Takapuna BC offers free Youth Hobie 16 program

by Sail-World on 8 Dec 2005 The Takapuna Boating Club is offering a free coaching program to sailors wishing to move into the Hobie 16 class.

The program will be led and coached by Brett Sellers who was the top Kiwi finishing ninth at the last year’s World Youth Hobie champs in Mexico and who has just completed a 14-month coaching appointment in Japan. Sellers is now launching his own Olympic campaign in the Tornado catamaran.

Aimed at getting youth sailors into the Hobie 16, the program is charged with building a base of sailing talent for selection in the ISAF Youth Worlds, for which the Hobie 16 is the multihull class.

The intention of the program is to attract sailors from the junior classes such as the Optimist, P-class and Starling into the Hobie 16; and provide the coaching necessary to achieve competency in sailing the Hobie 16 with just main and jib; before stepping up into the full rig with gennaker.

The local Hobie fleet will make two Hobie 16’s available for use in the program, at a nominal of charge, plus a $250 damage deposit. If required further Hobie 16’s can be sourced on the same basis. You will be required to become members of the Takapuna BC. Alternatively sailors can arrange/provide their own boats.

Takapuna BC holds regular weekend racing for the Hobie 16 class and other racing multihulls, and the open sea conditions off Takapuna Beach combined with a flat sandy beach make it the ideal venue for this type of sailing.

The Hobie 16 is the worlds most popular multihull and is also sailed in the ISAF World Games as well as the ISAF Youth Worlds and the classes’ own World championship. The class uses twin trapezes and has recently adopted the gennaker, or reaching spinnaker to provide an even more scintillating performance.

The coaching will be pitched at sailors that have never trapezed before, or those who have limited experience in this type of sailing. The program will run for a couple of months and will be geared to the needs of the sailors. It will provide a very good means for young sailors to transition beyond the ISAF Youth Worlds and into high performance Olympic classes such as the Tornado and 49er which use a similar rig configuration and performance level to the Hobie 16.

It is intended to start the program as soon as possible, but fitting in with other sailing requirements and competitions that participating sailors may have. At a second phase special regattas may be arranged for the participants in the program and other youth sailors, competent in racing the Hobie 16.

Those wishing to register an interest should contact Sheila Cunningham (Takapuna BC) on (09) 478 4783 or (021) 621 900. Individuals or crews are invited to apply. For additional information contact Ralph Roberts, President of Takapuna BC on 021 715 820.

The Hobie 16's are importing a container of new boats into New Zealand, most of which have sold, however four are understodd to be still available at a very reasonable price. Contact Boat Bits in Barry's Point Road, Takjapuna for further information.