Some of you may remember last year when a Turbofin powered Adventure brought home this Bayliner (AKA Titanic Jr.):
Well, history was destined to repeat itself (sort of).
It started out as a perfect Hobie day at the lake. An unseasonal wind was blowing a bit (locally known as a Santa Ana). It was quite gusty, getting up to about 40 MPH. The only other kayak that launched had just pulled out -- was having trouble hanging on to his paddle and didn't want to risk getting caught up in a water spout.
I had planned to take my local dealer's AI for a spin (he is temporarily storing his demo fleet at my house, and I get to use them -- heh heh). When I saw the wind dancing on the lake, I decided that I was not a good enough sailor to handle a water spout, so the AI became simply an Adventure! Trusty Turbofins afoot and camera in hand, it was an easy launch.
It was nice having the lake to myself. Heading downwind was a breeze, the wind augmenting my leisurely pace at 5.5 MPH. When it was time to turn back, that's when the Adventure really earns its keep. As I hunkered down to a workmanlike pace of 4.0 MPH against the wind, the spray was passing in such a hurry, most of it went right on by!
The chop was no match for the Big A -- it just motored right on.
Whatever it didn't flatten, it simply bored through.
Oh yes, back to the rescue. By and by I spotted a boat adrift, rapidly approaching, and headed over to see if they needed assistance. I could see the outboard was up and it looked like he had a trolling motor. Unfortunately, he couldn't make any headway against the wind. Moreover, he couldn't even keep the bow from falling off, and was helplessly circling as he drifted alee. Typically, no flares, no signaling, just confusion and panic. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Having problems?
He: Yes
Me: throw me a line; I'll give you a tow.
He: (looking around) YOU'RE going to tow me with THAT???
Me: (looking around) Yes
Me: Is your trolling motor still operating?
He: Yes
Me: OK. You push, I'll pull.
It was not a particularly large or heavy boat, but that wind was sure having the best of it. Secretly I hoped I could make headway with all that frontal area in tow. So off we went. The Turbofins really kicked in. After a time the GPS showed we were making 1.0 MPH -- only a quarter mile to the launch ramp! The passenger (smiling, below) was obviously very relieved to be going forward again:
Under the lee of the mountains the water was calmer. As you can see in this next pic, the passenger settled down to her job of keeping the bow down. The skipper was diligently operating his trolling motor -- it was a commendable team effort!
With our combined skill, we finally arrived at the ramp. As we approached, I called for assistance from another stinkpotter who was tied up. He pretty much pretended he didn't hear until I told him we might collide with his boat. Instantly motivated, he took the bow line, and the Adventure, sans Island, headed home (to another launch ramp).
For those who might doubt the dependability of Hobie's products, keep in mind, there isn't another kayak around that could have pulled that off. Most yaks wouldn't even been able to get themselves in. Those who are on the fence about the Turbofins, let me tell you they've really got some grunt when you need it. Hobie, you're in a class by yourself!
The day finished up as it started -- a perfect Hobie day.
