Hobie 16 and Hobie 20 North Americans

Published on September 20th, 2019

The 2019 Hobie 16 and Hobie 20 North American Championships were held September 16-20 in the small scenic community of Harrison Hot Springs in the mountains of British Columbia.

The lake had a thermal wind pattern that generated a very nice southerly breeze that builds as the day goes on. Throughout the week, sailors raced in a variety of conditions but in the end both the light wind and big wind teams got their day and went to shore happy.

In the Hobie 16 Class Ben Brown and Sarah Isaak (USA) established an early lead with a very strong performance in lighter wind that they held all week. In recent years the Hobie 16 class has been dominated by past champions but this event broke that cycle with Ben and Sarah winning their first ever North American Championship. Positions two through ten were closely fought and frequently changed.

In the Hobie 20 class it was a tight battle between the top four boats. After the first two days they were all tied for the lead. The final outcome wasn’t decided until the last race. Mark and Tiffany Lewis (USA) won the 20 class followed by Mark and Kimberly Zimmer (USA).