Tiger Worlds Website

With 30k gusts, the thought of having to change direction would make me nervous too. Not so much from a skill standpoint but because there is very limited ability to respond to those kind of gusts and shifts when the boat is not moving forward in the water. Throw in some big waves and moving backwards just to get through a tack turns into a riskier maneuver than dealing with the exta power from the jib. IMHO you're pretty vulnerable when trying to back into a tack when it's nukin'.

Gybing would be worse in those conditions. As Yveginy Bartomov once said, "when it was blowin 30, we just did a coward gybe". He was referring to a tack.

David Mosley
www.teamseacats.com

Water temp? About 57 degrees. Dry suits.

The wind has switched around and is PERFECT!!! Finally.

Check the new Sharon Green shots!

Hi Matt,
fantastic pictures.
May I ask you to put "your famous" list with the sail numbers online?

Thanks

Fritz

If my memory is correct, only one F18 boat has sailed the W1000: Team Netherlands, Hobie Tiger, 1999? They used the jib.

and the boat ended up in pieces!!

What is your point here?

I recall they broke the mast coming into the demolition derby that was the Hatteras checkpoint that year. They had no spare mast and had to retire. This was at a point in time before HC USA began importing the Tiger from Europe.

BTW I think the correct team name was Team Holland and the spin was launched from a tramp bag (pre-snuffer).

Are you sure that was a Tiger? I thought they sailed a Dart Hawk. I could be wrong.

Mike Hill
www.stlouiscats.com

That was Gerard Loos and if I remember correctly, the were trying to get out through the Surf at the start of a leg - the bows reared up and they rolled over, breaking the mast. I remember watching it live that year - they had the web cam which updated every 30 secs or so. I think that it was before 1999. Gerard Loos did sail a Hawk on the European circuit and was paid by Laser. He then went to work for Hobie to promote the new Tiger. I am not sure which cat he had for that race.

In the 1997 Worrell 1000 a Dart Hawk was sailed by Gerard Loos and Pied Heemskerks. They finished in 3rd place.

In the 1998 Worrell 1000 a Hobie Tiger was sailed by Gerard Loos and Martin Peacey. They were in 11th place at Kill Devil Hills but they dismasted trying to get out through the surf for the final leg to Virginia Beach. Actually, only eight of the last 12 boats managed to get out through the huge surf that day. The other three boats that succumbed to the surf were Nacra 6.0's.

Here is another Team Texas report from Steve Piche:

After a day of no racing, two races were held yesterday at the Hobie Tiger Worlds. High winds once again forced the race committee to start late and end early.

Team Texas had a good day. John Tomko and Ian Billings recorded an 18th and an 11th in the races. Combined with their 2nd place finish in the first race, they are now in 8th place overall. They are only one of two US boats in the top ten! Tough racing boys.

David Mimlitch and Tiffany Tomko recorded 33rd and 65th. They are now in a respectable 51st place. Chris Green and Dave McDaniel are recorded 73rd and 54th and are in 69th place. Given that this is Chris’s first major race, he is doing pretty well against some very tough competition.

Taylor and Mitch Booth of Australia have a solid lead, however, the fleet is very mixed after them.

Today is the last day of racing. Forecast is for heavy winds; however, winds are light this morning.

Good luck Team Texas!

Steve

You got it right, Mary!

I cheated. I have looseleaf binders with all the information about all the Worrell 1000's from 1997 onward.

Has anyone seen anything of Martin Peacey recently. Did a little sailing with him a while ago and have lost touch. Just ask him about his UK leaving party at Grafham Water..... (I was not there, but I've seen some of the piccies.. )

It could be a hat trick day for Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez. They are on their way to a third bullet for the day.

Hello all,

As a little sideline about Kiki and Jorge from Puerto Rico ( which is 100% USA, you know),..

Kiki collected his Rolex watch from winning the St. Thomas Rolex regatta on Sunday afternoon( sailed a H 16 with his wife as crew).

Boarded a plane for Santa Barbara that same day.

These sailors are super nice, they will come up and talk to you, you can talk to them, they help everyone out all the time.

You know I have to give a shout for the Caribbean Teams!

GO PUERTO RICO!

....plus all the sailors.

regards,

Bruce
St. Croix
United States Virgin Islands
( 70 miles south east of Puerto Rico)

ps. we want to put in a 'hooray' for the other PR team, that of Mr. Mustafa and Karen Xavier

He was crewing for my wife, Susan!!

You can say that a FEW TIMES!!! Hell yeah!
Such a small island but with lots of good people!!!

Here is a reprint from the Hobie Tiger 18 Worlds;

Mimi Appel, Santa Barbara, USA, March 31, 2005

Thursday 3-31-05 Sunny no wind 70 degrees

10:00 Postponement. A few boats limp of the beach in search of wind.

12:20 Wind fills in with large fingers at 7-8 knots where it remains for most of the day.

12:30 Race 4 First race of the day

Course 1 ACA Water flat wind at 7 knots

Enrique Figueroa takes the lead early and scores his first bullet of the day.

