'Big' Journey

Hi everyone,

Just wondering how many of you have adventured into long journeys with your Hobies.

I have an FX-one and am planning to sail this summer from south of Portugal to Morocco and back.

Its 104 nautical miles straight line and 146 miles, the safe way, along the coast of portugal and spain and only then crossing gibraltar. What do you reckon? Doable for an amateur?

Does anyone have any idea of what is the speed of an fx1 with 15 knots wind?

Thanks
JFontaine

It must be totally doable, the crossing itself is only 15km. I haven't done it but am myself thinking of longdistance sailing on my FxOne.
You should study tidetables or get local information as the current through the strait can reach 5 knots

Watch out for heavy traffic going through the strait and ferries from Spain to Morocco.

You will have to prepare standard papers for yachts with crewlist for clearing customs and you must find out in which harbour you can do the clearing.

In Denmark a longdistance yachting club can help with these papers, maybe there's one like that in Portugal

The atlantic has been crossed on a hobie in 15 days and the Mediterranean in 54 hours. Hobies are FAAAST

Check out the video http://www.defi-terresens.com/multimedia

Lets hear your experience and see photos from the trip and the equipment

_________________
Poul
FxOne 165

I'd Rather Regret The Things I Did, Than The Things I Didn't

Your trip sounds like it could be done easily, but it would be a VERY good idea to do it with other boats and a two-way water-resistant radio with good range.

Did 1100 miles around Baja Mexico way back in 1990 on a Hobie 18 with wings... my brother wrote an article: http://www.brianjoder.com/BajaAdv.htm

Since then we have done a bit of kayaking along the same route in reverse direction... the original experience was a life time adventure.

Cheers and good luck with your adventure... be safe!

I have not sailed in Europe, but I'll share these suggestions which have served me well here.
Your sailing in an area of heavy big boat traffic. You are the burdened craft meaning get out of the way of the heavy metal. I'd use a radar reflector up the mast so they can 'see' you from far off. Do not underestimate how quickly these ships will come up on you, as they're doing 15-18 kts easy. Once the biggest ones are a 1/4 mile away, they'll never see you under their bow.

I'd also carry a GOOD vhf radio and maybe a flare or dye marker.

Be safe.

_________________
Chris
'88 H18SE Arís