NEWS FLASH

The sailors of Northwest Multihull Association would like to bring the joy of sailing to more people. An idea hatched after our former commodore, Harrison Jones, passed away. We raised funds, then we gave Sail Sand Point a new Hobie Wave catamaran. This way, we’re giving something to the community that honors Harrison's love of sailing and joy of living. Also we’re inspired by other people who we remember fondly but are no longer with us. A new boat is a legacy that should last for years and help turn more people into avid sailors.

While he was our Commodore, Harrison wrote "Racing a high speed multihull is one of the most challenging and enjoyable things I can possibly imagine doing with my life." and "See you on the starting line. We'll be the guys with bugs in our teeth." Though people remember his folding Farrier trimaran "Origami" and his Formula 40 "Running with Scissors", Harrison started out sailing dinghies. We named Sail Sand Point’s new Hobie catamaran "Running with Scissors II". This well-designed 13' cat is fun to sail and is a good training boat. It’s rigged simply with a boomless mainsail.

Harrison’s wife Deborah Jones said "I'm glad that I could help (SSP) and I know Harrison would be pleased that he inspired others to see and experience the joy he felt on the water. He loved being the commodore and any chance to talk about racing, sailing and cruising. He truly did love to sail and go fast." At one NWMA potluck, stories sprang up about Harrison’s fanatical attention to weight while racing: limiting crews to powerbars, baby carrots, and chocolate covered espresso beans.

The NWMA gift is Sail Sand Point’s 4^th Hobie Wave. Besides donations from NWMA individual members, generous assistance also came from Wayne and Ann Erickson of Multihulls Northwest, Rod Gibbons of Cruising Cats USA, Deborah Jones, Scott Rush of Neil Pryde Sails/Rush Sails, Hobie sailor Scott Ruggles, and Caleb Tarleton of SSP. Dan Carpenter of Hobie Cats Northwest provided the boat on a non-profit basis, assembled the boat for free, and found other creative ways to cut costs to the bone. Recently NWMA member Matthew Dunning designed and installed new boat graphics to harmonize beautifully with the existing Hobie graphics. (Color close-up photos at www.nwmultihull.org) NWMA Commodore Mike Wright was very supportive.

Sail Sand Point had a great 2004 season, with over 350 children and 150 adults learning to sail. Many others enjoyed racing and casual sailing. Sail Sand Point (SSP) has taught sailing on their monohull fleet since 1998. In 2003, SSP began building a multihull fleet when three Hobie Wave catamarans were donated. The first was given by Hobie Cat sailors of Pacific Northwest Division 4, the second by Northwest Yacht Brokers Association, and the third by Jim Glynn.

Sail Sand Point is an excellent organization to support. They multiply donations into joy for hundreds of people. Besides their scheduled sail-training programs, SSP does community outreach with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Footloose club for disabled sailors, and others. They provide some scholarships to youths who could not otherwise afford sail training. They spend money carefully, for example, they have no heat and no hot water in their building; most people who work there are unpaid volunteers. More info at www.sailsandpoint.org

Sail Sand Point is bringing the joy of sailing to so many people! Thank you for your support in making this happen! Thank you to the generous people who donated money gifts. Thank you to those who generously volunteer their time.

With our gift, Northwest Multihull Association is doing good in the present, honoring our past, and building a bridge to the future.

Diane Johnson

Northwest Multihull Association member and

Hobie Fleet 95 member