1:30 Race 5 Second race of the day

Course 1 ACA Water flat wind at 7 knots

USA Team Greg Thomas and Jacques Bernier, from Hobie Cat USA finished 5 th overall had issues in this race. The way cool “blue spinnaker boat” was in third flying to the finish, on starboard right in front of the pack of committee and spectator boats. From out of no where comes a port boat, causing them to capsize, circles done but protest still pursued. The protest changed the scores big time, right before the awards banquet.

Editors note (Mimi is now on a Media Boat, a fabulous 50ft vintage Grand Banks.

2:30 Race 6 Third of the day

Course 1 ACA Water flat wind at 7 knots

1.2 nautical miles, 84 boats on the line

Excellent start, off they go! We are positioned just south of the gates. The Spin dousing by these World-class crews is fanamul! On e huge pack moved in to the more upwind gate, 4 boats are caught in an overlap-room issue. They are almost 2 boat lengths away before they can even begin to round. Italians Michele Moznich and Filippo Rossi come sailing into the whole round close, leave tight, leaving the pack in their smoke! Sweet!

4:30 Race 7 Fourth for the day

Course 1 ACA at 10 knots

3, 2, 1, horn…. GENERAL RECALL, pin boat speeds across in from of the fleet with the flag a fly’ in. The committee quickly moves the pin…game back on…

4:45 bang all clear! Tyler Booth nails the start at the pin just screaming out in the front of the line of 85 boats. There is another pack on the right heading to the shore. Soon most of the boats are on port.

The Grand Times heads us back to the shore. The rest of the race is a blur with radio transmissions efficiently orchestrated a video shoot of Kika (Enrique Figueroa) and Jorge finishing third to win the World title.

After the days racing, 17 year old skipper, Tyler Booth (Aus) was quick to point out that “Enrique sailed really well”. Taylor and Dad, Mitch was in first as of Wednesday night.” I would rather be in 2nd with 7 races than first of three.”

Team Porto Rico smoked the fleet with an excellent day of racing, 3 bullets and a third, in the lighter air, taking themselves from 17 to first. They missed the first day of racing on Monday while Kika scrambled for a flight out of the British Virgin Islands. On shore after a TV interview, he asked this reporter, “I guess we won?” When told yesterday by 2 points he was in creditably pleased, but very humble. While discussing today’s conditions Kika says, “I noticed a little ground swell, we love that condition, also the kelp was an issue, Jorge did an excellent job of keep the rudders and boards clean.” “Staying focused, sailing conservative and covering worked wonders.

Not F-18 Worlds.

Hobie Tiger Worlds.

Not the same thing.

I made the correction.

Thanks for the help.

I thought a Hobie Tiger qualified as a F-18, but I admit ignorance in the class, as is evident.

thanks again

>Team Porto Rico smoked the fleet with an excellent day of racing, 3 bullets and a third, in the lighter air<

You would think they would spell Puerto Rico correctly, dumbing of America, or am I missing an something?

...they could be 'hooked on phonics'..

Tom Korz' sister Mimi Appel wrote the article. You are missing something. It's a Hobie Fleet 204 inside joke.

Actually yes, the Hobie Tiger does qualify as an F-18...BUT there is a Hobie Tiger class that uses a different set of rules than F18. This Hobie Tiger Worlds was for that HCA one design class. To prevent some future confusion...also note that the NACRA F18 Worlds that will be held in Michigan later this year is also a TOTALLY different animal that the F18 Worlds ....you thought the Tiger / F18 relationship was confusing? Nacra named their F18 qualifying boat "F18". boogada boogada. If you sail a Hobie Tiger you can participate in the F18 Worlds AND the Hobie Tiger Worlds...same for Nacra. I'm not sure if other F18 compliant manufacturers have a one design status within ISAF and/or have "Worlds" events.

So here we have it:

--"F18" encompasses several different brands of boats that are built to a single rule

--"Hobie Tiger" is one of the F18 boats but has it's on separate class rules.

--"Nacra F18" is also one of the F18 boats but it's class rules closely mirror F18 rules.

Mimi Appel's brother.

Here we go thru thru the gate day one.

YEEE-HAW!!!

I may be wrong but last I heard, Hobie Tiger was the only F-18 to be granted ISAF International status. Therefore the NACRA F-18 can not race an offical 'World Championship' but can race an 'Intercontinental Championship' which is not recognised buy ISAF.

Minor details though.

As far as I know, Tiger makes up somewhere between 50 to 60 % of the International F-18 fleet. NACRA are the next largest with the rest no where close.

Hmmmmm. I thought I remember hearing something about Nacra F18 being a OD ISAF Class. But I don't see them on the page. Uh Oh...must be time for the Intergalactic Championship instead!

http://www.isaf.com/classes/classlist.asp?MenuID=d1v`GNcDgMI/qst7vTvONMY12`V

Jake,
Under "Recognized" classes, does NA F18 refer to the Nacra F18 or to the North American F18 Class? I assumed it referred to Nacra. If so, ISAF Recognized classes are allowed to put on a World Championship.