When we first tossed around the idea of sailing a state title at Forster, we thought, “No way, that would be way too good to be true. I guess we’ll just tie it in with Wildcat?” But if you told me three years ago that the NSW Hobie Class would have Forster all to ourselves, there’s no way I would’ve believed you. But from Thursday through till Sunday, the Hobie family had the Great Lakes Sailing Club all to ourselves. And it was bloody brilliant.
As one of the best sailing destinations on the east coast, Great Lakes Sailing Club has the ocean on one side and the lake on the other, situated right in the middle of Wallis Lake. As a very shallow lake, particularly out the front of the sailing club, Forster is perfect for young families. With a large area for camping, excellent facilities, and volunteers to match, Great Lakes Sailing Club is something else.
For this year’s state championships, we decided to spice things up and run it just a little bit differently, including a long-distance race on Friday evening, followed by two days of short-course racing. With Wallis Lake offering a perfect race track for a long-distance adventure, the Earps Island Marathon was a go!
With a light to mid-range east-north-easterly blowing around 10 knots, it resulted in a downwind, SailGP-style start, with the fleet racing towards a turning mark before heading south towards Earps Island and then heading north once again.
In the 16/18 fleet, Court & Sophie on the Hobie 16 rounded the turning mark of Earps Island first, before Sam & Emily chased them down on the Hobie 18, securing line honours and a brand-new Ronstan drybag after a very successful upwind beat. Linda & Alannah finished second across the line, followed by Jamie & Henry.
However, the action truly began when the 25-boat fleet of Hobie 14s started downwind. Rod, MB, and Boydy started down the pin (southern) end of the line, hoping for a tighter angle and ultimately buoy room at the rounding mark. Meanwhile, the likes of Big-Mac, Fisher, and myself started up towards the boat (northern) end to secure as much clear air as they could on the short run.
It was sheep stations at the turning mark, with room being called from all directions. Reflecting, I think I must’ve sailed the longest distance around the mark, providing everyone below me enough room before gybing onto port and weaving through the fleet to ultimately bury Boydy and Will on the downwind run to Earps. Check out the Friday photo gallery to see the full start and rounding at Earps Island.
With the fleet staying together for the most part, the new kids on the block were learning with a trial by fire. Manly’s Tom Hughes was in the top pack of the fleet after a successful start at the boat end. Likewise, Toby McKavanagh was holding it against highly experienced Hobie 14 helms.
It was Rod first to the bottom, with MB, myself, and Bridget hot on Hot Rod’s heels. After MB forced me to tack at the mark, I managed to sneak through the wall of boats coming downwind, gaining a lovely lane up to the wing mark, pinching my way up to Rod’s line as he tacked to cover. MB, meanwhile, sailed in close to shore, where the hill behind Blueys Beach turned the flatter water into a gusty mess. I managed to catch Rod (which was no easy feat), happily taking home the line honours prize of a bottle of Earp Distillery Dry Gin, the other bottle of Reggie’s Rum being donated to the GLSC on Saturday night.
Will, Bryn, and Brian made huge gains on the upwind, finishing 5th, 6th, and 8th after getting themselves into a cluster at the start. Likewise, Big Mac managed to gain on Emma Webb after continuing to dump dirty air on her in the tacking battle towards the finish. However, he just wasn’t quick enough to catch Doogie and Leon as they crossed the line in 9th and 10th. It was a fun-filled night at the GLSC, with Forster Friday Night Fever well and truly settling in as everyone hit the shore.
The groms of the fleet got stuck into the wind-powered car science experiment that Mr. Butler brought up from home, with prizes being awarded to the best and most powerful cars (built out of Lego, paper, and empty cans).
It was a leisurely morning at Forster on Saturday, with many of the fleet sleeping off the late night prior. However, Watty, Hooper, Tim, and the GLSC team were hard at work getting the support boats and marks ready for the day’s racing. With a four-race session planned for the day, it was set to be an action-packed day of racing.
In the past, this regatta was historically the Hobie 16 Women’s & Youth State Championships. However, with a dynamic fleet of Hobies now racing throughout NSW, the format has adapted to include the Hobie 18 fleet into the championship. As such, the Hobie 18s and Hobie 16s would race on yardstick for overall positions and the Women & Youth State Title. This year, the fleet consisted of 11 x Hobie 18s, 2 x Hobie 16s, and 2 x Dragoons, which broke down to 5 x Youth teams, 4 x Women, and 5 x Open.
Sam & Emily sailed dominantly throughout the day, ending the session with a drop of a 6th, taking five bullets with them for their total. Noah & Hayley finished their day in second overall, along with the second youth team, taking home a 3, 2, 2, and a bullet to finish the day. Meanwhile, Court & Soph on the H16 ended the day in third overall and first women’s team with a 2, 4, 2, and dropping a 6th.
