Hobie Fleet 32's History

The colorful catamaran sails that paint the Virginia Beach coastline on a warm summer weekend are as identified with this resort city today as the Bridge-Tunnel, the Boardwalk, and the old Cavalier Hotel. But when did this catamaran craze get started, where did all these hundreds of boats come from, and what has kept them as a fixture on this oceanfront for over twenty-five years? The answer is simple; the explanation, however, is more difficult.

It was the late 1960s. For most young men, and a few adventurous women who lived in Virginia Beach, surfing was the major summertime recreational activity. The growing popularity of the sport had spawned an entire new industry in the resort city... Surf Shops. It began with west coast surfing pioneers like Hobie Alter coming to the east coast to promote their sport and their products. The first store in Virginia Beach, and at that time on the entire coast, that Hobie approached to sell his boards was Fuel Feed & Building Supplies Corp., the current day Taylor's Do-it centers. The local Western Auto store sold surfboards from Hobie's competitor Dewey Weber and Virginia Beach Hardware sold boards by Don Hanson.

Back on the west coast Hobie Alter had gone back to the drawing board. He had sold his surfboard business, and his attention was now focused on developing an affordable, off-the-beach catamaran. One that was durable, could be easily rigged and sailed, and was light enough that it could be launched by one person. Larger, heavier catamarans had shown their speed and excitement in the waters off southern California for years. Now, Hobie looked to take the foam and fiberglass techniques he learned in building surfboards, and put them together with a host of other new materials to bring this excitement to an entire new and larger audience.

Building The First Boat

The year was 1967. Hobie and a man named Art Hendrickson, an advisor to Hobie in the sale of his surfboard company, each put $5000 into a bank account, and Coast Catamaran was born. Non-sailor Art would run the business end and Hobie would run the manufacturing end of the new venture. Work began in a Quonset hut (formerly home to Hobie's motorcycles) in an alley behind a hardware store near Capistrano Beach. The shop was conveniently close to Wayne Schafer's beach home, where Hobie and his first employee, Sandy Banks, would test their prototype 14-footers.

At first they used a competitor's boat as a trial horse, but soon advanced far beyond the competition. Shaping two different hulls on each boat, sailing the boats, trading them and sailing again, comparing features all the while, resulted in the refined product called the Hobie Cat 14. By the following summer, six boats were ready to race. Hobie, Sandy, Wayne and three companions held their first regatta on July 4, 1968. Unfortunately for this momentous occasion, someone neglected to invite the wind.

Soon Hobie, Sandy and a handful of employees were producing Hobie 14s out of the Quonset hut. As they ran out of room they would rent more space. By 1969, they were growing, but not fast, selling boats largely by word of mouth. Hobie and Art traveled to boat dealers who were painfully unimpressed with the cats. So, they went to boat shows instead, selling directly to the public. It was during this time that Hobie and crew hit on the idea of the decade, when they traded surfing movie producer Dick Barrymore and Bill Amberg a couple of cats in return for a 20 minute movie showing the guys on the beach designing a boat in the sand, then building it, and finally sailing it and having a great time. Ordinary people who had never been on a boat came to the boat shows, saw the movie and were conquered by the Cat.

Meanwhile, Back At The Beach...

In Virginia Beach, Bob Holland had purchased the Hobie franchise from Fuel Feed, and he and Pete Smith were running Smith & Holland’s Surf Shop. Hobie brought one of his early Hobie Cats east for his friends to try when he came to judge an early East Coast Surfing Championship. Hobie's son, Hobie Jr., was about five or six at the time, and put on a pretty good demonstration even in the light air. Don Fentress, one of the active local sailors at the time and also an official for the ECSC, recalls being invited to "test drive" the new Hobie 14, "Having never sailed anything without a centerboard, it took me awhile to come about, and in fact found it almost impossible to tack as I had been accustomed on a monohull or on my Malibu Outrigger. My inability to sail the craft led me to the conclusion that it would never sell." Well, it didn't take long for Hobie to prove Don wrong, and Don purchased one of the very first boats Ferebee Trafton sold from his old Norfolk Avenue location. Ferebee, who had been sailing and selling other catamarans, like the larger P-Cat, had acquired the Hobie line from his friend Bob Holland, who was no doubt a bit more interested in surfing than sailing. Other early 14 owners included Mac Mclean and Chuck Thompson, who reportedly had the 2nd and 3rd boats in the area after Bob Holland. Jim Habel is thought to have had the first Hobie 16 in Tidewater, and Vernon Eberwine, from Portsmouth, the second, sail number 526.

