Hobie Ponting

Hobie Ponting, 22, a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has been sailing for over ten years, but it wasn’t until recently that he began competitive sailing. Learning to sail on catamarans and quickly moving onto big boats mixed in with college dinghy sailing created accelerated learning curve.

Having the opportunity to sail with many talented sailors based out of the South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee, including previous professional sailors Scott Bruesewitz and Tim Kent who sailed in the 2002/3 Around Alone Race inspired Hobie. These mentors also gave him a nudge to pursue his dreams of sailing professionally.

Hobie enjoys sailing on focused and competitive teams but is also fascinated with the concept of solo sailing and spent last summer working on the intricacies of shorthanded sailing. With a goal of a solo Lake Michigan crossing and participating on other Lake Michigan Singlehanded Society events, Hobie started training in Ynglings but plans to move up to a J-35 for the actual racing, a smart move as anyone who has actually sailed a Yngling would attest to.