This past weekend Sail Sand Point had the pleasure of hosting the annual Hobie clinic to introduce people to multihull sailing. This year, though, was a little bit different – the local Hobie Fleet 95 hosted three clinics in one day – Hobie 101, Hobie 102, and a special Hobie Wave Seminar in anticipation of the Wave North American Youth Championship at SSP June 26-28th!
Every year, Hobie Fleet 95 hosts the Hobie 101 clinic to introduce people to multihulls. This clinic was taught on the Hobie 16 and most students have little to no prior multihull sailing experience. The Hobie 101 participants spent their day in a combination of classroom, land demonstration, and on-the-water experiences, with experienced teaching and coaching along the way by Jerry Valeske, an SSP volunteer and experienced Hobie sailor. At the same time, Hobie Fleet 95 also hosted the annual Hobie 102 clinic, which is tailored to experienced multihull sailors who want to learn to race Hobie 16s. This class was taught by Peter Nelson, who has over 30 years of experience on the Hobie 16 and is a top ranked Hobie 16 sailor in the US. Many of the students who participated in Hobie 102 were preparing to compete in the Hobie 16 North American Championships in Pensacola, FL in September. Students hailed from all over the northwest, including Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR to learn racing tips, techniques and go-fast secrets!
Finally, with Sail Sand Point hosting the Wave North American Youth Championship in June, a special additional clinic was offered on the Hobie Waves for those youth who were interested in getting some tiller time on the Wave before the big event June 26-28th! Tim Webb, a US Sailing certified Level 1 instructor, led the class through chalk talks, video examples, rigging and weight distribution demonstrations, and special training on various starting strategies. The day ended with the fleet of Waves doing a series of short race courses to practice their skills, with coaches making suggestions as the youth sailed along.
All in all, it was a successful and fun event, with 22 new and experienced multihull sailors and racers in attendance all coming away with some new knowledge and skills! We hope they will all take advantage of Sail Sand Point’s Open Boating program to practice their new skills and continue their multihull learning experience!