Learning to Sail Hobie Cat 16

Greetings,
I just acquired a '97 Hobie cat 16 on South Lake Tahoe. I have no experience sailing but am super eager to learn. If you guys don't mind answering a few questions that would be great.
How can i start to learn to sail the Hobie cat? Any tips would be awesome. I don't have a crew right now. Do people sail in the winter out here? The winter is coming, but I want to get started as soon as I can. Are there any places around Lake Tahoe to learn?
Thanks for any help,
Andy

I don't think you will be sailing on Lake Tahoe in the winter! Sometimes its too cold in the summer. Freezing water and cold air are very dangerous and can quickly cause hypothermia.

Learning? There are a few online options to start:

http://www.hobiecat.com/support/hobie-16/

http://static.hobiecat.com/digital_asse ... 201503.pdf

http://www.hobiecat.com/articles/learning-basics,180/

http://www.hobiecat.com/articles/basics-sailing,182/

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

The post by Matt Miller will be very helpful. Other documentation and/or videos will be helpful as well but once you acquire the basic concepts, time on the water will be your best teacher. Be patient. It's going to take time.

No first time introduction is going to be enough but the link below is a start !!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gYVcApx1k4

_________________

Happy Sailing,

David

First, practice righting the boat. Once you're confident in that, GO SAIL IT! When I sailed my first 14, there was no source of info like this forum-or even an internet for that matter! Al Gore was busy inventing it at the time. The above is pretty much the sequence that I and all my potential delinquent friends on the Florida coast used to learn the boats. Mine took spills aplenty in the surf, and took quite a beating. Still sailing Hobies today 40 years or so later. Oh, and as Matt mentioned, stay out of the cold air and water till you're REAL good! Welcome to the Hobie world!

Dave

@turbofan Al gore was inventing internet. lol
Thanks Everyone.

Regretfully for you and your location, the sailing season on Lake Tahoe is over. You will get wet sailing your boat, and likely capsize in the early stages of learning, and without proper cold weather gear and protection you could be in serious trouble. In your case, it is best to wait until the weather and water warm up.

Does the boat have a trailer? If so, then try going to a Hobie fleet fun sail and make friends with the folks there who will be happy to give some lessons. In your area is Fleet 2, and further away is Fleet 20 and Fleet 281.