Helene Schmidt from the Davis Creek Yacht Club on the Chesapeake is the lucky winner of the Hobie® Mirage® i12s - a perfectly compact sailing kayak.
We caught up with Helene this week to see how she’s enjoying her new Hobie, and here’s what she told us:
“I received the Hobie Mirage Sailing Kayak in August and promptly donated it to the Youth Group at my church. They were happy to receive it and I hope they will fall in love with sailing, too. It looks like a wonderful toy for a younger sailor…”
Helene’s sailing life began in the 1970s at which time she sailed aboard her first boat, a Pearson 26 named “Angel.”
“Sailing out of Oyster Bay, NY, I enjoyed many evenings sailing to the Sound and back to the mooring. At that time I also crewed on a 38' sailboat out of Greenport at the end of Long Island. We made many passages to Block Island and Cuttyhunk, but the sailing trip from Bermuda to Montauk was my biggest adventure.”
A work transfer and the sale of her beloved Pearson meant that Helene was without a boat for several decades. However in 2008 she was able to re-float her passion and buy her current sailing boat, a Morgan 382, which she has named “Hallelujah”. These days Helene enjoys sailing around the Chesapeake Bay.
And as for Helene’s thoughts on Summer Sailstice?
“I've participated in the Summer Sailstice since 2009 and really appreciate this wonderful group. Please thank the folks at Hobie again for me!”
Stay tuned as we track down the Youth Group and learn about their sailing adventures aboard their new Hobie Cat Mirage Sailing Kayak!