Three new Hobie Wild Cats will race for the first time in Australia this weekend at Speers Point Regatta. The Waterhouse family who are based at Pittwater have acquired two of the new boats. Rod is a multiple Australian and World Master champion in the Hobie 16s and he will be skippering one of the cats. His teenage son Jason will be steering the other Wild Cat. Jason won several world and national youth events and just recently came second in the F16 Euro Challenge in Italy. Jason should be a great inspiration to the other teenagers that have started sailing in our F18 fleet. The Pellews will be racing the third Wild Cat and Grantly is still working on the boat this evening to have it ready for Saturday. Katie Pellew (ne Spithill) is currently ranked in the top 10 match racing skippers in the world and is on our Australian Olympic team preparing for London 2012. Katie will be steering on Saturday before flying out on Sunday to compete at an international regatta. Adam Beashel will be her replacement skipper on Sunday and Grantly will be crew both days. Adam has sailed in several Americas Cup challenges and has now lives on Lake Macquarie.
The Waterhouses and Pellews have made a massive effort to get the boats ready for the weekend and instead of just racing at their local club at Palm Beach they are making the extra effort to travel to Speers Point and join the rest of the F18 fleet.
It should be interesting racing in the next few months as the Hobies challenge the C2s. Currently the Brewin family with Chris and Richard and World and Australian Champion Steve are unbeatable. This season they have won every race of every regatta and have a perfect score in the NSW Travellers' Series.
This weekend 8 visiting F18s will be joining the fleet of 7 local boats making a fleet of 15 F18s. The forecast is for a fresh Nor'easter on Saturday with a southerly change coming through late Saturday night and strong southerlies on Sunday. Fantastic conditions for exciting racing. Saturday night we plan to have dinner at the local pub next to the club. We are expecting about sailors to join the party.
see you Saturday
Leanne Gould
