"Bollywood" Cut Party night

They are racing for places in the finals today and there is a lot of nervous tension in the breakfast dining room. Sharmane Fontenot is crewing for Pedro “the Doctor” Colon. They are sailing for Puerto Rico and they are going into today’s races in second place. She feels a huge responsibility as part of the team and doesn’t want to make any mistakes. Sharmane has sailed Hobies for two and a half years but she and Pedro have only sailed together in one regatta prior to this one. She feels that they have excellent communication.

Sharmane is attracted to Hobie sailing by the power, which she describes as absolutely humbling and fulfilling and compares it with her other sport of horse training and the power that a horse exerts under harness. She is also attracted by the friendliness of this sport and the fact that it is one of the few classes where the skipper gives credit to the crew.

According to Sharmane, Pedro is fuelled by rum, but in the Puerto Rican tent there is a much stronger spirit. They are very happy that their teams are doing well, they have had a good night’s sleep and they are standing by each other. Above all – and this is what Sharmane loves, they are having fun.

Mark Modderman grew up in the republic of South Africa but is now resident in the USA.and sails with Garth Stewart for that country. As a child he was exposed to the family nature of Hobie sailing and still enjoys that aspect of it. He’s impressed to see how women’s sailing has come on and is keen to encourage youth to get into the sport.

His passion is for promoting recognition of crews. He believes that the crew enables a skipper to sail better and that it is a team effort. To that end his local sailing club in New Jersey has held seminars on expert crewing.

Mark is having a lot of fun in Suva and thinks that the Fijians have surpassed themselves in their organization and entertainment. The camaraderie at this and other championships is amazing and what better way to hang out with world champions?

Down at the beach there’s amusement around the notice board. The Fijians teams are well placed and want to do even better so there has been an advertisement placed in the Fiji Times:
 WANTED URGENTLY
 Paddles or oars of any size.
 Bring directly to Hobie Worlds at Fiji Yachting Centre, Suva Point
 Or contact Tony Philp or Grahame Southwick.

The jury might be looking closely at that one!

Aaron Worrall from Australia comes from a family sailing dynasty and loves the fact that racing a Hobie is “sailing on the edge.” At home at Port Melbourne there is a big emphasis on encouraging youth into the class and the spin off has been that whole families have become involved. He and his crew of Bradley Wilson are in the top five before today’s racing and aiming to stay there.

There is not a lot of waiting today. At 10am the word from the Race Committee is that the breeze, although still light, is beginning to settle in and at 10:15 the drums begin beating for the boats to leave the shore. During the morning the breeze builds and by early afternoon it is up to 15kts from the south Perfect Hobie weather! The competitors have a lot more action, it’s more serious sailing and it’s exciting.

The conditions suit Ulf Hahn and Anke Delius from Germany, who with superb sailing skills have a wire to wire victory, leading at every mark in race 8. They claim that their win is due to the right tactics and a little luck.

By the end of the tenth race the places are pretty well decided. Mick Butler and Susan Etherington (pictured above) from Australia lead the field by two points the surprise packet of Leff Dahl and Cecilia Colling of Sweden. The top ten places are known but the list of those who will race in the finals will be announced at the party tonight. The evening has a Bollywood theme and there is an Indian craft fair just up the road. It looks like another fun night ahead.