Oooops.

Bruce Armstrong

July 7, 2004

Dear Mr. Alter,

A day of sadness and mourning has come to our family today. After 30+ years of owning and sailing Hobie Catamarans, my father, 86 years old, sold his Hobie Miracle 20. I must say that it was not without a tear or two. An era has ended, but lots of great memories live on. It was back in the mid 70's he started me out with a Hobie 14 (he wanted a Catalina 22, boring!). After getting the feel of the boat he soon moved up to the much faster Hobie 16. Then in 1978 when he saw the first Hobie 18 leave him in the dust it was on to the bigger and faster. First, get the 18(#1204), then worry about selling the 14 and 16 later! From there it was many happy years of family sailing on the 18. Kids, grandkids, cousins, friends and neighbors. Lake Powell monsoons, San Diego Harbor and Mission Bay week long vacations, each year with the Hobie in tow. By the mid 90's it was on to the Hobie Miracle 20 on Deer Creek Reservoir, Utah Lake and Lake Powell. A lot of boat for an 80 year old! And some great sailing too! One cannot put a price on the feeling of flying the hull with your dad on the helm, teetering on the brink of the "Point of no return". No one can ever replace the memories, the fun, the excitement or the joy felt. Thank you Hobie Alter, you took a lonely 16 year old boy, who had very little in common with his 55+ year `old man', to manhood and
fatherhood, with his father at the helm. My kids are now crewing the old Hobie 18 (#1204), with a `Hobie Bob' atop the mast, she never will turtle again! They too, love the feel of flying high! And maybe there is one more ride for the `old man' and his son, this week or next. Just look for two grey, thin haired men teetering on the brink of the "Point of no return"!

Thank you again, Hobie Alter!

Warmest Regards,

Steven Lisonbee

Palacios TX Dinghy Dash - Sep 2004

We are having a casual cruise / race where we sail out to a beach and camp there overnight, head back the next day. The race is 18 miles out to an island, 11 miles back to our beach, camp at the beach overnight and sail 7 miles back the next day.

People not interested in the race portion are welcome to just sail out to the beach to camp with us, there is a launch ramp only 1.5 miles away.

Full info about the event here:
https://www.shortypen.com/events/ddash/

Shorty

London, UK 9 July 2004
SONG HELPS DISABLED SAILING

Some of the proceeds from the sale of a CD featuring a song about sailing are to help raise awareness of disabled sailing.

Sailing is one of the sports featured in the Paralympic Games which take place in Athens this September, and to mark the occasion, UK singer/songwriter Peter Brodie has released a CD with 10 tracks including 'Summer Breeze', a ballad about going sailing. For every copy of the CD sold during 2004, Brodie is donating one US Dollar to the International Foundation for Disabled Sailing (IFDS).

IFDS is the body responsible for disabled sailing around the world, including sailing for people with physical disabilities, blindness, deafness and learning difficulties, and covers all aspects of sailing including recreation, training and racing. The money will go towards ongoing international projects, such as developing and updating resources to provide accessible venues for disabled sailors worldwide.

The album entiitled 'The Music of Peter Brodie', consists of ballads, some love songs, others about getting away from it all in - by road, on a freight train, to the beach, or in the case of 'Summer Breeze', on a boat. It is this track which drew the praise of IFDS. A spokesperson said: "Peter Brodie's performance on 'Summer Breeze' epitomises the spirit and triumph of sailing. It seems to speak to sailors of all nationalities and abilities. Sailors from around the world should enjoy his compositions, both on the water and off. IFDS would like to thank Mr. Brodie for his contribution to the sport of sailing through his musical talents."

Brodie said: 'I am delighted that my music is able to help such a worthwhile cause, and I would be thrilled if 'Summer Breeze' were to become a favourite song with sailing enthusiasts around the world, both disabled and able-bodied." The song can be heard at www.peterbrodie.com.