Miami Sailor Wins Hobie National Championship

Florida Keys, Islamorada, Florida, Dec 5-89

Miami sailor Kenny Pierce dominated a talent-loaded class of catamaran sailors from all over the USA in the 16th Annual Hobie Wave National Championships held at the Islander Resort in Islamorada held the first weekend in December.
Pierce is new to the class but found the groove to take five first place finishes of the thirteen races sailed, with his worst finish being a third – awesomely consistent racing. Pierce was pushed hard by two-time North American Champion, Tom Whitehurst of Pensacola Beach, Florida.
Going into the last day of racing, Whitehurst was only 7 points behind Pierce, but in the last four races on Sunday, Pierce held off Whitehurst, going on to win by nine points overall.

Dave White, who is usually in the top of the fleet had only fleeting moments of grandeur.

From New Jersey, Wally Myers who has been a National Champion in other classes, sailed the Wave for the first time in warm up races on Thursday. He wasted no time in learning the boat and ended up the regatta in third place overall..
The Wave National Championships were hosted by Islander Watersports (www.islanderwatersports.com) and the Islander Resort over the weekend of December 5th through 8th. The event was sponsored by Catamaran Sailor Magazine (www.catsailor.com), www.OnLineMarineStore.com and CABB (Catamaran Assn of Biscayne Bay).

Charlie Harp was leading the Masters at one point, but left the regatta early

Winds were 12-17 mph every day, which made for some excellent sailing off the beach of the resort on the Ocean Side of the Keys.
Ray Matuszak of Put-in-Bay, Ohio won the Masters Division (over age 65), followed by Jim Glanden in second and Nelson Wright in third.
Sharon Woodruff of Tampa area won the Womens Division, With Andrea Zern-Pedersen taking second spot and Elizabeth “Whizzey” Burrowes taking third.

Tom Whitehurst (V) was nailing the starts, while Kenny Pierce was struggling with his starts.

This National Event has been held in the Florida Keys area on the first weekend of December for sixteen years now, bringing lots of sailors and their friends to this great sailing venue during the off season time for the Keys. The visitors always enjoy the great sailing in our warm and clear waters.
Next year the event is again scheduled for the Islander the first weekend in December. For more information go to www.catsailor.com or email rick@catsailor.com.

Kenny Pierce holding the Coveted National Champion Perpetual

The Races

Day One
The winds started off at 15-17 mph for the first start and did drop a bit during the day, but not by much. The course was rather odd – where the start/finish line were set the chop was light and the winds very good. However, about half way up the weather leg there must have been something in the ground beneath the water. The chop started building and was about a 4 foot chop by the time you got to the weather mark.
Race One had Tom Whitehurst, just off winning the Wave North Americans for the second year in a row, rounding the mark in the lead, but followed closely by newcomer to the Wave Class, Kenny Pierce. Pierce kept closing but could not quite get by. Whitehurst won the first race but had become aware there was a strong contender hounding him.

The rest of the day it was Pierce taking the next three races with bullets. It was Whitehurst being the bridesmaid. At the end of the day four races came down and Pierce was leading Whitehurst by 2 points.
Ray Matuszak was hanging in a bit back but finished the in 3rd place overall with eleven points. Most Hobie sailors know the name Wally Myers, who has won the Hobie 16 Nationals a million times or more. Well, he had never sailed a Wave until the practice race on Thursday.
Myers started off in the top third of the fleet for the first two races and then figured out the boat, taking a couple of 3rd place finishes. He was now only one point behind Matuszak in 4th place.

In the Masters Ray Matuszak had the lead and was 4th overall. Sharon Woodruff was the holding down the lead for the Women.

Ray Matuszak won the Masters and was 4th overall

Day Two
Winds again started at 15-17 mph, but shifted 40 degrees left and died to about 6 mph just before the lunch break.
For the first race of the day Kirk Newkirk opted to duck the entire starboard starting fleet and take off to the right side of the course. He must have seen something that no else did, as he rounded the A Mark with a huge lead. A number of the folks that had been near the back of the fleet rounded in top positions, while the top of the fleet were in the back third around the weather mark.

Pierce managed to keep passing folks and ended up with his worst finish of the regatta – 3rd place. Whitehurst also worked his way through the fleet, but could only muster up a 6th. Newkirk took an Ace with Mike Pedersen holding down 2nd.
Tragedy hit Whitehurst after the first race when the shroud shackle backed out and the mast came down. He worked frantically to get the mast back up, but to no avail. He finally agreed to be pulled ashore for repairs. He was back out for the next race, but he now had a very large throwout and could not afford another bad race.

Tom Whitehurst rounds the last weather mark on the way to the finish line. First boat on left side is Kenny Pierce very close behind. These two went at it like this the entire weekend.

Pierce won the second race, followed in by Myers, Jim Glanden and Ray Matuszak.
The last race before lunch found the big lefty shift. Whitehurst nailed and took the bullet, but Pierce was right behind him, and again Jim Glanden taking 3rd.

Past NA Champ, Doug Seib, finished just off the podium in 6th place

During lunch time the wind went back to the normal direction and filled in around 15 mph. Very nice of it do that during the lunch break.
For the first race of the afternoon Whitehurst took still another bullet, with Wally Myers taking 2nd spot and Pierce 3rd. The last race of the day Myers got the lead and never let go. Pierce took second spot, but Whitehurst dropped back to fifth place in the race.
At the end of the second day Pierce had a 7 point lead over Whitehurst, who had a 9 point lead over Myers. Fourth was Matuszak, Newkirk, Pedersen, Dave White, Doug Seib and Jim Glanden following.

Andrea Zern_Pedersen was second place in the Womens Division

Day Three
Pierce’s strategy was to stick to Whitehurst like glue, and so he did, taking two 2nd place finishes a bullet and 3rd to clinch the championship by 9 points. Whitehurst was second and Myers was 3rd place. Newkirk moved into 4th overall and on the podium just one point ahead of Matuszak, who won the Masters.

Sharon Woodruff won the Womens

Second place in the Masters was Jim Glanden and 3rd was Nelson Wright.
For the Women it Sharon Woodruff, Andrea Zern-Pedersen and Elizabeth Burrowes.
Lunches, beer and sodas were provided daily and the dinner was awesome BBQ Ribs and Chicken with all the trimming. So much food the balance was used for lunch on Sunday before the awards.
Everyone should come back and bring another sailor with you. Scheduled again for the first weekend in December for 2014. The dates are December 4-7.

More Pictures:

Bob Henderson kept improving all through the regatta


Whizzie Burrowes was 3rd Place in the Womens

Wally Myers did an outstanding job having never sailed a Wave until the practice races Thursday

Kirk Newkirk on a blasting reach with Kenny Pierce on his tail

Jim Glanden hot dogging in the big chop

Full Results