Thirty Hobie Dragoons and 58 Hobie Tigers arrived in Cangas and are ready to compete in the Worlds 2006. Some of the teams have just finished a two day journey by plane. Others have had their boats shipped for free by the organization, and now everybody has gathered. The beach is full of Hobie sailors and locals who are enjoying the sun. The programme is full of cultural and sportive activities, the party tent stands, the last stage is built. All set for a Hobie style event.
Hobie Dragoon: training
Brian Phipps and Cedric Bader, who are the ruling Hobie 16 Youth World Champions, have trained thirty Dragoon crews the whole week. The participating sailors, most of them Spanish, differed a lot when it comes to experience. Some of them had never sailed a Hobie Dragoon before, others had never been on a cat and some of them had gained all of their experience on a surfboard. Of this group, the five best teams have been selected, an they will sail this week’s races free of charge. Today was their last training before the real thing begins. They practiced starting. Brian Phipps: “A good start is very important, just like in car racing, if you don’t get away from the grid in time, you’re lost.”Carter/Harris
Also for one the two Jersey teams, Laura-Jane Carter and Thomas Harris, the training was very useful. Laura-Jane: “In Jersey we usually do beach starts, seldom line starts. So we haven’t got much experience when it comes to line starts.” According to Thomas, their starts weren’t up to scratch: “One of them was perfect, but sometimes we stopped too early, and drifted away from the line. Fortunately, we could make up for that during the rest of the race.” Both of them are very happy with the Hobie Dragoons that are provided by the Hobie Cat Europe. Laura-Jane: “They are brand new new, and quicker than our Hobie at home.” The participants received their diploma’s today, “For competing and completing the training”, as Phipps puts it. Ten boats are available for the races. Because there are thirty teams, they will have to swop boats in between races. The racing committee aims for six Hobie Dragoon races, so that each team can sail two races per day.
Hobie Tiger: Booth/Booth
An unexpected favorite is Mitch Booth. He was supposed to sail the Tornado Europeans in Travemunde, but he pulled out, and he will compete in the Hobie Tiger with his son Taylor Booth. The last time they sailed together, was in the Hobie Tiger Worlds in Santa Barbara. Taylor Booth was steering, and they ended up second overall. Taylor Booth: “It is fun to sail with my dad sometimes, but not too often. He’ll probably be on the helm this time, but I don’t mind.”Mourniac/Citeau
The NISSAN team Mourniac/Citeau (FRA) also aims for a top position. It’s the first time they are sailing the Hobie Tiger Worlds, but they have performed very well on previous events. In the F18 Worlds, two weeks ago, they obtained a fourth position. Franck Citeau: “We are hoping for a bit more wind, because we are a slightly overweight.” He thinks the competition is strong. He names Thomas/Bernier/(USA), Laruffa/Wilson (AUS), Booth/Booth (AUS) and Moana/Petit (FRA), who were third last year, as his rivals. He is looking forward to a good Hobie week, on and off the water: “Hobie events are good fun!”Tomorrow’s races
According to the weather forecast, the maximum wind speed will be 9 knots for the rest of the week. But that is no reason to worry. As Taylor Booth says: “I don’t trust the forecasts; they can’t predict a sea breeze.” Tomorrow will be a cloudy day, with a maximum temperature of 22 degrees. The racing committee has planned about four races each day for the Hobie Tiger./// End
For more information about the Hobie Tiger & Dragoon Worlds, please
contact:
Jacqueline Laumans, press contact
Mobile: +31 6 28235112
E-mail: jackielaumans@gmail.com