It's interesting to note that the only surf sailing boats at the time were a few of the odd looking Aqua Cats which resembled a Tom Sawyer raft with a tripod for a mast and a loose footed main. Prior to Hobies making their appearance, the only real surf sailing style boats were a Pacific Catamaran and a Malibu Outrigger. Ferebee Trafton owned and sailed the P-Cat, and Don Fentress owned and sailed the Malibu Outrigger, which was built by Bob Holland and a friend from California. These two boats were "kings of the beach" during early days of off the beach sailing. The biggest disadvantage in these big boats was their size and weight. They could only be moved up and down the beach for storage on an inflatable beach roller with 4 to 6 strong bodies (before the days of Roleez and Cat Trax).

National Exposure

Shortly thereafter, the single, most important event in the early growth of Hobie catamarans took place. The very popular Life Magazine did a feature on this new watercraft that included, of course, one of their trademark great pictures. It showed Hobie Alter sailing his new "Hobie Cat" off the top of a wave in about 25 knots of wind. The boat was virtually airborne! In that one photo, Life had captured everything Hobie had been trying to tell people about his new boat... it's fast, it's fun and it's exciting. Almost overnight sales took off. That's not so unusual. It happens from time to time with new products that burst onto the scene in a wave of media hype and popularity. But what has enabled Hobie Cats to ride this wave for over twenty-five years and grow into one of the largest sailing classes in the world?

It starts with the boat itself. Hobie succeeded in his effort to make the boat fun and affordable. Part of elevating the "fun quotient" involved reducing the amount of maintenance time required to keep the boat looking good and in top shape. The boat's fiberglass hulls, aluminum spars and framework, vinyl trampoline and dacron sails accomplished this objective. Gone were the long hours most sailors had to spend sanding and varnishing their wooden masts, booms and trim work. There were no hulls to paint. And, in place of tired, yellowed, hard to care for cotton sails, were an assortment of brightly colored (actually white only at first, colors came later), long lasting dacron panels that were sure to attract attention both on the beach and on the water. But, the people sailing these new craft are the ones responsible for taking these initial advantages and translating them into years and years of recreational fun.

It's true that while most monohull sailors today have never sailed a catamaran, most catamaran sailors have had experience on other types of sailboats. Some say in jest that it was that experience that pushed them to the world of catamaran sailing. For years, the sport of "yachting" was viewed as an elitist activity, one to be enjoyed only by the fortunate few. Centered around stodgy old yacht clubs, that had frowned on multihulls ever since Nathaniel Hereshoff had soundly trounced a fleet of New York's best monohulls with one many years before, it was clear from the start that the "yachting" community was not about to embrace this new upstart catamaran. It was also clear that those individuals being attracted to sailing by this exciting new craft were not at all interested in being a part of any crusty old yacht club. With that, the Hobie "Fleet" and the "Hobie Way Of Life" was born.

F-L-E-E-T Spells FUN

Hobie Fleets developed in communities along both coasts, across the country, and around the world, as a way for people to get together and share a common interest in their new found passion for sailing Hobie Cats. The Fleet gatherings, of course, centered around sailing, and so, quite naturally they involved the beach, the ocean, the lake or the bay, as well as sun, surf, bathing suits, warm breezes, and cookouts and parties at the end of the day. The perfect way to enjoy your summer. As the Fleets grew in numbers a loose structure developed. Fleets were given numbers by Hobie as they were formed, and bylaws were established. Mindful of the turn-off of the yacht clubs, however, Hobie kept the emphasis on fun.

