An interview with Christopher Dutton about the 2024 Hobie 16 North American Championships
by David Schmidt 11 Sep 2024 16:00 BST
September 16-20, 2024
Hobie 16 racecourse action © Gayle Brouillard / Shoreline Photography
When it comes to fast times on two hulls, it's hard to beat the Hobie 16. The boat has been generating smiles and lift since 1970, when Hobie Alter unveiled his double-trapeze rocketship on the beaches of Southern California. This latter part was key to the catamaran's success, as the boat was specifically designed to be beach-launched, thus eliminating the need for marinas and stuffy yacht clubs, and opening the door wide open to new generations of athletically minded sailors who were interested in generating their own apparent wind while blowing past monohulls.
Not surprisingly, the design—with its asymmetric-shaped hulls, dual traps, and colorful sails—was a hit, and now, almost 55 years after the first Hobie 16s began flashing their undercarriages, well over 100,000 boats have been built.
While newer, faster, and foiling multihulls now exist, none command the history and ease-of-use as a Hobie 16, especially when the cost-per-smile is factored into the equation.
Given the sheer number of Hobie 16s that exist, it's not surprising that competitive racing exists across the country and around the world. The sheer starting line numbers may have dipped from the class's heyday but winning a high-level Hobie 16 event still commands prestige and serious beachside bragging rights.
Take, for example, the 2024 Hobie 16 North American Championships (September 16-20), which are being organized by the Hobie Class Association of North America, along with the Hobie Class Association of North America Division 12, Hobie Fleet 448, and the Roton Point Association, and which are being hosted by the Roton Point Association in Rowayton, Connecticut. Racing will unfurl on the waters of Long Island Sound using standard International Hobie Class Association courses.
I checked in with Christopher Dutton, who serves as commodore of the Rhode Island-based Hobie Fleet 448, via email, to learn more about this international-level multihull regatta.
Can you please tell us a bit about the current state of the Hobie 16 class on the East Coast, and the kind of competition levels one can expect to encounter at this year's North Americans?
The Hobie 16 is certainly still the most popular beach catamaran in New England, evident by the relative number of them that show up at our local events. The class is not nearly as large as it was 20 years ago though, so we're working to get it growing again in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
We've been seeing a little more interest in racing in the last couple of years, and a steady interest in what we call "fun sailing" as a fleet. The fun sails, such as our Island Hop in Buzzards Bay and in Narragansett Bay, as well as our Fleet 448 regatta, draw between 12 and 18 Hobie 16s typically.
As far as competition at the North Americans; that's coming from some of the best sailors from across the continent-from Canada to Mexico, so the local teams from the East Coast are really going to be challenged.
Weather-wise, what kind conditions can sailors expect to encounter on Long Island Sound in mid-to-late September? What are the best-case and worst-case wind scenarios?
The sound is a wonderful place to sail in the fall, and with tropical systems coming up the coast, conditions can vary significantly day to day and within day. With over a year in the planning, we will work with what we get, and the current long-range forecast has some rain coming through. While not as pretty, we can, and do race Hobie Cats in the rain.I'm confident we'll get some great sailing conditions during the event, based on having sailed each of the annual Roton Point Multihull Regattas held there for the past 15 years.
Last year we had some sporty conditions with 12 knots gusting to 18, which was probably a little more than our average wind there.
If you ask about the worst case, it would be a shut-down of the wind for an afternoon, and I only remember one day like that in the last 15 years.
At our location for the Hobie 16 North Americans in September, we've also had to call off racing when the wind from the East was a steady 16-20 knots and the swells that were building down the long fetch of the Sound were making it hard to find (and anchor) the course.
How much of a factor do you see local knowledge playing at this high-level regatta?
That's a great question; there are some land features and currents that can affect a course run closer to shore, so I do expect our PRO will set us up a bit further into the sound to reduce their impact.
Greens Ledge lighthouse is a good point of reference visible from Roton Point; if we're inside of the lighthouse, expect current and shore breeze to be a factor.
If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) sailors, what would it be?
I would encourage anyone planning to compete in the Hobie 16 North Americans to also register for the 64th Roton Point Multihull Regatta (RPMR) which is taking place the weekend days immediately before to the NAC.
Roton Point Sailing Association (RPSA) is our host, and it's the longest running multihull regatta in the U.S. It's a high-class event as far as Hobie regatta's go, with a great dinner, [a] band, and a chance to get some time on the water before the NAC. It's open to all classes of multihull, from Hobie Waves and Getaway's to 37-foot trimarans that always show up for a longer distance course. We always have a great time and are well taken care of by RPSA!
Do you have any entries that you're eyeing for podium finishes? What about any dark horses who you think could prove to be fast, once the starting guns begin sounding?
Nope. I'm looking at the list of 45 teams that have entered so far, and I see some serious talent coming. I'm also looking at teams from 18 of the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada, so this year's North American Championship is a truly international event.
I may secretly be rooting for a few of my close friends, but at this point it's looking like a terrific competition.
What kind of evening entertainment do you and the other event organizers have planned?
We followed the RPSA tradition and hired a funky 70s-90s band for our Wednesday night social, which is a "Surf and Turf" dinner that RPSA is going to prepare for us.
We're throwing two other socials to highlight the food that represents our region.
We've got the use of the RPSA club house and grounds, so there will be games like shuffleboard, foosball, and ping-pong generally available, and in case of a lay-day if the wind shuts down.
Can you please tell us about any efforts that you and the other regatta organizers have made to try to lower the regatta's environmental footprint or otherwise green-up the event?
RPSA has been running green regattas for years now, and our NAC follows suit. Competitors have access to water filling stations and ice to minimize the need for disposable plastic.
Is there anything else that you'd like to add about this year's Hobie 16 NAs, for the record?
It's been over a year in the planning, and we're looking forward to hosting a fantastic week of sailing starting with the RPMR. Look for updates and results at our fleet website: www.fleet448.org.