2026 Hobie Cat NSW State Championships at Wangi RSL Amateur Sailing Club
by Paddy Butler 2 Mar 05:08 GMT
14-15 February 2026
Well, we are SO GLAD we came back to Wangi Wangi for the 2026 NSW State Championships! After three long years away, Awabakal Country made sure we were keen and had been practising, because the wind wasn't taking any chances with our skills.
It wouldn't be a match report without first and foremost thanking the incredible teams that show up again and again to put on these events we love. To everyone at Wangi RSL Amateur Sailing Club, especially the canteen ladies, thank you for hosting us, feeding us, and helping us put on an excellent regatta. To the NSWHCA Committee for the work they put in to get these events off the ground with merch, handmade recycled trophies, charter boats, and more. To PRO Steve Watt, who got us 7 races in tricky conditions. To Gavin for his photos and expertise. To the parents on shore who kept their kids (and quite a few others) on the water, especially when things went a little bit wrong. And to the sailors - who get the job done, and only complain a little bit!
It was an absolutely gorgeous Friday when the first few sailors rigged up and hit the water to test out the location. All reports say it was much-needed for a few of them to dust off the spiderwebs and remember which side was port, and soak up what little amount of sunshine the weekend would see. The team headed to the RSL to strategise for the next couple of days while they awaited the rest of the fleet on Saturday morning.
Fleet-wise, the turnout for the titled events of 14 States and 16/18 Women & Youth States, compounded by the Rookie & Family categories, was excellent. The stats:
- 25 x Hobie 14s
- 3 x Women
- 5 x Youth
- 3 x interstate
- 1 x international
- 8 x sailors in which weight division (9 x Cruise Controllers)
- 9 x Hobie 16s & 18s
- 5 x Womens
- 3 x Family
- 2 x Youth
- 3 x Hobie Dragoons & Waves
- 2 x Womens
- 1 x Family
- 4 x Youth sailors
Saturday
An early day for some, a leisurely morning for others. By 10am, sails were up, the rain had passed, and the excitement was palpable. We headed into the briefing and were welcomed to the club by Les McAllister. Paddy Butler gave us the weekend overview before we heard from Mr PRO Steve Watts. With the formalities concluded, wetsuits were donned, and gear dug out - and then it was hurry up and wait. It did turn into a bit of a slow morning, with heads turning every time the slightest breath of breeze came through, but eventually the AP came down, and we were off.
In the 14s, racing was tight, but MB proved dominant, taking home FIVE (out of 5) 1st places.
- Bloody Leon started very strong with three 2nds
- Paddy & Bryn & Worsty took home a few very respectable top 5s
- Mick Colecliffe, Maricat sailor, took out a 2nd and a 3rd in his first Hobie event
- Sam Dalton (Youth) scored a 3rd
- Nicole Corlett wins Most Consistent
- Peter Manley was also very consistent, excluding his PB of a 7th!
In the 16s/18s, the fleet shared the love a little bit, but the competition was still intense.
- Brad, Austin & Wyatt (H16) took out four 1sts, unseated by Emily & Lily. (H18)
- Courtney & Bec (H16) had a consistent day sitting between 3rd & 5th.
- Juliet & Sophie (H16) had their best race with a 2nd (and two 3rds), when they weren't busy checking out the water temperature
In the Wave/Dragoons, since they're all VSC representatives, their weekly training moved to centre stage to pit their skills.
- Liana single-handedly took on the Wave and performed very well with three 1sts
- Joel & River, on the aptly named Ratbags, snuck in the other two 1sts
- Angela & Grace, who can count how many times they've ever sailed on their fingers, went for a turn and burn and never gave up
The big story of the day, however, was how Andres Loret & Hazel Raftery BOTH managed to rip out their gudgeons. I suppose that since one was the port hull and the other was the starboard, they can make a whole boat together...? Wishing MIKILLGULRR and Tequila Mockingbird speedy recoveries as they get their fibreglass patched up.
Saturday evening was the NSWHCA AGM. A rapid-fire meeting with rapid-fire elections!
Congratulations to:
- President, Michael Taylor
- Vice President & Publicity Officer, Paddy Butler (also ANHCA President)
- Treasurer, Dave Fisher
- Secretary, Bec Greentree
- Factory Rep, Mick Butler
- State Measurer, Gavin Luxton
- Women's Rep, Bridget Raftery
- Youth Rep, Hazel Raftery
- Southern Rep, Adrian Mills
- Central Rep, Darren Schmidt
- Northern Rep, Mark Webb
And then we retired to the RSL for a feed and to watch the very intense replays from SailGP Auckland, followed by a pretty early night!
Sunday
Sunday dawned much the same as Saturday - a little rainy, and very little breeze. Sails went up, but then the movement at the station ceased. With plenty of time to finish catching up with each other, the AP was finally dropped just after 12:30, and off we went.
It continued to be slow on the water as the breeze wasn't quite sure which direction it was coming from, yet Race 6 (1st of the day) eventually got under way. With time allowing us to squeeze in two races, it was acknowledged that if you wanted to improve at all, your concentration had better be maxed out.
In the 14s:
- Bryn did what no one else could and got in front of MB to finish first in Race 6
- Marc Hooper had the most incredible race of his life to finish 2nd in Race 7
- Emma Webb improved her scores with a best of a 6th, just so she could beat her old man, who'd had an excellent first day
- Similarly, Adrian shot up a couple of spots with an 11th
- Dave Fisher had a very decent 5th
- Paddy worked just hard enough to retain his position, posting a 3rd and a 4th
In the 16s/18s:
- Emily & Lily. had a perfect 2 1sts
- Henry & Jess win Most Consistent, scoring 4th in 5 of the 7 races
- Clare, Evie & Maia came through with a 3rd and a 2nd
In the Waves/Dragoon:
- Angela & Grace beat River & Joel to score a 2nd
- River & Joel, however, already had a 1st under their belt
- Liana kept up the pace with a 1st and a 2nd
Once racing was done, it was all hands on deck to get the boats packed up as fast as humanly possible for a 4:30 presentation - we had places to be!
With so many categories, we can't list every trophy here (it would take me all day). Our State Title Results:
Hobie 14 Opens
- Mick Butler
- Paddy Butler
- Bryn Robinson-Mills
- Bloody Leon
- Worst News
Hobie 14 Women's
- Emma Webb
- Nic Corlett
Hobie 14 Youth
- Emma Webb
- Sam Dalton
Hobie 14 Rookies
- Mick Colecliffe
- Marc Hooper
H14 Fleabags
- Paddy Butler
- Bryn Robinson-Mills
- Emma Webb
H14 Medium-Well
- Mick Butler
- Bloody Leon
- Worst News
H14 Cruise-Controllers
- Peter Bates
- Mick Colecliffe
- Jed Fatches
Hobie 16s/18s Women's
- Emily & Lily (H18)
- Women's: Clare, Evie & Maia (H18)
- Courtney & Bec (H16)
Hobie 16s/18s Youths
- Emily & Lily (H18)
- Sophie & Em (H18)
Wave/Dragoon
- Liana Hodder (Wave)
- Joel & River (Dragoon)
- Angela & Grace (Wave)
And the Bottoms Up Award went to Juliet & Sophie!
Find all the results here.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to make this weekend what it was!
Still to come on the NSW 25/26 Traveller Series:
- Tanilba Bay Big Boat Regatta, 21-22 February
- South West Rocks Darren Lowder Memorial, 14-15 March
- Vincentia Sailing Club's Jervis Bay Classic, 24-26 April
We look forward to seeing you on the water very soon!