South African Hobie 16 Ladies and Hobie 14 Nationals champions decided

by Hobie Class Media on 1 Dec 2009 The 2009 Hobie 16 Ladies Nationals and the Hobie 14 Nationals was held at Theewaterskloof Sports Club on the weekend of the 14/15 November 2009.

This is always a popular event as it gives the ladies a chance to show off their muscles without the men getting in their way. It also gives the faithful Hobie 14 sailors a chance to get their boats out of the mothballs for some exciting and competitive sailing.

The regatta was well attended with 10 ladies entries and 22 H14 entries. Competitors came from as far as East London and consequently the top positions were hotly contested. Despite inclement weather, the race committee did a fantastic job and managed to put in some exciting racing on the first day. After four races, the Hobie 14 fleet was led by multiple National Champion Blaine Dodds followed closely by Bradley Stemmett in second and Aubrey Price in third. The ladies fleet was led by Inge Shabort and Phillipa Mclaren with Lucinda Edwards and Tracey Whitehead in second and Caroline Hutchinson and Suzanne Morton in third.

Day two presented perfect Hobie sailing conditions and the race committee was determined to capitalize on this. There wasn’t a dull moment on the second day and the spectators were treated to five close races. The race committee were very amused when the majority of the H14 fleet sailed the incorrect course in the final race with only 6 out of the 22 boat fleet sailing the correct course. There were some very surprised faces when many of the H14 sailors crossed the finish line without receiving a finish signal. The other highlight of the day was the group decision by the ladies fleet to boycott the final race and leave the race committee without a H16 fleet, this due to building wind and tied ladies after 4 hard races back to back. Blaine Dodds sailed outstandingly to win 4 out of the 5 races on day 2 followed closely by Bradley Stemmett, Aubrey Price and William Edwards. Inge Schabort and Phillipa Mclaren continued to dominate the ladies fleet leaving the remainder of the ladies to fight it out for second and third positions.

Special mention must be made of the first time lady sailors who put in a special effort to ensure that there were enough ladies entries to constitute a regatta. Belinda Avery and Elna Lategan impressed everyone by sailing in every race despite it being Belinda’s first time skippering a Hobie. Kim Goldsmith and Lillian Steyn put on a good show to complete the necessary races required for a national championship. Everyone was very proud of Kelli Whitehead and Skye Mclean who were the youngest competitors in the ladies fleet. There were also some brilliant youth sailors in the H14 fleet who are sure give the older sailors a run for their money in future.

After a fantastic regatta, the overall results were as follows:
H14 - Overall
1st – Blaine Dodds
2nd – Aubrey Price
3rd – Bradley Stemmett
4th – William Edwards
5th – Steve Searle

H14 – Under 19 Trophy
Douglas Edwards

Hobie 16 Ladies Nationals
1st – Inge Schabort & Phillipa Mclaren
2nd – Lucinda Edwards and Tracy Whitehead
3rd – Caroline Hutchinson and Suzanne Morton
4th – Annie Lomax and Jacqui Pierpoint
5th – Carolyn Fulton & Michelle Diener

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