Skipshot wrote:
How do you suppose that 18 got caught inside?
I like history. Especially oral history, so I've been doing some digging. Hobie and Jack O'neill (wetsuits) were basically both involved with the early development of the California surf culture. I get the feeling from talking to both of them that there was a friendly competition to see who could be more hardcore. In 1968+or- Jack opened a Hobie dealership at his chandelry here in the Santa Cruz Harbor, and started selling mass amounts of Hobie cats to the surfers. Surfers up and down the coast were putting the boats to the test, and riding larger and larger waves. The Santa Cruz guys were starting to ride the the most heavy spots like the Lane, San Lo Rivermouth, San mo's, and the Harbor Mouth etc., and Hobie took notice. In early 1970 Hobie built the legendary H14 # 41. Hobie built the boat, loaded it on a trailer, and headed out to Santa Cruz. There were two hardcores that worked at the shop and were tasked with taking the new boat out at the Harbor mouth and riding the huge South Swell that was rolling in. This is the result:
This was on the cover of the Santa Cruz Sentinel in 1970. In the foreground you can make out the top of one of the jacks that make up the West Jetty of the SC harbor. It's a heavy, heavy spot.
They caught 5 waves and the 6th one they hit the lip too hard and the masthead stuck in the sandbar and the boat exploded. The guys ended up on the sandbar trying to pick up the pieces, but the rip was too strong and sucked the boat out and wedged into the jacks, never to be seen again.
So, this was the culture of the times, Hobie sailors were known for going above and beyond the "normal" reality of sailing at the time. I assume, but don't know that the Vid is of Dean Froom and the Hawaiian boys messing around, and probably shot in the mid 70's. It's just an extension of the earlier days of the demise of Hobie 14 # 41.
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