I'd like to say a big Congratulations to all the D7 competitors who participated in Lake McConaughy, NE for the Hobie 17 & 18 North American Championships.  It was a fantastic event organized by the Master - Steve Cooley.  Steve had some great support from his Division (5); and things went very smoothly.  Matt Bounds, our HCA Race Director handled the job of PRO with exception and the competitors concluded the 4 day event with 8 races.  The wind on Saturday was light, Sunday Zero, Monday 40 knots PLUS!, and Tuesday just perfect...at around 15 knots....kind of like the pourage in the story of Goldy Locks and the 3  Bears!

Lake McConaughy is a very cool place.  While it is in the back-country range of Nebraska....just North of Ogalla, you in essence enter the State Park and then have access to go just about anywhere you want.  They have these HUGE 4 wheel drive tractors that will pull your vehicle (of any size) down through the sand to the water front.  And about that sand....it is like the Gulf of Mexico sugar sand!  I've rarely seen anything like it....but when it's blowing 40...the sand is EVERYWHERE.

Division 5 hosts their Labor Day regatta at Lake McConaughy every year.  I highly recommend visiting and participating in their regatta if you get a chance.

Results for the event are bellow as a pdf.

Enjoy your Fall!

Wow!  Before you knew it, Old Man Winter has left us with some fantastic warm weather and sunshine.  Just this past weekend, my kids had the blow up water slide and swimming pool out.....I must admit...even I thought about sliding down the slide after mowing the yard.

This Saturday we officially begin the CLYC season races with the annual Memorial Day regatta.  Racing will start at 1:30 PM on Saturday....that means to have your mast up and sails ready to go on the beach by 12:30 and heading out to the lake by 1:00.  Sunday races start at 10:00 AM.  As always, most of us will leave the beach from the Hobie Swamp Area/Marsh Land.  This location is just West of the Clear Lake State Park. 

Many of us who sail regularly leave our boats at the Hobie Beach area.  However, we ask that if you not just use it as a place to store your boat.  There's not that much room and the DNR doesn't like just seeing boats sit there all winter as an eyesore.  Also, please keep in mind we share this area with anyone else of the public...we don't have any special rights to the shoreline or the lake access...so be sure to share accordingly...maybe even use it as an opportunity to take someone sailing!

Who might we have sailing with us this year...and what might they be sailing you ask?  Well the Wessels recently invested in 2 Hobie 17's, Charlie has that brand new Hobie 16 he won at the H16 Nationals, Mike has a Hobie 17...let's see if he's found the wings yet! LOL.  Steve B., Lynn T. and Jeff G. has a very nice H16, Bill & Mick, & Dave have tricked out Hobie 14's....and I have the fastest boat on the lake....my Hobie 17! Ha!  I have yet to prove that, however. LOL.

After this Saturday's races, we will have a nice Fleet 10 meeting at Bill & Lana Wilsons house. 

Here's a toast to a great summer of sailing at Clear Lake with Hobie Fleet 10!

Well, Christmas 2009 has passed by, and hopefully we are all feeling back to normal from whatever your New Year Eve's celebration entailed, and finally it's time to realize all the Holiday Treats has probably moved you up a boat size....or two!

So now is the time when we all start thinking about sailing again...the warm sunny days, the breeze blowing through our hair, and the sweet smell of sun lotion being applied lavishly.  But then harsh reality sets in as you hear the weather forecast 5 bellow zero and a chance of 6-9" of snow tonight....damn them...do they always have to penetrate my day dreams?  But, all is not lost!  Now is the time to renew your HCA dues, google video training on the Racing Rules of Sailing, read a book on sailing, or visit the America's Cup website and see all the commotion going on with that great race!  There are many resources for Hobie Sailors to brush up on sailing over the winter.  The HCA-NA.ORG website has some great resources on sailing, like tips and tuning, rules explanations, Hobie University, and it's also nice to review the 2009 Final Standings and see who was the top competitors in each class.

So, while it is very nice to gaze out the window and daydream of that Hobie skimming across the lake while one hull just barely splashes on and off the water, when the nasty forecast brings you back to reality...just dive into these noted resources and you will be right back to daydreaming and making the day that much better!

Enjoy!

Well, this is my first time to post on our new website...and believe it or not, it's the first Blog I've ever written...so try not to be to harsh on me right away!

First, I'd like to welcome you to Hobie Fleet 10.com.  Hopefully, this site will have lots of useful information for beginners to experts on living the Hobie Way of Life.  We also hope our site will entice you to come to Clear Lake and participate in sailing on one of the great lakes in Iowa and the Mid-West.  We plan to post our regatta schedules, our social plans, and great tuning ideas, Racing Rule Changes, and have links to a multitude of sailboat websites and information.

So for now, I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  May God bless you, your family, and your friends over this Holiday Season.  While we may have a blanket of snow covering Clear Lake....we all know it's just a few short months of cold before the sun melts the ice and we are back to Hobie Cat Sailing all Summer Long!

C ya!
Todd