I Don’t Think Any Sailors Have Ever Won The Nobel Peace Prize…

Whenever I explain to people about the thrill of Hobie Cat sailing, they walk away with either of the following thoughts: 

1.    Wow, that sounds exciting… I’d love to do that!

2.    Wow, you guys are idiots! 

Well, the Ice Breaker Regatta nearly lived up to its name, leaving us all with a difficult decision. Hobie sailors all agree with #1 and often times we live up to #2. This particular regatta seemed to blur the line between the two. 

Saturday morning brought cloudy skies, a freshening breeze of about 10 mph, and a forecast for rain showers. With the forecasted highs to be in the low 50’s, we all set up and donned all the gear we had. Dry suits were invaluable, while layers of clothing did the trick for others.  

As sails began to be hoisted on the beach, it became apparent that Hobie Cats were the dominant brand at this first official CRAM regatta of the year. We had an international turnout, with Henk on his 16 and Dan Borg on his Tiger: both Canadian residents with Canadian crews.  

Of the 17 boats on the shore, 10 of them were Hobies. With 5 Hobie 16’s, we had our own fleet. With 4 Tigers among the F-18 class, the Nacras had some felines to fear! Add to that, Gregg on his 20, and we were “representing”! 

The first two races were held before lunch, in varying winds, from single to double-trap in strength. The F-18 class hit the line first, together with the open-class. The second starting sequence sent the 16’s out. 

The F-18 class was tightly contested with the Batchelors, John, Paul, and Dan Borg all competing for the lead aboard their Tigers. The NACRA F-18 skippers had trouble keeping up with the Hobie skippers throughout Saturday’s four races.  

In the open class, Gregg Kittinger and crew showed great speed to windward, thanks to improved mast rake. He was often biting at the heels of the Tigers. Since Gregg was sailing in the open class, it would take some math to verify what Gregg had thought…that they were in the running for first place. 

The Hobie 16 fleet was dominated on Saturday by Matt Bounds and his crew, Fluffy White. Fluffy skippers a 16 in Syracuse, NY, as part of Fleet 204 in Syracuse. However, she flew in for the weekend so that she and Matt could practice one last time before the Hobie 16 Worlds in Cancun in just over a week. 

They pretty much walked away from the rest of us on our 16’s, enjoying first place finishes in the first 3 races. They would have won race 4 as well, however, they stopped to help Tim Holton, who had capsized while sailing solo on his 16. Matt made quite a leap off his 16 as they passed by Tim, leaving Fluffy to drive his boat while he helped Tim right his boat. The Russian judge gave Matt an 8.7 for his dive. 

Tim had become a solo sailor after his daughter Claire had become wise and chose to spend the last 2 rain-filled races in the warm comfort of their van! My crew, Jarrod, had also come to his senses, and abandoned the last two races in favor of a drive home to the warmth of his shower. No one blamed them, it was pretty cold out there…especially with the addition of the afternoon rain. 

Henk found himself crewless as well, when his crew through in the towel and headed back to the warmth of Canada! Henk asked me if I would like to crew for him and I quickly started to gather my gear…dry suit, winter cap, lifejacket, etc. The boats were already out in the starting area when Henk and I finally hit the water, with Gregg going out next to us on his 20. 

We made as much progress as possible, although the winds had softened a bit. The first two races had the F-18’s going first, so we figured we had time to get there. Wrong. The 16 class was sent off first and we hit the starting line 4 minutes later. We were unable to make up a whole lot of the gap, but managed to finish ahead of one of the 16’s.  

Our victory in Race 4 was overshadowed by Matt’s rescue leap, but nonetheless, it was nice to hear the shotgun blast as we crossed the finish line in first! With the finish line moved to “A” mark, it was a short beat to the beach. 

Saturday night was punctuated with the fleet get together at Matt and Laurie’s house. Some of us went straight to the party, taking Matt up on his offer to use the shower. If not for the beautiful display of food on the island in the kitchen, and the cold beer in the coolers, I would not have left the never-ending warm water rinse. It took a while to warm to the bone. 

The party was great. Everybody brought food for the grill, and Laurie had prepared some great snacks. We ate, drank, and laughed about the days’ incidents. Tim took more than his share of abuse for his human water temperature testing… 

The evening wrapped up fairly early since we were all a bit tired from the day. The forecast for Sunday was not very promising. In fact, Henk had even said the s-word. Yes, he had heard that it may snow. I refused to believe it…it’s May.  

The snowflakes were beautiful Sunday morning. Unbelievable. As I gathered my stuff at home, I pretty much knew what my thoughts were: I am not sailing today. My crew had called late Saturday night and let me know that he still hadn’t stopped shivering and I would not be seeing him in the morning. Smart guy. 

Arriving at Cass Lake, I met up with some of the CRAM guys. They shared the same thought…no way. When John arrived, dressed in every winter item he owns, he said the only way he would sail in these temperatures was if it was a national championship. Let’s just hope that Hobie never schedules a national championship in Michigan in May! 

As more and more sailors arrived, it became unanimous…no sailing today. While the forecast was for a high of 51, it didn’t look like it was going to happen. When you can see your breath, 50 degrees is a long way off! Everyone began to tear down their boats as the snow had turned to rain, leaving everyone with wet sails, wet clothes, wet everything.

Awards were presented under the pavilion and it was nearly a Hobie sweep. John and Gisele piloted their Tiger to a first place finish, while the Batchelor’s finished in second. In the 16 class, Matt Bounds and Fluffy White took home a first place trophy (nice preparation for the Worlds!), while Henk sailed into second, despite his guest crew in the last two races!

Additionally, our Hobie 20 sailor, Gregg Kittinger took the open fleet trophy! The best comment of all came from a CRAM member who commented that he was glad that the Hobie sailors don’t come to every event…that way, the CRAM members have a chance to win a trophy!

It was indeed a great Hobie weekend! We dominated in the number of boats by brand, and our sailors dominated in their classes! Thanks to all the Fleet 276 members who attended, and a special thanks to our Canadian sailors who made the drive to Motown! Hobie sailing is indeed alive and well in Southeast Michigan!

Bring on the warm winds!