A mix of conditions and new divisions at the 49th WA Hobie 16 Championships
It was an ideal weekend in Western Australia for the 2025 Pitts Design and Construction WA Hobie 16 State Championships. Eight races were held on 1 & 2 March and the event was hosted by Jervoise Bay Sailing Club. Two new divisions were introduced for Medium Weight and Heavy Weight teams with any team placing on the Open podium ineligible. This sparked a lot of excitement from the fleet and so did the inaugural Rookie programme. The fleet eased into the championship event with light winds for race one on Saturday morning. Off to a clean start in the fading south easterly wind and it was a game of patience and eyes out of the boat to be alert to where the wind would come from next. Defending champions Cam Owen & Susan Ghent headed left early in good company with Gavin Colby & Mia Lovelady below and Victorian pair Fletcher & Georgia Warren-Myers above. Another top team coming into the event was Darren Smith & Claire Bisgood who chose to lead a pack out to the other side. Looking good early with Fletch and Georgia was another helm from the east coast, Andrew Warneke from Queensland, sailing with local Lucinda Crisp. Out of the pack who tacked away early came Trevor Hughes & Elisabeth Bisgood and they led around the first mark of the first race of the series. It was a popular lead but with a changing breeze and some hot teams on their heels it was a hard position to keep.
Race Officer Paul Davis called a break ashore while the wind rotated and settled into the afternoon seabreeze direction. Perth certainly turned it on for the three races in session two with an increasing breeze strength that challenged teams. The Victorian team commented that it was really windy but at least it was consistent in strength and direction. It’s not often you see two time world champion Gav Colby take a swim but he and Mia stuck it in along the shore on a downwind leg. With a breakage in the following race and already holding a fifth it would be a challenge for the pair to get back into the podium positions. It’s tough and close racing in the WA fleet which boasts multiple Australian titles from several teams and the current World, Australian and European Champion. The last race of the day was a test of stamina and boat handling with the wind strength and wave conditions making for some fast, exciting and fun sailing. Conditions that the Hobie Cat 16 relishes in. Fantastic to see the two all-female teams getting around the course in good shape in the teens overall as the wind strength increased but in the last race of the day there were quite a few who did not finish.
A perfect scorecard for defending champions Cam & Suz after day one with consistent rivals Dazz & Claire close by as always. Phil & Caitlyn Epps from Geraldton thoroughly enjoyed the strong winds collecting two third places. Also sailing really well through the day was Jason Spencer & Colleen Lutz with places 6,11,6,5.
Rookie teams at the event were briefed ashore by Coach Stephan van Blerk and had support on the water during the racing. This new programme is to encourage teams who have not yet tried championship racing to get involved. It’s a great way to introduce them to Hobie fleet racing, understand the course configurations, sail with confidence, get used to sailing a session of races and get involved in the supportive Hobie sailing community. This new initiative from the Hobie Cat Association of WA (HCAWA) was popular and the plan is for this to continue into all WA Championship events in future. A huge part of the regatta is the social side, teams watched the video footage from the day on the big screen, shared their salty tales from the race course and enjoyed a good feed at the championship dinner.
Day two began with a very light wind race, again with a fading morning breeze rotating to the seabreeze direction. Sisters Natalie & Jasmine Hill took the race win and were absolutely thrilled. In second place was Trevor & Elisabeth who too were delighted with their score. Very consistent through the event, Fletch & Georgia followed close behind with Cam & Suz hot on their stern breaking their string of firsts with a fourth place. It was a tough race for Dazz and Claire who would take race five as their discard.
Making a comeback to the Hobie 16 was Commodore Pete West from Exmouth Yacht Club. It was great to see him getting around the race track with friend Peter & young son Maitland who was awarded a super Junior award at the event for his enthusiasm and joy for the sport. There were many youngsters making friends and having a fun time on the beach at the event and the HCAWA hopes to see them all enjoying the Hobie Cat class too in years to come. Exmouth is a recent addition to the WA Hobie 16 fleet and will be host to the 2026 State Championships. The event has been named Hobie Week in Exmouth and will incorporate the championship
over the Easter weekend followed by marathon and social sailing and lots of local tourism activities. Part of the Rookie programme, youth sailors Alex & Scotty had a good day on the water finishing all races and getting around the course well. This sets them up to get more involved in Hobie Cat racing and hopefully compete in the Australian Championships next summer hosted by WA at Geographe Bay Yacht Club in Busselton. Another youth sailor Alec Kinsey crewed for Dion Alston, the pair were new to the class for the event and looked like they had a great weekend on the Hobie 16.
The afternoon breeze was not as strong on day two, the fleet didn’t spread out as much making the racing close and challenging. Three different heat winners for the session to Darren, Fletcher and Cam. Finishing the Open event on nine points was Cam & Suz with Fletch & Georgia in second on 20 points, both teams showed consistent scores discarding a fourth place. Rounding out the podium, Dazz & Claire on 24 points and the Woodies from Geraldton were ecstatic to place in
fth ahead of Gav and Mia. Murray & Tayla Woodhead are father and daughter pair getting back on the boat together this year after Tayla had a break to become a Mum. They showed excellent consistency through the event placing in the top ten in all but one race.
