Hobie Alter, A legend of the sport
One of the legends of sailing, surfing and glider flying, Hobart Alter has left us this week, at the ripe old age of 80.
Known to different crowds for his various inventions, the sailors all of course know of the Hobie Cat. “The Cat that Can Fly” could be launched off any beach, sailed by anyone and never killed no matter how hard you pushed it. Surfers knew him for his surfboards, revolutionary shapes and the man who pioneered foam surfboards. And little known to us, inventor of one of the most iconic gliders of all time. The Hobie Hawk, a sailplane that changed the way men in floppy white hats flew during the 70’s.
In a statement released by Hobie this week, they summed up the man and his achievements. Read it here. You can also check out the ‘Hobie Story’ series on YouTube. The two part series on how the company came about. Check out the first part below.
