Hi all,
Just bought my first Hobie, and looking forward to getting it out on the water.
This is my first boat, never sailed a cat before (in fact basically never sailed at all!) and I was wondering how other Hobie sailer's got into the sport? I saw a hobiecat being sailed as I laxed on a beach locally (in the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand), and it kick started my obsession, which has finally led to me buying a 14T.
So, my questions are:
Were you experienced (at sailing
- mono hulls? windsurfing? etc) before buying your first Hobie cat?
Did your first solo sail on a Hobie scare the sh*t out of ya?
How long before you learnt to fly a hull?
Look forward to your responses. BTW this is a fantastic forum. Great info and community
(hint: float your mast in the water and check for bubbles) Never really was scared because we had Gordon for a coach (hint: contact your local fleet). The scary incident was our first trip to a lake near my grandma's away from the city and Hobies, just my girlfriend and me. Ran downwind way down the lake in a real nice breeze and when we turned around to head back noticed the winds building and clouds darkening. Found out quickly Gordon had kept us on a pretty short leash with mostly broad reaches and flying hulls, so beating up wind was not our strong point. The storm never made the lake in the hour or so we spent beating upwind, but all the time tacks were getting harder due to building winds. Blew over once but luckily a boat was there to assist us rookies in righting.
