THE Hobie sailor tribe are eager to get three days of racing in at the Easter Regatta hosted by Point Yacht Club this weekend, after the gnarly conditions experienced last year.
The main fleet will be the Hobie 16s competing in their regionals with an open class for other Hobies, who will also be sharing the race track. Race Officer for the event is the Kevin Bingham.
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Defending Champion is Durban’s own Peter Hall, who competed last year with his son, Matthew. Changing things up this year, Hall will be taking to the water with his daughter, Sarah-Ann, who has just returned from Europe.
Hall senior was part of the team of six sailors representing a strong KwaZulu-Natal Hobie contingent that competed in the 2017 Hobie Multiworlds and Europeans in Noordwijk in the Netherlands, Hall finished ninth overall in a highly competitive international fleet in the Hobie 14 class. Most recently, Hall was on the water for the 9 Hour that took place at Midmar Dam.
Garth Loudon, KZN’s chairman for the Hobie Association, said: “We have a number of events lined up for this year. Kicking off the calendar will be the regionals here in Durban.We are hoping to secure two or three slots in the worlds this year but need to perform well locally and nationally. We have a strong youth group coming through and they are chasing us around the water properly.”
Adding to the mix, up-and-coming Jethro Brophy-Tintinger, who is quietly racking up a number of titles will be taking on the Hobie ‘heroes’. Brophy-Tintinger, a matric learner at Glenwood High School has had an impressive time, both locally and internationally in the Hobie class.
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In December, the sailor finished fifth in the Hobie 16 Regionals, sailing with Stephanie Goodyer, and took line honours in the annual Bart’s Bash last September on his Hobie 14. This is the second time he has stayed at the front of the fleet in the Durban leg of the biggest sailing event in the world, claiming honours in September 2015.
Easter for Durban’s sailing community means the Easter Regatta, and this year offshore will be abuzz with Hobies as they participate in the Hobie 16 Regionals and Open Class event hosted by Point Yacht Club.
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