One month with your AI or TI - where would you go?

I know when I asked myself this question I chose a place across an ocean and with a little with research and calls to a few airlines and being transferred to their cargo departments I quickly found out I would need to ship it via container ship
Bearing that in mind, if you had one month for vacation what are you dream/goal trips with your AI or TI?

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2014 TI w/tramps

I'm in northern New Mexico, but, if I had a TI, I would hit all the major lakes from here to the Canadian border with special emphasis on Yellowstone Lake and Jackson Lake. Further north there are Flathead Lake, Waterton, and St Mary's and McDonald's in Glacier NP, etc. Hungry Horse Reservoir in Montana has great trout fishing .

If I wanted a little warmer vacation, I'd go west to Lake Powell--huge! Of course, there are lots of smaller lakes all over the place which are suitable for a TI. Closest to me is the Navajo Reservoir which spans the border between Colorado/New Mexico. Also a huge lake.

Good luck!!

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Several years ago we drove to Alaska pulling a fifth wheel so there was absolutely no way to bring our AI/TI. It killed me everytime we camped on a beautiful lake with moose, bear and beautiful scenery but with no Hobie island to sail. It was torture. Someday we're hoping to return with our TI to sail in BC and the Yukon as well as Alaska.

This week we're driving to Vermont and the coast of Maine for a couple weeks. We learned our lesson on the Alaska trip so this time we're taking our beloved TI.

Jim

I'll throw in one more "if" - IF I weren't too risk averse to try it ...
Since I was a young adult I wanted to make the crossing from Florida to Bimini in a bunch of different ways (boat, private plane, etc) - and I would now love to do it in my TI. Now I'm coming up on my 50th birthday and still haven't done it. I've worked it over and over with my buddy - I know we could do it if we picked the right time, but I just can't make the risk equation work.

Of course that wouldn't take a month, so ...

I would probably spend a month on local rivers headed down to the Gulf of Mexico or tooling around a coast somewhere.


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Not sure if I would attempt a run to Bimini with my TI, once you get away from shore and out of sight of land on open ocean, being on a TI is not the place to be. Incredibly boring, you can't escape the intense sun and heat, and the TI being such a small boat bobbing in the offshore waves is no picnic.
Now what might be fun would be a 40ft sailing cat as the mothership, you could throw the TI on the deck or tow behind, then use it once you get there to explore. With the cat you have ac, can cook food, and sleep in nice beds, and can stay out of the sun (which is intense) once you've had enough sun. Plus you have bathrooms.
One trip that might actually be fun with a TI would be following the keys down to key west (staying close to shore). You can't do that with a big boat (too shallow). I would day sail only stopping at a different resort every night. Somethin like that I think would be a blast with a TI because you can still sail in a foot of water, (yea that's how deep it is in many areas). Of course it would all need to be planned with reservations at the resorts. Most of the resorts we have stayed at allow us to park our TI on the shore overnight. We tend to stop at all bars and restaurants, most have docks, or at least a beach area (we get very hungary and thirsty boating (lol)).
Just throwin out ideas
FE

Hey FE - didn't know the rules allowed for a mother ship - I'm in with that one!

If I WERE going to attempt a trip across to Bimini (which I'm not), I would probably start across early morning (like 2 am) and try to get there before afternoon thunderstorms rolled in. The only time to do those 40 miles is in the summer (gulfstream in the winter is a no-no). Main problem with that is (from what I read) that if the gulfstream is tame enough to cross, there probably isn't much wind - I don't feel like pedaling 40 miles across open ocean.

I am coming down with a severe case of cabin cruiser fever again (had a 27 footer back in the early 90s). If the fever is incurable, I will make the journey in it.

I really like the idea of a TI tour of the keys staying in resorts if I could find enough that would let me pull up on shore. I stayed at a Guy Harvey resort in Islamorada and moored the TI there. Made dive trips over to Cheeca Rocks and Alligator Reef. I could spend a month just doing that.


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The funny thing about this topic is that i literarily have a few months left with my TI before going overseas fir two years. Well, to stay on topic and being realistic, I will be sailing lake Michigan.


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Our TI is all hardened for offshore and we have massive sailsets along with twin outboards. We get around 80mpg and our normal cruise speed is around 10 mph in very light wind. We live down here and in the summer you just can't depend on the wind for anything, (it comes and goes, and switches often). Typically in almost no wind just peddling at a maintainable pace for long periods we can maiintain 2-3mph. The 5mph gulf stream would be driving you northward so you would need to compensate for that (approach Bimini from the south because if you miss it you can't peddle fast enough to drive south (I've been caught in the gulfstream and strong currents down there several times (that's why I added the motors and extra sails).
Even with all I have not sure I would attempt a Bimini crossing though I'm pretty sure I could do it in under 5 hrs, faster with favorable winds.
Actually the big mothership cat is something we were planning to do in ST Thomas and the US and BVI islands maybe next summer, the Bahamas would work too (lol).
FE

I've a got a beach cruise in the Abacos on my bucket list. Since there is cargo service running from FL to the Bahamas, it should be relatively doable, but I have no idea about costs and complications.

I'd make it the month of March and train/race in the EC 300. It's almost as if the TI were designed bespoke for that event.

Errr....lost my response...
Yes Bahamas were exactly the cruising grounds I was thinking of when in the shopping process. I believe there is a couple on here with a Catalac catamaran (36' I think?) cruising Bahamas. Maybe they will chime in on how it is?
I think it is illegal to camp on Bahamian beaches (tourism is a good chunk of their gdp). Although a sailor I'd buy a 36-40' trawler, add kayak hooks to the rails. You could even fit two TIs, adding a davit to hang the amas (or potentially a larger trawler with a decent size trunk cabin and stow them on top there or worse case in the flybridge). Would be pretty fun!

Or...anyone here have a Bahamian beach house we can come beach camp at? I promise to be a good bartender and chef!!!

Baja is second my list. Lots of warm, fairly clear water on the Sea of Corte side. Mainland Mx from Bandera Bay and South to Melaque also would be pretty epic I bet.

Anyone taken theirs or rented one on vacation in Belize?

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2014 TI w/tramps

You only need a week and half for the EC. I've done it a few times myself in other types of boats, just bought a TI. I may try the EC in the TI next year, or barring that, the shorter UM. Fun event, if you think you'd like it, you should definitely do it.

Try arranging things with Out Island Explorers. They rent kayaks and Sea Pearls in the Abacos and can tell you where camping is and isn't allowed. https://www.outislandexplorers.com/sample_routes.php

Gotta get your boat there on your own, though.