Questions regarding Hobie's for a newby

Hi:
I have a couple questions I hope everyone can help me with. My girlfriend and I are new to sailing and want to take lessons and we are wanting to get a hobie cat my questions are:

1. Are there any sailing schools in British Columbia, Canada or Seattle, Washington or California area that teach sailing on hobie cats?

2. For my girlfriend and I what wiould be the best cat to get? considering a wave or hobie 16.

Thanks in advance
Take Care
Darren

1. Short answer...yes. You can go to the hca-na.org website and under the Contacts menu option, find your relevant division contact. They should be able to find you a local fleet that will assist you.

2. I highly recommend the Wave for the novice, young, or anyone wanting to enjoy multihull sailing at a more pleasurable pace. Very easy to maintain, and setup is a breeze after you've done it a time or two (especially with the initial assistance of your local Hobie fleet rep).

Darren,

I went through this evaluation last year as a newbie sailor.

The best advice I received was to get involved with a local Hobie Fleet, which I have done. The people in Fleet 23 here in Dallas have been extremely helpful. They have been teaching me how to sail and supporting me along the way. Sounds like you are already taking the right steps.

Regarding the boat to select, I decided between an H16, a Wave and a Gateway. Ultimately me decision was driven by budget. Wave's and Gateway's are very nice and I would have been pleased to have either one. However they are typically not available used in the DFW area (or it seems like any other area of the country) at anything substantially less than the retail price. Since I didn't have the budget to buy new i purchased an H16, which are easy to buy used at a reasonable price.

Initially the H16 was more boat than I was ready for. However with help from Fleet 23 and lots of studying I'm getting better. I have capsized twice, but hopefully I learn from them and I'll be less likely to do so again! The key is to be sure that I am sailing in conditions I can handle. I wasn't doing that when I capsized.

Another bit of advice i received from a post on this site is that I would grow into an H16 and out of a Wave. So depending on what you want to do with your sailing in the future keep that in mind. If you ultimately want to race or experience more extreme sailing then an H16 is a better choice. If you are happy with cruising around a lake or in the ocean without the need for extreme then the Wave is a great boat.

Whatever you choose, I'm sure you will have as much fun as I am having!

_________________
Michael
'86 H16 #91487