In Virginia Beach, Hobie Fleet 32 was officially chartered on March 12, 1974, although there was some organized activity prior to that date under the moniker of the Tidewater Hobie Cat Association. The first Commodore (sorry, this is one of those yacht club holdovers) was Dick Berry in 1971. Dick graduated law school with Jack Eure, and today is president of Landmark Communications in Norfolk. Other early leaders included Chuck Thompson, who now lives in Nags Head, and Mike Ironmonger, currently the sailing coach at St. Mary's College, one of the top programs in the country. Early meetings were at ODU, with races at Portsmouth City Park, Broad Bay and Nags Head.

Early Leadership

Ron Anthony's involvement in the world of Hobie sailing is a story in itself. He certainly did more than his share to promote this new sport. He rented boats on the beach at the north end for a period of years, and took more than a few people (undoubtedly more women than men) for their first "ride" on a Hobie. A ride with Ron meant punching out through the surf, screaming along on a reach at incredible speeds with you suspended by a thin wire standing off the side of the boat, and then riding the biggest wave he could find back to the beach. After a few rides like that you knew you just had to get your own boat. Ron's later exploits in the grueling Worrell 1000 race from Fort Lauderdale to Virginia Beach became legendary, and brought enormous attention to the growing sport of racing Hobie Cats. Ron's life was cut short by a plane crash in July 1983. Ron was a fierce competitor on the water, but your best friend back on shore. He helped grow the sport by sharing his knowledge and experience with others. Whether it was helping a rookie set up his boat for the first time or giving a chalk-talk racing clinic to his competitors, Ron was happy to contribute. At regattas, Ron never left until he had helped the last sailor get his boat off the beach. And, he was so watchful of other sailors off the north end of Virginia Beach that it earned him the nickname of "Ronnie Rescue". After Ron's untimely death, Fleet 32 took up a collection to buy a large perpetual trophy, and renamed their annual Fleet Championship the Ron Anthony Memorial Regatta.

Mike Worrell, like Ron, was a fixture of those early days of off-the-beach sailing. Mike pioneered the idea of long distance racing on catamarans when he and Steve McGarrett sailed from Virginia Beach to Fort Lauderdale in October 1974. That first trip took them twenty days, and the idea for a future race was born. Mike's easily identifiable standup-style of sailing in and out through the surf, along with the Worrell Brothers restaurant logo on the sail were hard to miss. Whenever the wind picked up and the surf got really big, especially with an approaching tropical storm, Mike was sure to be out on the water testing the limits and putting on a show. Some things never change. Just this past year with a hurricane less than 100 miles away to the southeast who do you think was out testing the waters at the oceanfront? You guessed it!

Mike and his late brother Chris have each made enormous contributions in growing the popularity of this sport. The restaurant that bears their name is a testament to the support they have provided over the years. The walls are adorned with memorabilia, awards and thank you plaques from the numerous events they have sponsored over the years.

Gary Bobbitt might be a less well known name than those of Anthony and Worrell, but he quietly has made a lasting mark in the Virginia Beach sailing scene. Gary was Commodore of Fleet 32 at a time when the sport was growing rapidly, and that growth was starting to impact other beachgoers. Too many boats were congregating in small areas of the oceanfront and presented a danger to swimmers as well as a concern to oceanfront property owners. Gary along with others like Don Fentress, Mike Cohen, Phil Stewart and Jack Eure developed the Safe Sailing Society to promote safe sailing practices. They also worked with then Mayor Pat Standing and the members of City Council to come up with the currently used beach sailing permit plan to spread the large number of boats out evenly along the oceanfront. At their peak there were close to 250 boats on the oceanfront at the north end, and an equal number on Chesapeake Beach. More recently Gary has continued his sailing involvement with his participation in the management of the annual Low Rent Regatta at Chesapeake Beach.

