Please select your home edition
Edition
Vaikobi 2024 December

South Africa and Puerto Rico in the lead - Hobie 16 Worlds

by Diana Bogaards on 1 Nov 2005
Shaun Ferry and Michele Le Sueur from South Africa went inshore, took advantage of a lift and finished first in the opening day of ther Semi-Finals. Pierrick Contin/Hobie Cat
On day one of the semi-finals for the Hobie Cat 16 Worlds 2005 in South Africa, the competitors faced light conditions for a change. The tropical colours of Port Elizabeth area had been covered by smoke, as a fire further inland has been a spoil-sport for the last couple of days. Today’s surf did not cause any problems either.

The first race on Monday October 31st showed close racing in the top. Shaun Ferry and Michele Le Sueur from South Africa went inshore, took advantage of a lift and finished first. The current World Champion Hobie Tiger, Enrique Figueroa and his crew Carla Malatrasi from Puerto Rico, won the second race after the French guys Chichemanian/Bruges had to take a penalty.

‘We under tacked the mark and were lucky to get a lift’, said Michele Le Sueur after their victory. ‘We could double trapeze, as everybody else sat inside.’ Ferry and Le Sueur had a bad start: ‘We had dirty air and we were pushed up, so we were forced to tack.’ They took a flier inshore and sailed between the rocks just outside the surf towards the upwind mark. Le Sueur: ‘That paid, so we decided to go back in the second beat and this time we tacked earlier.’

That was their golden move, since it opened up a comfortable lead. At their finish, the South African people cheered for their fellow-countrymen. The French teams of Thomas Richards/Moana Trankcart and Cédric Bader/Yann Montoya sailed consistently in the top three and finished respectively second and third. Bader: ‘We did not take any risk and staid with the fleet. Our start was bad, but we went to the right side on the left. There was more wind and the waves pushed us up.’

Fleet two - Penalty takes victory

During the boat swap, the competitors showed real team spirit, as they helped each other with tuning the rig. After two general recalls, the second fleet started clearly. The wind had dropped to five knots, so it was a game of wind search. The French sailors from New Caledonia, Rudolph Chichemanian and Christian Bruges, had a good boat speed and were first at the upwind mark. Chichemanian: ‘After we rounded it, we passed another boat in front on port tack, but it was too close and we had to take a penalty.’

Enrique Figueroa and Carla Malatrasi grabbed the lead and finished first. Figueroa: ‘We were fighting with them, because they were really fast. The wind was very light and shifty, so it was difficult sailing. We came inshore and halfway we got more pressure.’ The race committee shortened the course at the bottom mark, due to a further wind drop. The South Africans Paul Lagesse and Tyran Kerford came in third.

After a postponement, the third fleet was sent out, but two general recalls later, the race was abandoned.

Hobie Beach of Port Elizabeth has changed in a playground for sailors, as the Hobie kayaks work overtime in the waves. The public enjoyed the show of people flipping over in the surf. Other competitors go out surfing in between races, like local Shaun Ferry did after his victory. Blaine Dodds has been spotted with his board as well.

Tomorrow will be the second day of the semi-finals for the 17th Hobie Cat 16 World Championships. 112 Teams are competing for one of the 56 spots in the final races on Thursday and Friday.

Top five after day one of semi-finals:
1. Figueroa / Malatrasi (PUR) and Ferry / Le Sueur (RSA)
3. Chichemanian / Bruges (FRA) and Richards / Trankcart (FRA)
5. Bader / Montoya (FRA) and Lagesse / Kerford (RSA)

Full Results: http://www.hobieworlds.com/h16-2005/results/open-semi-final_overall.html

Hyde Sails 2024 - One DesignMySail 2025Rolly Tasker Sails 2023 FOOTER

Related Articles

Cape Horn Hall of Fame nominations close by 30 May
Public nominations open for just a little longer The International Association of Cape Horners (IACH) is calling for nominations for new inductees to the Cape Horn Hall of Fame.
Posted on 22 May
America's Cup: Emirates Team NZ respond
Emirates Team New Zealand has responded to the statements sent overnight (NZT) Emirates Team New Zealand has responded to the statements sent overnight by two Challenger teams calling for more transparency in the negotiations over the Protocol and venue for the 38th Match.
Posted on 22 May
World Foiling Congress 2025 concludes
Event attracted top industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders The second edition of the World Foiling Congress took place this week at Palazzo della Borsa in Genova (Italy), attracting top industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders from across the global Foiling Community.
Posted on 22 May
J/70 UK Grand Slam 2 at Royal Southern Yacht Club
7 races for the North Sails May Regatta Having suffered through some tough conditions in Grand Slam 1, the forecasts were looking hopeful for the second event of the UK J/70 Season. As we got closer to the event it was anyone's guess as to how the racing would pan out.
Posted on 22 May
6mR Worlds return to Seawanhaka Corinthian YC
Oyster Bay and Long Island Sound are renowned as some of the best sailing waters in the world Founded in 1871 and located on Oyster Bay, New York, SCYC is America's oldest yacht club and its association with the Sixes goes right back to the class's foundation in 1907.
Posted on 22 May
Steering the Course kicks off to #AccelerateAction
World Sailing's global women's sailing festival gets under way soon The 2025 edition of Steering the Course, World Sailing's global women's sailing festival, gets under way on 23 May with a week-long focus on #AccelerateAction in support of this year's International Women's Day theme.
Posted on 22 May
Solo McIntyre Mini Globe Race - 18,000 miles to go
Pirates, squalls, and paradise found The McIntyre Mini Globe Race fleet has officially fallen under the spell of the South Pacific—a place where dreams of palm-fringed beaches collide with the reality of torrential rain, viscous squalls, Loud lightening, questionable dinghy landings.
Posted on 22 May
Hyde Sails Flying Fifteen Video Tuning Guide
Ben McGrane explains how to get the most out of your B1 mainsail with B1 or 2H jibs Hyde Sails release new detailed video guide for tuning the Flying 15 for use with the B1 mainsail with B1 or 2H jibs.
Posted on 22 May
NYYC American Magic team statement
Concerns over transparency and cooperation necessary to secure a fair Protocol Over the past seven years, we've competed with pride, purpose, and perseverance in two editions of the America's Cup. It has been an honor to represent the New York Yacht Club and the United States on the global stage.
Posted on 22 May
Athena Racing concerned over 38th AC transparency
Around the recent announcement of a Host City for the Cup in 2027 Athena Racing, representing Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd. as Challenger of Record for the 38th America's Cup, is concerned by the ongoing lack of transparency around the recent announcement of a Host City for the Cup in 2027.
Posted on 22 May