What gear does everybody take out with them?

Your last sentence can't be emphasized enough. It is not just your skill and your boat's capabilities that are at play when you are on the water. A story to that effect is what happened to me on a Sunday of a long weekend last summer.

I had my wife and son out on the H18 with me and right off the bat we noticed a lot more motor boat traffic. But we also noticed that rules of the road AND common sence were both not being followed. After half an hour my wife said something I have never heard her say before or since. She said, " Iam not comfortable out here, take me home". So I put in to the dock and went home. Half an hour later one of those cigarette boats flipped and sent three people to hospital one with a serious spinal ingury. I saw all the rescue boats heading to the water as I was driving back home.

Modern PFDs are comfortable and no problem to wear. Besides if the wind dies to zero and it is too hot just tie yourself to the boat, jump in with the PFD on and have a nap. It works great:)

I've been thinking about getting a knife to carry to cut myself free from rigging should I ever get tangled on it during a capsize. I'm curious though: how does one get "trapped" under the tramp? Tangled on Rigging? What's going on there?

For people who carry a knife, how are you carrying it? Any recommendations on Knife specifics?

thx

_________________
Adam
e-mail: ab at medjet.net
H17S, Hobie Bravo, A cat
Fleet 444

Your harness hook can easily get caught on the trampoline lacing. or the mainsheet gets around your leg or in a pitch pole you end trap inside the spinnaker, or...

I carrie the knife in a knife pocket in my PFD. it definitely needs to be handy.

If it is a pocket knife better if it can be open with one hand.
It has to be sharp enough to cut the lines with easy and also to cut trough the trampoline.

Getting stuck with the trap hook is my biggest worry and the reason they are mandating a change to the ball and socket or removable hook. For that reason, I carry a leatherman with a wire cutter which is tied to my pfd and carried in my front pocket. I have practiced retrieving and using it while underwater.

Life jackets, worn 99% of the time.
We tend to take them off when there are a few of us in a pack and zero wind. I'm a rower and have spent some time in nasty water in a racing 8, and rowers don't wear pfd's, so it's hard for me to put one on, but I wear it when we're moving.

A few spare ring dings, pins, and shackles in my pocket.

A leatherman in my pocket.

My registration in a small water proof case around my neck (ohio likes to check for it)

Safety whistle around my neck (another ohio thing)

Some water bottles in the tramp bag.

If it's an on and off day, the paddle tied to the dolphin striker.

Ditto the lifejackets - I used to sail and paddle on Lake Superior and it's a no-brainer.

I'm now in Iowa, where a throwable is required on boats over 16' in addition to a PFD/person. Any recommendations on good throwables for a Hobie and where to keep it? If it was small, maybe off the front of the mast hanging just high enough to stay out of the way with rotation? A flat one on the tramp somewhere? Something small tied to the back of the rear crossbar?

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Bill
H20 #433
Southeast Iowa

Yes, I, too, wear a whistle around my neck. These California boaters have one hand on a cell phone, the other on a drink and their eyes glazed over.

I was recently walking my WAVE against tide and wind under the PCH overpass bridge and sliced my toe open on a barnacle or glass.

It was several hours before I could get stitched up and I bled pretty good. Chance of infection was very high.

I shall now always bring a FIRST AID KIT with me. I suggest y'all do the same.

I usually wear tennis shoes when I'm sailing, after an incident with a fish hook. Too cheap for the saiing boots, so a $10 pair of chucks.

Ohio requires a throwable on a 16 as well. A couple of the guys that I sail with tie it to tramp lacing right behind the dolphin striker.