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The Last Hobie 18 from Hobie Cat.
Damons Note: Recently a Hobie 18 was listed in our classified ads which claimed to be the "last Hobie 18 to ever leave the Hobie factory". I was intrigued by this claim and contacted the seller to find out how he ended up with such a special catamaran. Here is his story.
In the fall of 2004, I was looking for a new Hobie 14 Turbo. I did not know that Hobie Cat USA had discontinued selling the 14 in the states here some years ago. When I called Hobie Cat to inquire about the 14, I not only learned that the 14 had been discontinued, but was also told that Hobie had just announced the discontinuance of the 18 as well.
Fear and Loathing in Santa Barbara, Final Act - 2005 Hobie Tiger Worlds
Sorry this is so late Damon, but I seemed to have lost a few days last week. Eric and I met some guys named Buzz (I don’t think that was his real name…) and GARY, why his name is all capitals I don’t know. Anyway, from what little I remember we ended up on some island and I woke up one morning next to a bottle of Jack Daniels – the rest is a little fuzzy. But let’s talk about the Tiger worlds.
When it comes together in Santa Barbara it comes together. Racers woke on Thursday morning to blue skies and a moderate breeze from the west. The collective thought in the makeshift parking lot campground was “Let’s go racing!” The committee boat headed out and set up a course about 1.5 nautical miles long. We again had all boats on the line at once and the competitors were getting more aggressive as the competition was coming to an end this very day.
So far the field had been pretty random with no real competitor standing out as the team to beat. Larry Harteck had shown his mettle as well as Greg Thomas, but others such as Nigel Pitt seemed a bit out of sorts for the week and still trying to get a handle on the local conditions. On Thursday one team would stand out, and their performance would lead them to a victory for the series and the title of world champion of the Hobie Tiger.
The swell was negligible and the wind waves at a minimum giving the racers a flat open course to play with. It was beginning to look like NASCAR at the stern of the committee boat as some of the less experienced teams got into trouble with dirty air and bad positioning for the start, which led to some “Bumpin’ and Rubbin’” along with some very colorful language. Suffice to say Damon, Eric and I can now say a variety of insults in Italian, Spanish, French, and German! Most of the big boys seemed to head for the middle of the line or the pin, leaving the rest to duke it out for the left over real estate. Enrique Figueroa somehow managed to make the committee boat end his own though, weaving in and out and predicting when and where a hole would open up to make to start line at the horn and in the lead. His chartreuse sail would be the one to look for the rest of the day.
Race one saw 17 year old Taylor Booth take the old guys to task as he led the pack off the line on a port tack towards the beach, but it was Enrique who was the first to “A” mark and by the time he passed through the downwind gate he was a full 20 seconds ahead of the second place boat. The sailing was flat and fast and everyone had their chutes out for some blistering downwind runs that were averaging about 6 minutes to cover the 1.5 nm course.
Race two saw Enrique Figueroa out in front once again and leading the entire race. Greg Thomas and Jacques Bernier were in the hunt as well and Mischa Heemskerk from the Netherlands was looking very fast as well. The top contenders were beginning to emerge and there were very few points separating the top three boats.
Race three brought some exciting finish line action as there was a port / starboard confrontation between Mischa Heemskerk and Greg Thomas. Team Thomas (USA) came into the finish line vying for second place on a starboard tack with team Heemskerk (Netherlands) on port. Thomas started calling for rights and Heemskerk failed to give way causing Thomas to change his course to avoid the inevitable collision – Thomas and Bernier end up capsizing their boat on the finish line. As Thomas and Bernier struggled to right their boat Heemskerk does his penalty 360 and finishes the race all the while not losing any places. Meanwhile Thomas and Bernier lose 9 places and see a possible second place in the series slip away.
A protest was filed and at first glance it looked as though Thomas and Bernier would be SOL as there was no boat damage caused, and the penalty turn done, creating no cause for redress. The question will always remain – was this in intentional act of dirty sailing? Was Mischa Heemskerk merely using the rules and hoping for the right outcome? We will never know, but ultimately it didn’t work out in their advantage as they were ruled as DSQ in race three which dropped them to 6th overall, but Thomas was still scored a 9th, which dropped him from a possible 2nd place overall to 5th. I can’t imagine that Thomas and Bernier were all too happy with the outcome.
