What is your name? Mark & Sara Hibbard
List the name(s) of the members of your crew? Sara and Alt Crew Letti Hibbard
What is your boat's name, and what type is it? On the Verge, F18-Hobie Tiger 2004
What is the most unique feature of your boat?
Skipper and Crew age total 124 / 64 +60
What is your favorite memory of the New England 100?
The FOG ... on the first leg from Mitchell College to Jamestown on 98? .. we dead reckoned (NO GPS) for 30+ miles... arriving at Beavertail light safely.... avoided a submarine... Sara skippered beautifully.. the hot dog after 7+ hours on the water... was delish.. Thanks to our excellent ground crew keeping us happy in a 1970's Winnebago... Thanks to Wayne and Sue Hewlett
Do you have a favorite “pump up jam” to prepare you for racing?
Ahhh we are more of the careful assembly, double check the boat .. intense.. but chill.. so .. We lean from Van Morrison.. Hootie and the Blow .. Creed.. the crew will throw in Adam Levine and a GaGa tune here and there.
What do you love most about Multihull sailing?
For us it's always been the speed and effortless movement over the ocean ... a beach cat can really cruise through varied sea states... Relatively simple to sail... We switched to a spinnaker boat in 1994 .. on our Hobie 21 "Lunatic Fringe" which was by far our favorite Cat... She was a bit heavy moving around the sand beach but she sailed smooth fast and east to control! The Hobie "way of life" in new England from 1990 to 2002 was great 10-12 regattas a year.. travel everywhere to set up camp on Friday night .. the sailors all happy and outgoing, Sandra being the focus this year .. because of all the years sailing together.. Kids everywhere .. there was babysitting service available.. Great Saturday night BBQ and parties !!
What is your go-to post-race snack or beverage?
We always bring melon and grapes, to clean out the salt after being blasted with the brine... But we like to BBQ chicken & Burgers.. and the Pussers Rum always pours well into a paper cup.
What is your favorite event other than the New England 100 that you have participated in?
By far the best venue and hospitality is the Roton Point Sailing Association .. (RPSA) Sept 17,18,19 2020 ..... Classiest group on the calendar .. We sail insde LI Sound... all classes .. Shark class National Championships this year. In the ninetys RPSA hosted the Hobie 21 Continental Championships several times.. GREAT people and fantastic Steak Dinner ... sponsored by GOSLINGS ... Dark and Stormy rum !!
Do you have a memory of Sandra Tartaglino that you would like to share?
Best brownies in the universe, especially after 5 hours racing.
Tutored many a tyro sailor
Lend you her spare ... anything to keep you on the water
Giant intensity behind her 120lb person.. no fear and cando... look at the video of her and rick bliss at the worrell 1000...
What’s your top speed on this boat?
On a catamaran... there is awesome speed potential... but cats are about the space ... time of sailing on all points of sail... well.. upwind on the trapeze is just as fun at 15 knots as reaching at 30 knots... changing direction is a precision ballet.. 4 good jibes in one race beats the faster boat...