Sole Durbanite completes Hobie Epic

LIGHT winds greeted the 16 hard-core Hobie Catamaran sailors on Saturday morning as they took on the Hobie Epic from Richards Bay to Durban.

The fleet of nine catamarans lined up on Saturday morning, the Hobie 16s departed at their 6am start while the Tigers, Nacras and Tornado started two hours after the Hobie 16s. First over the line were Mark Nicholls and Struan Campbell on a Nacra F20 Carbon at 17:24 in a time of 9hours 24minutes.

Charles Girard and Gary ‘The Flying H Man’ Hubach took the handicap honours for the Hobie Epic after a nail-biting finish with a dash to the end in the Hobie 16 class. Girard and Hubach crossed the line a mere two minutes before their next rival, father and son team Mark and Brandon Wijtenburg, after ten and a half hours on the water.

Durban’s sole competitor, Struan Campbell from Point Yacht Club said, “To start off with, the winds were light, not much over 10knots. We got onto the trapeze quite quickly and then the breeze built nicely. Off Zinkwazi, the wind really dropped and we were going around all over the place.”

Chuckling, Campbell said, “I did fall off the boat in the first 20 minutes with Mark having to turn the boat around to come and collect me. That cost us a bit of time.”

Chatting about the race, he said, “The sea was flat the entire way, and we were miles offshore. As we came inshore, we crossed ahead of Francois on the late entry Nacra near the river. They were close, but they had stayed inshore the entire time, so we didn’t realise how close. As we gybed towards the finish, we just concentrated on getting to the finish and managed to do so with a five minute gap.”

This was the second Hobie Epic for Campbell, having competed two years ago on a Hobie Tiger. “We came fifth the last time. It was a true test as we capsized five times which took a lot of energy to right the boat. On paper we were the fastest boat on the water but the dip in the ocean cost us.”

Following the build up to the event, Campbell said he wasn’t tempted to do it again, but in the last week, he couldn't resist after seeing Mark's Nacra F20 Carbon entered and that he was looking for a crew. “As soon as I read F20, I was keen,” he phoned Mark, they discussed their sailing accomplishments and only met for the first time on Friday in Richards Bay.

“I am really grateful for the ride. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, the boat is unbelievable. So fast! I have never been on a boat like that before.” Campbell crooned.

Only five boats made it to the finish after the gruelling ride down the KZN coastline. The remainder of the fleet beached between the halfway mark, Zinkwazi and Salt Rock.

The next Hobie event on Durban's sailing calendar is the 14 Nationals that will be taking place offshore over the Easter Weekend, hosted by the Point Yacht Club. Visit www.pyc.co.za for more information.