Race four was run with out incident and Figueroa walked away with another bullet. He ended the day with three bullets and a third, and a Hobie Tiger world championship trophy. All in all a good four days of racing, and I do believe that the best sailor out there won. Some places down the line are in question in this reporters mind due to some questionable tactics on the course, but this is a different playground than what I am used to, and not everyone plays the game like I do when there are jobs and sponsorships on the line.
The awards ceremony was a pretty swanky affair, held at Café Nu on State Street. They had produced a video of the week’s events combining still and live action for our entertainment. I hope that they offer copies for sale as I would certainly buy one, besides; it shows your trusty reporter on the signal boat in a few scenes! I have to say Damon, that the girls on State Street at 11 pm on a Thursday night are quite a site! Eric was quite impressed – but you know what they say, “You can take the boy off the ranch, but you can’t take the ranch off the boy.” Or something like that.
Again, Damon, sorry for this being so late. When we got the private charter plane ticket for our trip home we had to sell them for some refreshments on the island with our new friends. You would not believe how much they want for a Buffalo’s Milk these days, and well, when you buy the whole place a round it tends get a little expensive. Hey, what’s the deal with cutting off the credit card? Do you know how embarrassing it is to have a $475.00 dinner bill rejected by the card company? Eric and I spent two hours washing dishes before we could sneak out the back.
And now I leave you with a surreal moment from the signal boat that pretty much sums up our experience for the week. In the cockpit stands Paul Ulibarri, PRO for the event. If any of you know Mr. Ulibarri you will remember him as very conservative and very serious when it comes to putting on a good event for the competitors. Now meet Daniel, first mate on the signal boat, and best described as the quintessential California soul surfer. Now picture Daniel coming up from the bowls of the 45 foot cruising cat dressing in an adult sized panda suit, complete with head (I’m not kidding about this…) and the following conversation ensues –
Daniel – “Good morning Paul!”
Strained silence.
Paul – “Daniel, I am not feeling the Panda suit!”, and Daniel turns around to head back to the berths below.
The last we saw Oggie and Daniel, the cat was speeding along the shore of Santa Barbara at what had to be close to 3200 RPM, diesels screaming under the strain with music blaring through the speakers and the disco ball flashing in the main salon. Oh, and Oggie and Daniel enacting the battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader on the forward tramp with light up light sabers. As Daniel dropped his light saber into the bay the last thing you could hear as they motored out of site and into the sunset was Daniel saying “Luke, I’m your father…”
Until next time Damon,
Dave Atwater and Eric Finley – Good Night!
2005 Hobie Tiger Worlds Wrap-up
I hope you enjoy the shots from one day on the water before Dave (Gonzo Report) got the best goose of his life. I got released from the hospital just hours before they closed the RV lot on Friday, just in time to see Dave and Eric drive off with their new Tiger and head for a nice weekend sail to Catalina. It seems they were pulling your leg Damon and made so much money from selling their home made sprits to the thirsty sailors that they are now on the road, traveling in style. Seems they left behind the Supercat with the Beer Flag still flying.
A special note of thanks to the 3 guys who got me out of the RV when I broke my leg/ancle!! As I said, Dave's bum just happened to be the closest thing to grab as I was maneuvered out the door of the motorhome and I bet he won't forget that grab for awhile!
The shots I have posted are for Monday, when I was able to get on the water thanks to the generosity of the Hobie Cat Tiger Worlds providing a boat for us camera geeks. The wind was blowing 20+ plus out past the point and I would guess up to 35+ in the puffs. The photo shoot quickly turned into a rescue mission and I was asked many times to use my zoom to determine if 2 sailors were still on a capsized boat.
We saw at least half the fleet turtle during the first race and on the beat back to the beach after the postponement flag was raised. I witnessed the most perfect pitchpole I have ever seen and one boat did a reverse pitchpole. It is amazing to think that my stepping on a 2 inch wooden block was the worst injury of the day, but I was glad that it was and the sailors arrived back on the beach basically in one piece.
I posted new photos in the Tiger Worlds Album and please take a look at my son's photo coverage. I did think he did a great job!
Thanks to all of you for your wonderful support. What a great group you all are. Don't worry I will be back before the seasons end!
Sail fast and have fun and see you on the water,
Connie Brown
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