Jake and Rohan - Australian Champions

The Hobie Cat Australian Championships held in Mooloolaba last week attracted a fleet of 69 hobie 16's and 7 hobie 18's. The Vincentia Sailing Club was represented with 7 crews and a big Congratulations to Jake and Rohan who won the Hobie 18 Australian Title. In celebrating their success, Jake commented that it came down to their rigorous training schedule and flying his specialist crew in from Vietnam. Richard and Rachael took out third place. In the Hobie 16 divisions, Mick Butler and Worsty won the Masters title and took out second place in the open division. Glen and Ashley, Andrew and Georgii, James and Rachael, Dobbo and Fiona showcased the depth of sailing talent at VSC with good performances throughout the regatta. For the full results and some more photos, check out the nationals website, www.hobiecatnationals.com.au

Waiting For The Wind

The final race weekend of the calendar year was a bit of a waiting game. A good fleet of boats made it to the rigging area but only half made it to the water as waiting for the wind dulled the enthusiasm. The best of the breeze was just before the start of two races. Just enough to fly a hull while double trapping and just enough for someone to bury the bows a bit deep on a reach, now who was that. Egbert and Siebren smashed the opposition in race 1 and everyone had a good start in race 2. Next Sunday is the club's Christmas party so bring along your own lunch for a bit of a feast. There is no racing scheduled but the Nationals bound Hobie's will probably be on the water practising so bring along your boats as well.

Congratulations Quinny

Congratulations to Richard and Rachael who have successfully defended their Hobie 18 NSW State Title over the weekend. In the Hobie 16 fleet, Andrew and Georgii brought home 2nd place in the masters division. Conditions were varied with a moderate easterly on the Saturday before a honking southerly pushed crews and boats to the limit on Sunday. Seabreeze charts showed gusts reaching 30 knots on Sydney Harbour and at North Head, added to the lightening and hail that kept the fleet on their toes. Results can be found at the NSW Hobie Class website and some pretty awesome photos were taken by Sailing Images Global

Ready, Set, States

Sailing began on Sunday with a fairly solid westerly breeze, gusting over 20 knots. Only the brave ventured out on the Hobie Waves and Patrick and Will took to a new sport, something a mix of sailing, surfing and waterskiing. Spot on to the forecast, the breeze dropped and swung to the south east and four races were held with 9 Hobie 16's on the water. New to the club, Rudy and Helen tested out their boat righting skills before performing well on the water. There was very close racing across the whole fleet, but Mick and Patrick were in top form to take out each race. There will be a fun & recreation day at the club this coming weekend as team Vincentia travel to Pittwater to compete in the NSW Hobie State Titles.

Outrageously Variable Winds

After being spoilt with constant nor-easters the last few weeks, sailors were greeted with an undecided forecast on Sunday. A total of 14 boats were on the water including Rohan and his family from Bathurst and Simon and Roe from Canberra. As boats left the beach, many were seen paddling to find breeze, only to find a lot of breeze as a gusty westerly set in. The course was adjusted for the new breeze and 2 hot dog races were held in a smoke haze. Gilby took out race one and Egbert claimed race two. During lunch, a solid southerly dropped the temperatures and brought some rain. Race 3 was won by Simon before Andrew took out race 4.

Another Great Day on the Bay

And yet another great day on the bay was had by one and all. Egbert started the day with terrifying Taipan speed to take the first two races. Mick was reliving his youth on an 18 (And loving it), scaring Quinny off in the process (he was a no show). Andrew's teabag and capsize in race 2 was the stand out for the day. With the increasing north easter after lunch, the Anderson's and John kept the duty crew nervous for races 3 and 4. Plenty of spray and catamaran speed topped off another great day of sailing.

Gilby

Terrific Conditions to Welcome New Sailors

The NSW Boating Industry's Association's annual try sailing day was held on Sunday with an estimated 80 people attending the Vincentia Sailing Club to give sailing a try. Conditions were ideal with a light nor-easter before lunch which gave the opportunity for beginners to get out on the water. After lunch the breeze strengthened giving the thrill seekers some face paced and enjoyable joy ride opportunities. Visitors to the club were treated to a variety of sailing craft to take rides on, with Hobie 16's, Taipan 4.9, Hobie Getaway, Wave & Bravo, Hobie Adventure Sailing Kayaks and a few Hobie Stand-Up paddle boards for good measure. We hope our visitors enjoyed the experience.