There is excitement in the air for the Pitts Design and Construction 53rd Australian Hobie Cat National Championships. To be held in Busselton in the South West of Western Australia and hosted by Geographe Bay Yacht Club in December / January. The WA fleet has a fun regatta planned for all involved and the region is a prime tourism destination. With at least three World Champions already entered in each of the Hobie 16 and Hobie 14 fleets, the racing is sure to be exciting too!
The event includes two series from 27 December. Kicking things off will be the two handed Hobie 16, the fleet will race over four days for the Open, Masters, Grand Masters and Great Grand Masters Championships. Finishing up on New Years Eve with the presentation ceremony hosted by Premier Sponsor and Official Beer Partner, Shelter Brewing Co. Over thirty teams have already entered including two international teams from Canada and New Caledonia.
Canadian champion Dan Borg will travel to compete in both series, sailing the Hobie 16 with WA local crew, Lucinda Crisp followed by series two in the single handed Hobie 14. From New Caledonia, Auxence and Cyriaque are preparing for upcoming competitions in their region and see the Australian nationals as a great opportunity. There are teams from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria and a good contingent from Western Australia where the Hobie 16 class is strong.
Still plenty of time for teams to get their names in and the entry list is available to view on the Australian Hobie association website, hobiecat.asn.au and go to the nationals tab. Competitors coming from overseas can contact the host state, WA via the website to enquire about charter boats.
Busselton is an iconic destination and the South West offers so much to visitors. Host club Geographe Bay Yacht Club have the perfect beach setting, excellent facilities, friendly volunteers and the team are excited to be hosting this prestigious catamaran event.
Vice Commodore Anton Mann of GBYC spoke about their involvement, “Our Club is thrilled to be part of the Hobie championships. We have hosted the Hobie feet for previous events prior and look forward to hosting again. The fleet is colourful, the boats are fast and the participants bring a good vibe to our community at Geographe Bay Yacht Club. Our on water volunteers will enjoy being part of the close and exciting racing and we look forward to involving some of our young sailors in the event.”
Ongoing partner of the Hobie Cat Association of WA, Pitts Design and Construction have come onboard as Elite Sponsor of the Australian Championship event. Owner Mick Pitts is a sailor himself and grew up around the sport. The Hobie class left a good impression on him at a young age, and now settled in Perth with his young family and growing business, he is thrilled to be back on the water to skipper in both the Hobie 16 and Hobie 14 events.
Joining him with sponsorship support of the event is Oceaneer Marine Brokers, Australia’s premier marine brokerage specialising in the sale of pre-owned vessels. Committed to delivering exceptional service, the Oceaneer team provides premium services in marine asset sales and management, with expertise spanning recreational vessels, commercial vessels, and commercial fishing licence sales and lease management.
Oceaneer Marine Brokers are a Premier Sponsor of the 53rd Australian Hobie Cat National Championships and the Hobie WA team are thrilled to have them onboard. Managing Director of Oceaneer, Matt Lovelady, commented “We’re incredibly proud to support this brilliant event that celebrates community, competition and a love for adventure!”
Series two will see the Hobie 14 come out to play and the fleet is hot in this classic boat too with another three World Champions. Twenty Hobie 14 sailors have completed their early registration, secured their place at the event and locked in their welcome case full of excellent goodies from the event partners. This includes plenty of fun stuff including a Vaikobi UV long sleeve top branded with the championship branding, cap, goodies from Shelter and ticket to the presentation ceremony.
To round out the Premier Sponsor list, Vaikobi are Official Technical Apparel Partners. They bring loads of exciting prizes to the event and some fantastic long sleeve UV tops for competitors and volunteers.
Joining the Hobie 14’s on the race course for series two and signed up already will be the Hobie 16 and Hobie Wildcat. With several Hobie 16 women’s teams in WA it’s looking to be a good event for the girls. Skippers from the east coast will be Libby Kirby and also Courtney Smith who will sail with Sophie Bates. They’ll line up with 2010 Women’s World Champions sisters Natalie and Jasmine Hill who are excited to be back on the boat together at a national championship.
All IHCA Hobie sailboats are invited to race in series two. The WA community hope to include a fleet of Hobie Waves in the event as well as championships for the Hobie 18.
Visit hobiecat.asn.au and hit the Hobie Nationals link for event information, competitor entry list and series registration.
https://hobiecat.asn.au/hobie-cat-nationals/
Susan Ghent
Hobie Cat Association of WA Inc.
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