The second annual Hobie Island Waccamaw Weekend at Lake Waccamaw, NC May 31 thru June 2 was EPIC!
19 Hobie Tandem Islands and Adventure Islands registered, up 5 from last year. The event was also supported by local Hobie dealer Sail and Ski Connection of Myrtle Beach SC who was set up on site demonstrating Hobie kayaks and paddleboards and offering technical and repair support for the Island sailors.
Sailors started arriving as early as Tuesday May 28, but all had arrived by Friday afternoon to set up and secure a weekend parking spot on the beach for their boats. Many took advantage of a delightful late afternoon breeze for a leisurely sail before the Welcome Party which started about 6:00pm and was the official event kickoff.
Saturday dawned to perfect temperatures, and absolutely no wind! The race officials, Philippe and DeeDee Laurent, who had been tracking the forecast for days, were confident that southeasterly winds would arrive mid-late afternoon and postponed the start of racing until 2:30pm. Sailors passed the time eating, socializing and trying out the kayaks and paddleboards provided by Sail & Ski Connection. A triangular course (upwind, broad reach, broad reach) of 0.3 mile legs was set up and 15 Hobie Islands and 2 monohulls, a Holder 14 and Holder 20 (both also built by Hobie) took to the course.
At the starting horn of the first race, boats were off to a slow-motion crawl across the glass-smooth lake. 0-4 knot conditions persisted throughout the first and second race. Suddenly as most sailors were rounding the second mark or headed down the last leg of the second race you could hear shouts of “here comes the wind”. Within seconds the wind went from 0-4 knots from the East to 10-14 knots from the South… and they were off!
What followed was about 90 minutes of flying hulls, snapping sails and the kind of windy, wet and wonderful racing fun sailors live for, doing three more races, one of which was two laps. About 6:30 p.m., at the end of the 5th race for the day, sailors emerged from the lake, hungry, tired, soaked to the skin, and grinning ear to ear. Once dried off, everyone partied until 10:00 p.m., many wearing festive Hawaiian shirts, enjoying a delicious catered dinner and live music provided by Curtis McIntyre.
Sunday’s winds were steady at about 8 knots offering near perfect conditions. Sailors participated in a pursuit style race, leaving the dock about 9:40 a.m. and rounding marks set up in a 6.3-mile course around the lake. A few non-Island boats from the sailing club joined the pursuit. The first sailors to cross the finish line (doing two laps instead of one!) were Philippe and DeeDee Laurent (Saturday’s race officials) in their F18 catamaran (no surprise there). The first Island sailor to cross was the line on Sunday was Russell Galvan who usually also sails an F18 but was trying out a borrowed Adventure Island for the first time. One Tandem Island crew member called ashore to say their boat was taking on water, and the safety boat brought the crew in while towing the boat behind. Otherwise, the race was completed in Bristol fashion. The day ended with happy sailors, a good lunch, the prize ceremony and promises to come back next year, June 6-8, 2025 for the Third Annual Event!
The winners:
Tandem Island Division: 1st Place: Ben Tuval 2nd Place: George Morgan
Adventure Island Division: 1st Place: Mark McKay 2nd Place: Beth Cribb
Congratulations all!! Looking forward to next year…
