Day 1 Master’s Division – Day 1 of racing got underway at the 2022 Hobie 16 world championships with the 38 teams competing in the masters division. The Hobie 16 world championships are composed of multiple preliminary events starting with the masters, followed by the women, youth, grand masters and finally the open world championships. All the boats are provided by Hobie Cat Company, we have 50 brand new identical boats that are used throughout the competition. It’s a huge convenience for sailors who travel long distances, as they only need to bring their personal gear. These boats are all brand new and their was feel in the air of adjusting these news boats for the conditions.
After a long on-shore postponement while we waited for the breeze to fill, boats were sent out at 1:45 in 7 knots of breeze that quickly built to 10-12 knots for the East-Southeast. There was a good on swell running which made for some very wet conditions on board but that is something Hobie Cats were designed for.
Three races were completed on the first day in some beautiful sailing conditions. The waves were constant but not quite enough to surf downwind. Typically, sailors switch boats after each race but due the late start everyone stayed on the same boat for all three of the races. Which gave sailors plenty of time to break in the boats. Sailors will rotate boats in the morning.
After the first day, Cam OWEN/Susan GHENT (AUS) lead followed by European champions, Stefan GRIESMEYER/Caterina DEGLI UBERTI (ITA) and Darren SMITH/Claire BISGOOD (AUS).
Masters racing continues through September 18, when the next division starts.