Andrew Warneke & Lucinda Crisp came in sixth with Brad Quartermaine & Natalie Waddell in seventh, making the top ten in the WA fleet is a fi ne achievement. Scored as a stand alone series, Open WA State and Masters Champions went to Cam & Suz, Grand Masters to Dazz & Claire with Jason & Colleen in second and Muzz & Tayla third. Kevin Inder-Smith & Michael Verrall were crowned Great Grand Masters Champions with a convincing scorecard. Second place went to Matt Faulkner & Ben Raven followed by Hobie Legend Phil Smyth & Graeme Fisher in third.
The Women’s trophy was awarded to sisters Natalie and Jasmine Hill who placed a very respectable 11th overall and it was awesome to have Cara Fugill (née Lithgow) team up with Lisa Cranfield, back on the Hobie 16 after a long break from the fleet as another all female team. Both will be strong contenders at the next Australian Championship. The real fun was had in the two new divisions for Medium and Heavy Weight teams, scoring was pulled from within the overall results. Trophies for these podium places and for the Race Place Lucky draw came from Vaikobi with some exciting goodies for the teams. The first ever WA Medium Weight State Champions were Murray & Tayla, Gav & Mia in second, and Jason & Colleen in third.
Father and daughter pair, Phil & Caitlyn Epps were crowned WA Heavy Weight State Champions with a convincing win coming in eighth overall in the overall standings. Another father and daughter pair was local Perth team Andy & Anna Peryer who came in second followed by Andrew Boyd who teamed up with youth sailor Olivia. It was a fabulous and fun weekend with Jervoise Bay Sailing Club on Woodman Point in the beautiful waters of Owen Anchorage, a great place for Hobie racing. A big thank you to Race Officer Paul, the Vaikobi HCAWA Race Management team and all volunteers who came on board to assist. With 29 entrants for the 2025 Pitts Design and Construction WA Hobie 16 State Championships, the Western Australian fleet is setting up for a big Australian National Championship in Busselton, 27 December 2025 to 5 January 2026.
Check out the Full Gallery & Results HERE
written by Susan Ghent
Rowdy’s Roundup of the 2025 Victorian State Championships
Well, here it is before it all fades into the past. A few diehards rolled into the Rosebud Yacht Club gates on Friday night, greeted by hot and dry weather. We set up the Hobies and then spent the rest of the balmy evening at the Rosebud Hotel, relaxing in the beer garden, drinking ales, and reminiscing about Hobie adventures while a local musician entertained us on his acoustic guitar. Saturday morning arrived, and eventually, 23 Hobie Cats were rigged and ready to sail. The forecast predicted light northerly winds, and “light” was an understatement— even Mick Butler would have found it challenging. The ebb tide was stronger than the wind, making Race 1 a battle against the current. Many of us struggled to cross the start line, with the tide dragging us backward faster than we could sail forward. I personally crossed the start line three times before finally rounding the top mark, only to drift to the bottom mark like a satellite floating through space. But in the end, it was all for nothing—most of the fleet either couldn’t reach the weather mark or simply ran out of time. Only three Hobie 16s and one Turbo managed to record a result, while the rest of us ended up with a DNF. That was the end of the sailing session.
It was more comical than frustrating, so we drowned our sorrows with laughter over a fantastic spit roast cooked up by the Rosebud Percell boys. After dinner, right at 8 p.m., Rowdy kicked off the karaoke evening. As the house lights dimmed and the stage lights lit up the outdoor amphitheatre, I expected hesitation from the crowd. But I was wrong—within five minutes, we had a full lineup of rock stars singing classic hits like White Wedding, Roadhouse Blues, Sweet Caroline, Beds Are Burning, Teenage Dirtbag, and Bad Leroy Brown. We had Beatles and Elvis impersonators, a Lady Gaga tribute, and even yours truly belting out American Pie. The list went on, featuring Creedence Clearwater Revival classics and more. Even the barman jumped in for a song!
Sunday morning dawned with more light northerlies. Racing kicked off at 9:30 a.m., with four back-to-back races. The full moon had created a powerful ebb tide, but with our lessons from Saturday, we managed to complete the course. The key was tacking towards the safety of the shallows to counteract the current, overlaying the weather mark by a good 200 meters to compensate for the drift. After a lunch break, we headed back out for two more races. The first race was set for Hobie Course 1—A mark with an offset, Gate, A mark with an offset, and a downwind finish—but the current was running faster than a flock of wild geese fl ying south. The race committee made the wise decision to shorten the course at the first Gate, sending us straight to the finish line. Race 2 followed the same pattern. By the end of the day, we had completed six races.
Monday, the final day, greeted us with more light winds. We launched by 9 a.m., but by 9:30 a.m., the breeze had faded to nothing. We sailed back to shore, where Cam and Suzzie ran a coaching session on the beach while we waited for conditions to improve. Unfortunately, the wind never returned, and the regatta was officially declared over. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend—fun, competitive, and full of learning, both on and off the water. With strong participation and a great spirit among sailors, the Victorian Hobie fleet continues to grow. We’re already looking forward to the next event, with even more boats and more sailors joining in on the action!
written by Geoff Rowdon
@HobieClassAustralia
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