On some level I find it humorous that the only two fundamental, game changing, inovations to come the world of sailing in the last century came from people outside of the traditional sailing community. The Hobie Cat and, to a lesser extent, sailboarding did more for sailing than any other person, invention, technique, etc.
I was brought into sailing with the purchase of a 1988 Hobie 16 which I still own. Sailing was always something I was drawn to but with no experience I was not about to spend thousands of dollars to give it a try. $850. put me squarely into sailing with a competent boat and trailer. I used it to teach myself the basics and then to have one hell of a lot of fun on the water. Although I haven't checked in a while I would guess that the same amount of money would get a prospective sailor started today.
The "sailing community" has never given proper due to Hobie or his accomplishments. The shear magnitude of his success insured that he could not be ignored and he will certainly never be forgotten but the short obit in Sailing Magazine on line pretty much shows how much respect the traditional community gave to this amazing individual.
RIP Hobie. Your work is appreciated and you will be missed.
