An interview with Dan Jarrett about the 2024 Hobie 17 and Hobie 18 North American Championships
by David Schmidt 4 Oct 2024 01:00 AEST
October 7-10, 2024
Hobie 18 racecourse action © the 2024 Hobie 17 and Hobie 18 North American Championships
The Hobie 17 and Hobie 18 designs may only be separated by a single foot in their LOA measurements, these two high-performance catamarans are differentiated by two far important factors, namely one trapeze wire or two (per board), and their sailplans. The singlehanded Hobie 17 is powered by a mainsail, while the two-person Hobie 18 carries a main and a jib. As for racecourse performance, neither design struggles to generate grins when the apparent windspeed starts lifting hulls.
The Hobie 17 was created in 1985 as the successor to the popular Hobie 14 and enjoyed a production run that stretched into 2007. The design carries a single wire (port and starboard), hiking platforms, spring-loaded pivoting (read: kick-up) daggerboards, and new rudder castings that would be embraced by other Hobie designs (including the Hobie 18). The boat has a reputation for performing well in heavy air, thanks to its mechanically advantaged sail controls, its hiking platforms, and its manageable, 168 square-foot sailplan.
The two-person Hobie 18 was first released in 1977 and was manufactured until 2004. It features symmetrical hulls and daggerboards, a roller-furling jib, and a traveler track that's integrated into the boat's aft crossbeam. The boat's sails are built from Mylar and Dacron. The mainsail measures in at 175.77 square feet, while the headsail represents 64.15 square feet of cloth. Add a good breeze, and the boat loves to fly a hull and kick up rooster tails.
While Hobie 17s and Hobie 18s are both out of production, the classes are still popular thanks to a robust used market, competitive racing fleets, and engaging regattas.
Take, for example, this year's Hobie 17 and Hobie 18 North American Championships (October 7-10, 2024), which are being hosted by the Windycrest Sailing Club, in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Tulsa Hobie Fleet 25, and is being organized by the Hobie Class Association of North America. Racing is set to unfurl on the waters of Oklahoma's Keystone Lake.
I checked in with Dan Jarrett, who serves as regatta chair for the 2024 Hobie 17 and Hobie 18 North American Championships, via email, to learn more about this high-level multihull event.
Can you please tell us a bit about the current state of the Hobie 17 and H18 classes, and the kind of competition levels one can expect to encounter at this year's North Americans?
In the past few years, the Hobie 17 class has been a very competitive class with longtime dedicated class members and fast sailors often crossing over from other classes to race in the NAs. The class has been very strong in the central U.S. and particularly in Oklahoma and surrounding areas. Some younger guys are coming up, sailing fast and will no doubt challenge the top sailors of the class.
The Hobie 18 class is on a growth trend recently as evident by last year Nationals numbers and the resurgence of passionate members of the community keeping people afloat with parts, advice, and secrets. The class is going through some changes with new rules being adopted earlier this year. Without showing which side I favor I just want to say that the fire people have to prove new school versus old school is an exciting thing to see inside the class, as everyone is bringing their absolute A game to this year's North Americans.
Recognizing that racing will be tight in both the H17 and H18 classes, which class tends to attract the more serious competition—the singlehanded H17 or the doublehanded H18? Or, is it a pretty fair split between the two?
I would say the competition is pretty fairly split.
The 17s enjoy a larger local group with some big names on the roster, past and present champs. The 18s are not slacking by any means, however, as they also have past and present champs as well as some international entries with Olympic podium experience.
Regardless of being single handed or double, this year's Nationals will be competitive.
Weather-wise, what kind conditions can sailors expect to encounter on the Keystone Lake in early-to-mid October? What are the best-case and worst-case wind scenarios?
In October we can expect some good winds. My personal favorite is 15 - 20 mph, which I feel are the best conditions for both the 17s and 18s.
How much of a factor do you see local knowledge playing at this high-level regatta?
As [at] any lake-racing [regatta], local knowledge is always going to be a factor. The local weekend race prior to the championship could definitely be a good primer worth attending before NAC.
If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) sailors, what would it be?
Get on the water early and sail the course and the wind patterns. Ultimately! Have fun on the water and on the beach.
Do you have any entries that you're eyeing for podium finishes? What about any dark horses who you think could prove to be fast, once the starting guns begin sounding?
In the 17 class, local sailor and multiple past NA champ Phil Collins should be favored to win, especially if the wind pipes up which is likely on the Oklahoma plains in the fall. Recent winner Bart Beck of Colorado will be in the running as well as other familiar names and a handful of new sailors rising in the class.
With the new rules being adopted earlier this year, the 18 class has seen a small split in boat-setup theory. With that brings some big names in a more old-school setup, and some equally big names in the new theory rig. There are names going to be competing that have yet to put it to paper, potentially waiting till the last minute, so the racing has already started.
All that being said, the 18s have been a growing class and there are new-blood boats that could give everyone a run for their money.
What kind of evening entertainment do you and the other event organizers have planned?
In honor of Jimmy Buffett, we will have a Cheeseburgers in Paradise/Margaritaville party to start off the festivities with Buffett music and a contest for best Buffett shirt. Of course we'll have some games to play, horseshoes, cornhole toss, etc.
We'll be cooking group meals on site most evenings, and on the penultimate night we'll all dig our toes in the sand around a beach campfire and enjoy a local top-notch old-time string band playing an eclectic mix of folk, bluegrass, and traditional tunes, you know, American music. It's Oklahoma so there will be good music to enjoy.
Can you please tell us about any efforts that you and the other regatta organizers have made to try to lower the regatta's environmental footprint or otherwise green-up the event?
In an effort to reduce the use of single-use plastic bottles, we will provide fresh water on site for filling bottles, and [we] will have a designated recycling bin for plastic and aluminum. With camping on-site, most will be able to significantly reduce their need to commute while attending the event
Is there anything else that you'd like to add about this year's Hobie 17 and Hobie 18 NAs, for the record?
Regattas in the fall in our area offer the best weather for sailing (and camping) of the year. The water will be warm and the prevailing winds should be very favorable for good competitive racing.
This event couldn't take place without the immense support of Windycrest Sailing Club. The opportunity to camp on-site and hold the event in one place for four days allows competitors to spend time together off the water and makes for a more meaningful experience. We are excited to host all of the competitors from far and near, and [we are ] really looking forward to some great racing.