Living in landlocked Idaho can't keep Modern Sailing member Andy Hoobing away from sailing. Nearly once a month, Andy, often with family, flies across at least three states to go sailing on San Francisco Bay... or farther.
Andy began sailing in China in 2006 when on a 2-year work assignment in Shanghai. He had always been curious about sailing and saw the Shanghai Yacht Club advertisement in the back of a Lonely Planet guidebook. After joining, Andy started sailing dinghies and later ended up in a half ownership of a Dragon 5.7 (copy of a Flying Scot). Sailing became a nice way to get out of the city on the weekends, and something more.
“I love how when you are on a sailboat that you are only worried about the fiberglass below your feet. All of the other problems in your life fade away,” he says. (We know how addictive that feeling can be!)
Living in Boise, Idaho, Andy couldn't leave his love of sailing behind. In the spring of 2017, he joined Modern Sailing and began to progress through our ASA certification courses to qualify for bareboat chartering. During his jaunts here, he stayed nights aboard club boats.
After lots of practice here on San Francisco Bay and receiving his ASA 104, Bareboat Cruising and ASA 114, Cruising Catamaran certifications, Andy was able to charter boats in Belize, Italy and the British Virgin Islands.
Andy says the most valuable skills he learned at Modern Sailing were about safety on the water. “Sailing with Modern and on the SF Bay taught me how to keep my head moving all the time and thinking about what could happen. There are so many moving pieces on the Bay and the training really helped me to make sure I would come back safely.”
In the fall of 2018, Andy enrolled in our Club Skipper Clinic. Skippering Club Sails at Modern Sailing soon became a feature of his frequent visits to the West Coast. He also sometimes sails at one of Modern's reciprocal clubs, Harbor Sailboats in San Diego. During 2020, he did not travel to Modern Sailing, but did earn his ASA 105 certification.
This December, Andy and his family, joined by friend and fellow Modern club member Lee Thomas, travelled a bit further for their sailing - to a bareboat charter in the British Virgin Islands. They had a blast! At Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke, Andy and Lee also happened to bump into another Modern Sailor, Christina Tierney!
This January, Andy was back in Sausalito to skipper Modern Sailing's first Family Club Sail.
As much as Andy loves sailing on San Francisco Bay, he dreams of one day sailing off to the South Pacific to “roam around” for a couple of years.
