1830.
Going into Thursday’s
competition we were tied for 5th place with John Tomko and Tiffany
Gaines (2002 Hobie 20 champions). Gregg
Thomas and Jacques Bernier were in 1st, followed by Nigel Pitt, Tommy Korz, Bob O then us.
Thursday had drifter conditions with current.
We did everything right in the light air to round “A” in third.
During the last downwind leg I told K-A that we are in a very dangerous
position to give up places if the wind filled in.
Sure enough…the breeze filled in from behind giving the back of the
fleet the advantage. We sat there,
becalmed, waiting for the wind to reach us as we watched the rest of the fleet
motor by above us. We finished in
12th position. OUCH.
After two races the RC sent us to the beach and cancelled racing for the
day.
Everyday after racing we
would go back to the condo and jump in the pool to cool down and rinse the salt
off. Thursday was no different.
But more and more boat people started to show up.
They brought beer, coke, rum, ice and munchies.
Before we knew it, it seemed like half of the fleets were in the pool.
It became a great impromptu pool party.
One of the better ones this year. We
even repaired a daggerboard or two. That
evening we went to dinner at a place called “Boy on a Dolphin”.
No it’s not a gay bar but a good seafood restaurant.
It was recommended by Kirk Newkirk for its all you can eat crab legs but
the service was a little slow. Still…good
food.
Friday was no better.
We arrived early for the 0900 start.
The RC raised the AP pennant while everyone was ready and waiting on the
beach for the wind to fill in. Gregg,
Giselle and I used the time to walk over to the gulf side and we collected
seashells. The wind never arrived and the RC ended the event at 1030.
After making the boats road ready we went back to the condo to freshen up
then we headed over to the Pensacola Naval Air Station (home of the Blue Angels)
and toured the Museum of Naval Aviation. Several
other people had the same idea. We
ran into Bob and Stephanie O’Connor, Wayne Mooneyham, Teri McKenna and Debbie
Brown. It is an awesome display and was enjoyed by all.
Friday evening was the
awards “banquet” at Bamboo Willies Bar/Restaurant. I use the word “banquet” loosely. The food consisted of canjun boiled shrimp, boiled potatoes
and buffalo wings. The only good
things about this place were the drinks and dancing.
Drinks were dispensed from a bank of many slurpee machines…margaritas,
hurricanes, mudslides, etc. Awards
were handed out 5 deep in Tigers and 7 deep in 20’s. I was mildly disappointed based on the fact that at past
CC’s they went 10 deep minimum. We
ended up finishing the event in 8th.
We were knocking on the door to the top 5 but our top 10 finish goal was
achieved. Greg Thomas and Jacques
Bernier repeated as Tiger champions and were traditionally thrown into the
water.
The evening marched on
quickly. Dancing, drinking and
having a great time. But we knew we
had to get up early and start our drive back to Detroit.
I don’t remember too much after throwing Greg into the water.
Those margaritas were tasty. I
do remember waking up in my sandy bed Saturday morning – sand still on my feet
from Greg’s baptism.
Our drive home was quick
and uneventful. Actual travel time
of 16.5 hours – including stops – arriving home at 0100 local time Sunday
morning. It seemed very fast.
But that is what happens after having a great time and having to go home.
Plus it is the end of the racing season, so we all felt a little
melancholy.
Our attention is now
focusing on next year for the Tiger/20 Continentals. They will be held on the left coast – either Monterey or
the Bay Area – later (October/November) in the year.
I’m excited for a couple of reasons.
First, I get to go home to California, see friends, family and grab a
wave or two. Second, I get to sail
again in some of my favorite places. Monterey
is AWESOME and the Bay Area NUKES. I’m hoping for Monterey.
Then a few months later, I get to return to my hometown of Santa Barbara
for the Tiger World Championship.
The continentals experience
is invaluable. You get to renew old
friendships, make new ones and enhance your sailing skills.
You learn more in a week than you would in a year.
I encourage all of our fleet members to try a continentals.
You will only become a better sailor…not to mention the FUN.