ST. GEORGE — Hurricane resident Raul Hevia is bringing home the gold of sorts after winning the Hobie Wave Midwest Regional Regatta in Minnesota early this month followed by another regatta win in Mexico Sunday.

“Raul will be our Hobie Wave national points champion,” Hobie Class Association of North America First Vice Chair Chris Wessels told St. George News. “He’s accumulated the most points, so by year-end he’ll be national champion.”

Hevia’s first win this month came during a three-day Hobie Wave one design catamaran race on Lake Okabena in Worthington, Minnesota, a race the association’s media representative Ben Wells said Hevia won “quite handily.”

After winning in Minnesota, Hevia headed south of the border taking first place Sunday in the annual Piñata Regatta in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico.

“He is our national points champion,” Wessels said of Hevia, noting his points are so high they secure the 2016 ranking.

Hobie Wave sailing is a recreational sport with a strong competitive scene. All sailors use the same class of boat with virtually the same specifications and weights, so champions must rely on skill to win.

Sailing in Southern Utah

Hevia, a native of Puerto Rico has lived and worked in Southern Utah for nearly two decades contributing significantly to the introduction and development of both recreational and competitive sailing in the region.

Hevia has served intermittently as commodore for Hobie Fleet 941 out of Hurricane for six years. He was born and raised around the waters of Puerto Rico where he grew up scuba diving, sailing, surfing and skin diving.

“I had a problem in my mind coming from the Caribbean waters to being on a lake, but I got over that,” Hevia said. “I started racing Hobie cats here again and putting together a fleet here in this area.”

Part of fleet management meant starting a youth summer sailing school in order to keep the sport alive in the next generation. Hevia started running the program two years ago, teaching kids ages 10 to 18 the sport of sailing at Sand Hollow Reservoir.

“These kids really master it from knowing nothing at all to becoming really, really good sailors,” Hevia said.

No stranger to teaching kids how to sail, Hevia began teaching his son the sport when the boy was 7 years old. His son, Rocco Hevia, was a natural and was ready to start sailing alone from day one.

“Now he’s 15 years old and he’s started beating me on some individual races,” Hevia said. “We go to regattas together and it’s created a bond between us.”

Hevia has worked 19 years building a career in life insurance, annuities and retirement planning. But he says his true passion is still sailing.

“At this point of time in my life I have the urge to go back to my roots.”

He said he may take off to live again in the Caribbean. However, he said, he still honors the roots he has established in Utah.

One part of Utah life he said he would miss is the sailing opportunities at Sand Hollow Reservoir.

“Sand Hollow is the secret jewel of the desert,” he said. “It’s one of the few places where we have sand and water together. This is also a great training ground for sailors because during the summer time the wind is very consistent coming out of the southwest and it blows right through here at really good speeds.”

Resources

• Hobie Fleet 941 and Sand Hollow Yacht Club Facebook page
• Adults and youth are welcome to participate in various sailing activities in Southern Utah; no experience and boat are required. Contact Raul Hevia at telephone 801-390-5813 or by email to [email protected].

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