The Cuba Run 2010

Hi everyone ... I think this is about the best place to post this notice ... I am getting together a bunch of Beach Cat Sailors (read HOBIE CAT SAILORS) to sail to Cuba and back Mid November next year and wanted to make this information known to all y'all ... This is going to be a 4 day event!

For more detailed information please visit the Cuba Run site at

http://groups.google.com/group/the-cuba-run/

This will be the adventure of a lifetime ...

Thanks...

John Webster
The Cuba Run
Founder / Commodore

huh. A buddy and I were just talking a couple of weeks ago about doing something stupid exactly like this. I figure if a Cuban can do it in an inner-tube I should be able to pull it off in an actual boat.

My boat is too short though.

Yes, whats up with the 18' minimun? It leaves the Formula 16 boats out.

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Mike Hensel
'86 Hobie 18, '93 Hobie 14, '80 Hobie 14(restso in progress)
Wind in your sails, water in your shoes, great day!

The 18 to 22 foot rule was designed to allow a broad range of boats to participate SAFELY... THE 96 NAUTICAL MILES IS A REASONABLE DISTANCE ... To have boats out on the water at night would not be good ... spinnaker boats 18 feet and up to 22 feet will at least help get the fleet to Cuba in daylight.
Also this is the proven size of other extreme sailing events and this sail is not an easy one by any measure so these dimensions will stand!

John

Will there be a chase boat following the fleet? Or if there is problems will racers have to help each other in case of emergency?

I'm sure I can beg, borrow, steal a F18. Too bad my boat is 8" too short.

edit- crap just re-read your 1st post, Hobie only. I don't know anyone with a Hobie F18 that would actually let me use it. You really should consider allowing some other boats to go, or at least allow my FXone in. Really you've only got a few options for boats from Hobie with the current parameters. Tiger, Fox, 18SX, 21SE, and I'd only consider the first two as being quick.

PN#'s
Fox- 60.4
Tiger- 62.4
18SX- 71.3
21SE- 67 (.960 for adding a spinnaker) so 66.04

FXone- 68.5 (.975 for adding small jib) so 67.525, and I know for a fact it has a soft number.


I'm seriously interested in doing this. I thought about trying to go to the bahama's with it a couple of years ago, but decided it was a suicide run with only one boat and no support. The same friend who was willing to make that run wants to do this.

Why November?
Pretty long sail over 90 miles straight shot
It does look good on a map just an inch or two across
The Florida Straights have a lot of current and big waves
Have you sailed in the Gulf Stream?
It would take a lot of good luck to do a screaming reach there and back
What if the wind is dead in your teeth both ways or just dead
November days are really short a better date would be late June
I would think and plan even with my Hydra-Sport 24 Center Console
I have sailed the Florida Keys in a Hobie weather changes real quick heavy thunderstorms come up real quick
Gary
Hobie Cat 21 SE
Stars and Stripes
USA 415
VHF Call stars and stripes ch 16 sails are red white and blue

An old Hobie hotline had an article about 3 or 4 couples on Hobie 18's; sailed from key west to Cuba, well not all made it . I do not remember the complete story, but a storm blew in fast at least one went over the rest circled the Hobie in 18 foot waves ,they could not bring the boat up so it was abandoned, and so was the attempt. They were lucky to tell the story. Maybe some one at Hobie remembers the story. Lets put it this way, you better be as good as Randy Smyth.

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Bodhisatfa

You could ay the same for and area of coast, a storm could come up and cause problems.

What time of year did your story take place? What kind of support did they have?

Too little details to be putting out info like that.

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Mike Hensel
'86 Hobie 18, '93 Hobie 14, '80 Hobie 14(restso in progress)
Wind in your sails, water in your shoes, great day!

I am looking for the hotline as we speak. I remember, they had no support, only an epirb. They had lots of supplies,as they were going to camp. Also lots of water. The point is that stretch between Key west and Cuba is not that Hobie friendly. Have you done any research on it ? Do you know any one that has done it on a Hobie? I am only telling you what was in the Hotline. The focus of the article was how dangerous it is to do.

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Bodhisatfa

After reading your response again I do not think you are correct in your comparison of a stretch of coast to the body of water between the keys and Cuba. Is the Columbia river bar just like any other river mouth ???

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Bodhisatfa

ANY body of water that you can't reach land in time can be dangerous in a storm. Whether it be the great lakes, a river, a big lake or the ocean.

Exactly, remember the E fitzgerald.

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Bodhisatfa

You can tell from the posts who are the real Hobie people
No captain would endanger crew, boat and himself
A chase boat is a good idea however in these waters The chase boat might be in trouble and unable to render aid
I was in the Keys for a month and only had one day of favorable weather to go from Big Pine Key to the Dry Tortoguas in my 24' Hydra Sport Center Console still rough on captain and crew
In my earlier post I tried to point out danger in this Key West Cuba idea
Has everyone watched 1000 ways to die on TV
This would be about #278
Please read again my earlier post about waters around the Florida Straights and The Gulf Stream
I have sailed them This is not a day at the beach with a 12 pack
I hope Matt or maybe even Hobie Alter give some good advise on this
Bad Idea Insane idea
Gary
Hobie Cat 21 SE and Hobie cat 16 and Hobie cat 14 and 14 Turbo

a "few more options"

Hobie Miracle 20 (65.0)

Hobie Miracle 20 w/spi (62.4)

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Sheet In...Max Out
www.fleet297.org
sailflatlands at gmail dot com

Can't do it with the H20 unless it has the spinnaker, I would not trust a comptip with a chute in open water. It'd probably be fine, but when you stick it haulin' the mail in big wind..... I could see that comptip exploding.