HURRICANE – The “Hobie way of life” was evident at the Sand Hollow Reservoir Saturday as 40 sailors competed in the Sand Hollow Classic, hosted by Hobie Fleet 941/Sand Hollow Yacht Club. The Sand Hollow Classic is a regional competition that includes sailors from Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

(story continues below)

Videocast by Samantha Tommer, St. George News

“Sailing is a very fun and addictive sport, with all your power coming from nature. There is no gas pedal,” Rex Mitchell, of Henderson, Nevada, said. Mitchell, who participated in the Sand Hollow Classic Saturday and will sail again on Sunday, competed in the world championships in Australia last year. He said he enjoys Hobie sailing with his grandson Yasen Nikolov, who is 8 years old. This weekend’s Sand Hollow Sailing Classic is Nikolov’s third sailing regatta.

Saturday’s competition was initially delayed due to wind conditions. The wind was predicted to pick up around noon, but the competition was postponed until the wind finally picked up around 2 p.m.

Three different classes of boats, the Hobie 16, Hobie 18 and The Wave, were sailed at the event.

“It is a wonderful thing to share with these great people. It is just what we call ‘the Hobie way of life’,” said Raul Hevia, event co-chairman and Hobie Fleet 941/Sand Hollow Yacht Club commodore.

The “Hobie way of life” is something all Hobie sailors have in common – love for the sport, camaraderie and new friendships constantly being formed.

“Sailors come from different parts of the country, and when we come together we are like a family,” Hevia said.

Hobie sailing is a traveling sport, with regattas taking place all over the world. Fleet 941/Sand Hollow Yacht Club competes in Mexico, Sand Diego, Long Beach, Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear and Santa Barbara.

Each competing sailor at the Sand Hollow Sailing Classic is part of the Hobie Class Association of North America. According to the HCANA website, Hobies were invented 40 years ago by Hobie Alter, and his primary goal was to produce a lightweight and inexpensive catamaran for beach-goers to sail when the waves are too dangerous to surf. Alter passed away six weeks ago at the age of 80, but his legacy in the surfing and sailing world continues to live on.

The Sand Hollow Classic continues Sunday until 3:30 p.m. There are no admission costs to be a spectator at the event, but park entrance fees apply.

Click on any photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery

Resources

• Hobie Class Association of Northern America
• The Hobie Wave
• Fleet 941/Sand Hollow Yacht Club Facebook Page

Related Posts

• Yachting mainland-style at Sand Hollow Sailing Classic
• Sand Hollow Sailing Classic; largest Hobie racing and paddleboarding event in Southern Utah history
• Raul and Rocco Hevía, Sand Hollow Sailing Club: Developing the sport of sailing for family, community

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.