Along with the guys, the First Lady of Hobie sailing in Virginia Beach is without a doubt Ann Karnitschnig. From the earliest days of the Fleet to the present, Ann has been an active participant in the local sailing scene. Sailing both 14s and 16s she has competed in a multitude of local and Nationals events, always offering an encouraging word and nurturing a growing core of women sailors coming into the sport.

And, no mention of those who were key to the growth of the sport would be complete without noting Ferebee Trafton's contributions. While it's true that he benefited from the many sales of Hobie Cats over the years, it was his strong support for the sport of sailing in general and the Fleet in particular over that time that brought him that success. Whether it was paying the first year's Fleet dues for a new boat owner, helping the Fleet with marks and anchors for a regatta, spending a little extra time to make sure your rigging was just right, or hosting Fleet parties at his shop or his home, Ferebee was always willing to go the extra mile to help out. The Fleet in turn would help with projects like staffing Trafton's booth at the annual boat show, a tradition started long ago by Ron Anthony. The result of Ferebee's dedication was year's of success, and multitude of Hobie Cats on the Virginia Beach waterfront. Ferebee can even lay claim to selling a boat to Muhammad Ali!

Let The Races Begin

As more and more people became owners of the speedy Hobies, it was inevitable that before long the boasting of who was the fastest would lead to some form of racing. Not willing to submit to the normal yacht club style of white shirts, blue blazers and straw hats, Hobie had a better idea. While there would always be a core of expert racers at a regatta, there needed to be a way to involve the beginner and intermediate sailors without them being intimidated by the experts. The approach to this involved splitting the sailors into different fleets, much like flights in a golf tournament. C-fleet was for the novice, B-fleet for the intermediate and A-fleet for the advanced sailor. As your abilities grew and you won at one level, you then moved up to the next fleet at the following event. Translation: more racing, more fun, more trophies, more participation. Back on the beach everyone could swap stories about the day on the water, the beginners would get tips from the experts, and everyone could enjoy a cookout and a few beers.

The racing program was a hit. The local Fleets were soon organized into sixteen divisions across the country and a series of "Points Regattas" were held within each Division. The regattas were so named because the top racers competed to earn "points" towards qualifying for a berth in the National Championships. Traveling to these regattas meant packing up the boat and car on a Friday afternoon, picking up your crew and driving two to eight hours to the event. Crews were usually a girlfriend or a buddy, or sometimes the wife and kids. After two days of fun and racing you'd pack it all up and head home, and back to work on Monday morning.

Originally, Fleet 32 in Virginia Beach was set up in Division 11, which included the Mid-Atlantic area from the Carolina-Virginia border north through New Jersey. After several years, however, it became evident that travel to regattas south of us was easier and less costly than venturing north over the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel and the Cape May Ferry. So, along with the active Fleet 221 in Richmond, Fleet 32 moved their membership in the late 70s to Division 9. That Division stretches south to Georgia and west to Tennessee.

While the Points Regatta program is still strong today, their peak was in the early 80s. Turnouts of upwards of 100 boats were common at the bigger events, with rarely less than 60 boats at even the smallest regatta. Virginia Beach was, and still is a popular stop on the regatta circuit. Fleet 32 has always delivered the best in ocean racing, which those sailors who were used to lakes and bays looked forward to each summer. As the popularity grew the events moved from secluded spots like Fort Story and Dam Neck to the heart of the resort strip. With over 100 boats and 500 people attending these events it was a great attraction for the oceanfront. It was also a major logistical undertaking on the beach as well as on the water. "Beach Captains" were in charge of trailers, parking, launching and landing. On the water, the Race Committee was tasked with handling starts and finishes for a multitude of classes. This involved chase boats, mark boats and sometimes setting up two separate race courses to fit everyone in. Sometimes it spawned innovative approaches, like computer scoring of all the racers. With the assistance of one of our members, John Barrett, who owned the local Computerland store, Fleet 32 was one of the first to utilize this new technology to better track and more quickly compile the results of the days activity. Every Points Regatta was a mammoth undertaking that involved months of planning and an army of volunteers.

