News from the Antipodes

The New Year has started and already we are all off to a flying start in Hobie sailing. The Australian Championships are under way at Eden, which is located between Sydney and Melbourne. I have been told the breeze has been great with most races in 15-25 knot range. Full results can be found off the link on the IHCA web site www.hobieclass.com.

The 3rd Carlsberg Hobie Tiger Worlds Championship in Singapore is in full swing with the containers from the United States and one of the three containers from Australia already in Singapore. The remainder of the Australian containers will be sent after the completion of the Australian Championships. For the Europeans there are still containers leaving various parts of Europe so it is not too late to enter and have your boat there. Enter before the 10th of January and you will not be charged the late entry fee, so another added bonus. The European Hobie Class association has also offered any European sailor to finish in the top 5 “bottles of champagne”. Entry can be completed online at the web site www.hobieworlds.com this is a secure site for your credit cards usage.

We hope to announce 2 more sponsors for the Carlsberg Hobie Tiger Worlds to join our sponsors APL Shipping and Hobie Cat Australasia. Our hosts Raffles Marina are looking forward to spoiling all the entrants with their world famous Singaporean hospitality. So this looks like one great party with some excellent sailing thrown in.

In July Travemünder, Germany, we have the Hobie 14 Worlds and the European Tiger, Fox, FX-One and Youth ( Hobie 16 and Dragoon) all the details can be found at www.hobieworlds.com.

This looks like being a Hobie Year with lots of sailing and sailing stories so keep watching your web site at www.hobieclass.com for all the details and get your Hobie out and makes some great stories.

Classy field enters Carlsberg Hobie Tiger Worlds

The 3rd Carlsberg Hobie Tiger World Championship hosted by Raffles Marina in Singapore has attracted a classy field of competitors. With participants coming from 5 Regions out of the 6 regions in the world, this fleet is well represented. The big name skippers that have entered are:

Mitch Booth, NED, 9 sailing world championships including the 3 time Formula 18 World Champion on a Hobie Tiger and twice Olympic medallist

Enrique Figueroa, PUR, former Hobie 14 & 16 World Champion and ISAF Sailing Games Gold Medallist

Gavin Colby, AUS, current Hobie 16 World Champion

Brad Sumner, AUS, current Hobie 18 World Champion and runner up at the last Tiger Worlds

Steve Fields, AUS, current Hobie 17 World Champion

Allan Lawrence, RSA, former Hobie 14 World Champion and Bronze Medallist in the 1st Tiger Worlds

Greg Thomas, USA, current North American Champion Plus a host of champions for their own country.

However while reputations deserve to be respected there is no guarantee for success in this championship where the strict class rules provide all of the nominated crews with an equal chance before the title racing begins. With the last container leaving Europe on the 16th January there are still chances for the Europeans to enter and have their boat in Singapore. With today being the last day before the late entry fee applies all entrants should make sure they are entered and PAID.