Gavin & Bevan’s H18 took home the award for the most fun, with the two young boys double-trapping all day, no matter the conditions or angle they were sailing. Finally, the two Dragoons from Vincentia were on the race track for the first States since 2022, with Liana & Joel on one and their old-boy Rennie on the other. With the kids determined to smash their old man, getting off the start line in one piece was essential to their victory.
The Hobie 14s were where the excitement was at. With multiple state, national, and world champions within the fleet, it’s undeniable that the NSW Hobie 14 fleet is one of the best in the world. Therefore, getting a good position over the line is never an easy feat. Following along from last year’s states, the three weight divisions were once again reinstated, with the 25-boat fleet being split into thirds for the Fleabag, Medium Rare, and Cruise Controller divisions.
Somehow, I managed to finish the day on top, one point ahead of Will, who well and truly won the day with bullets in the first and last heats. Only having sailed a couple of times this year, it was no easy task. Two points behind in third, MB was sitting ahead of Rod and Bryn, with Andrew Mac rounding out the top five.
This year also included the largest fleet of youth Hobie 14s since the resurgence, with five boats battling it out. With two-time Australian champion Bryn still under 20, there may still be another year or two before we see a new state champion arise. However, 15-year-old Emma Webb is up for the task, finishing the day in 12th overall as the second-place youth and female behind Bridget Bolewski.
Rounding out the youth fleet in the 14s, Tom, Toby, and Hazel were swapping and changing positions like no tomorrow. However, it was Hazel who finished the day in the best shape, one point ahead of Tom, with Toby (the lightest helm on the water) rounding out the fleet on 85 points.
Saturday evening was filled with a sensational Greek-style meal prepared by the team at GLSC, with delicious lamb koftas and salads to go around. It was Moxy’s eight-month, vodka-soaked kumquats that set the night on fire as he brought them around for the fleet to enjoy. I, for one, did not enjoy them entirely…
It was a scary outlook on Sunday morning. With minimal breeze forecast until after midday, the prospect of getting a full session of racing in was looking grim. However, Watty, Hooper, Tim, and the rest of the wonder team got racing underway before 11, setting the stage for four red-hot races to finish the series and determine the 2025 state champions.
A light east-northeasterly, which remained shifty and patchy for the first two races, made the stakes even higher. Sam & Emily continued their dominant performance on the race track, with three bullets and a fourth, solidifying their first youth state championship on the Hobie 18 and first in the overall standings.
Courtney & Sophie sailed brilliantly on the Hobie 16 with a 4, 2, 1, 4 on yardstick, locking in a safe second place and first in the women’s division. Scott & Tom boosted their position on the leaderboard, climbing up to third overall. Noah & Hayley finished as the second youth team on the Hobie 18, with Jamie & Henry finishing in third and fifth overall.
The drama unfolded throughout the day in the Hobie 14s, with Will and myself going tit for tat for the overall title, arriving on shore after four races still with no idea as to who had come out on top. Turns out MB’s consistency throughout the day with a 3, 3, 2, 1 was more than enough to secure the state championship, with myself getting Will on count-back with two seconds. We both secured the most firsts with three bullets apiece. Big-Mac, MB, and Bryn each came away with one bullet.
A huge right shift allowed Bryn to get his first bullet of the regatta in the seventh heat, bringing home another youth state championship, finishing in fourth overall, 10 points ahead of Andrew McKenzie. Big-Mac claimed his first-ever Great Grand Masters championship ahead of Hot Rod by 12 points.
The last two races of the day saw the breeze fill in for some proper champagne sailing, allowing the opportunity for the Cruise Controllers to come into their own. Dave Fisher found his groove with three top-10 places, bringing him up the leaderboard into 10th. Likewise, Jake De Rooy and Boydy were in the top pack with multiple top-10 finishes. Jake was on fire in the seventh heat, rounding the top mark with a clear lead in first place.
Similarly, Gav Luxton and Jed Fatches both made use of the breeze, securing their best places of the series in the last three races, allowing for huge gains in the overall standings, finishing 12th and 17th. However, it wasn’t enough to catch Spinelli, who displayed immense growth since last year’s state championships. Bridget’s solid positions on day one were enough to keep her in the top 10, with Emma Webb finishing as the second-placed youth and female, securing 15th on 110 points. Brian Bates finished 14th on count-back. It was immensely competitive in the bottom half of the fleet, with Doogie catching Adrian on count-back on 131 points, while Tom, Hazel, and Taylor finished on 142, 143, and 144 net points, respectively.
With only three events left in the NSW Traveller Series—Toukley Ian Holly, CHS Sailing Championships, and the Jervis Bay Classic—there’s all to play for, particularly for the groms in the fleet with three events up for grabs.
A huge shoutout to Marine Outlet and Vaikobi for providing some awesome prizes for the event, along with Michael Taylor for organising the hats and member stickers with a week to go before the event.
We are beyond excited to be back up in Forster in October for Wildcat and the first event of the 2024-25 Traveller Series.
Hobie 14s - Final Results Hobie 16/18 Opens (Yardstick) - Final Results NSWHCA Photo Gallery - Dropbox