Points Regattas are only one part of the Hobie racing scene. There are many fun sails, series races and other races. Point-to-point races have also been popular. Worrell Brothers for years used to sponsor the annual Chesapeake Light Tower Race, which took boats off the beach, around the light 13 miles offshore and back. For the past 18 years the local favorite has no doubt been the Low Rent Regatta. It has become a Labor Day Weekend happening that signals the unofficial end of summer. The event had its formation one summer when the folks on Chesapeake Beach thought the Fleet was acting a little too restrictively by holding most of their events on the "high rent" oceanfront. They wanted a few races on the bay side as well. It's reported that Ron Anthony's jestful reply was, " Who wants to sail at that low rent beach anyway?". That remark was enough to set the Chesapeake Beach crowd in motion. Playing up on the "low rent" theme, they made their first place prize that year a used Cadillac Eldorado, or $300 in cash. First year winner Bob Poteat chose the $300. The granddaddy of all local races, however, is the local Fleet 32 Championships, now the Ron Anthony Memorial Regatta.

Having first been contested in 1973 under the leadership of the Tidewater Hobie Cat Association, today's Fleet 32 Championship is the longest running continuously held regatta on the East Coast, and second in the world. Bob Goforth won the 14 ft class and Griff Mcree won the 16 ft class at that first event. Neal Brock and Don Fentress also placed in that inaugural event. The race was held that first year at 54th Street on the oceanfront in front of Mike Cohen's house. Mike and his family graciously hosted this annual Hobie invasion on Labor Day weekend for over fifteen years. He even sponsored a number of the events through his company Kitchentown. In recent years the race has moved around a bit to facilitate better beach access, but the flavor of the event is still the same. The winner has bragging rights for the next year, and the celebration starts immediately at the party afterwards. No one has won the championship more times than Bob Taylor who has managed to capture the title five times, although Mike Eason is closing in with four wins under his belt. The event has been even more special the past thirteen years as we've held it in memory of Ron Anthony. Ron personified Hobie sailing in Virginia Beach, and, while he was with us, this was by far and away his favorite regatta. It's fitting therefore that in this way he's still able to join us each year for the Fleet 32 Championships.

What's Happening Today

In recent years, the growth of new people coming into the sport has been slowed by the advent of sailboards and jet skis. Jet skis especially, with their near zero learning curve and easy operation, have taken the interest of many young people who previously would have been attracted to Hobie Cats. The appeal of Hobie Cats, however, appears to once again be on the rise. New boats and new technology are renewing interest in the sport. The 2000 Olympics may well see Hobie Cats as an Olympic class. It also remains to be seen if these other types of watercraft will have the same staying power as the venerable Hobie Cat.

Today, Hobie Cats number in the tens of thousands, while most othersuccessful sailboat classes are happy to have several hundred. You can hardly pick up a promotional piece for the City of Virginia Beach or any of the local hotels without seeing a picture of people having fun on a Hobie somewhere inside. The bottom line to all of this, the answer, the explanation as to why these boats have been so successful is summed up in a simple phrase..."The Hobie Way Of Life". It speaks of the simple pleasure of cruising along under the power of only the wind and your ability to control it, no motors or noise to interfere. It's the rush of blasting out through the surf or riding a big crest back to shore. It's bringing that special girl along for an afternoon sail in the fading summer sun, or racing on the weekend with your buddies. It's taking your kids for their first sail, and hearing them scream with joy as the spray flies up in their faces off the leeward hull. It's t-shirts, bathing suits, sun and sand. And, it's sharing the company of friends, new and old, who share a special bond and a common love for what is the "Hobie Way Of Life."