Sailing one handed

So last summer I bought a hobie 16. I got it out 3 times before I had it out with a Chevt Taho while on my motorcycle. The preceding confrentation left me without use of my left hand/ arm. I'm just looking for thoughts on how safe it woulkd be to go out this summer.
None of my friends have sailing experience and I dont really know how much that might play into things.

*note the first time I took out the cat I had it fliped in 20 min. I am an experinced sailor but, just worrie about a good puff sneaking up on me/us with, an unexperinced person at the helm and me only one hand.
Any one have Suggestions/ Concerns??

P.S. Cooler Fleet of rehobeth bay DEL.as soon as I get my hand back watch out!

There are many sailors with disabilities. There are paraplegics who also have limited use of their arms sailing the 16. Of course you would always want to have someone with you I would think. You should beach train your crews and perhaps practice capsizes near shore and with assistance available just to be sure you can handle the worst case scenario of a capsize. Just be careful, wear pfd's, carry proper safety equipment and maybe a cell phone or radio. Sail in protected waters before venturing further. Good luck and happy sailing!

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

Any ideas for righting the boat should a puffer catch me off gaurd an send me swimming?

O.K. Assumeing we figure a work around for getting the boat up right how, should i climb back on with one hand?

Thanking you in advance,
Chris

first time out post accident!! (if you can call it that) trying to put out at dead low tide in about 6" of h2o just over river mud. black stinkey river mud. eewww.

By the time we both sat on the tramp we bottemed out with ease. The wind was not blowing quite enought to pull us through it. so joe (my crew this time and probably the last )decided he would walk the boat out.
Like trooper he hops into the water/mud and procedes to sink up to his waist in the mud. As he is sinking i trim the sails and you guessed it up comes a puff and off i go. Leaving him seventy five yards off shore stuck in mud up to his waist and, me on my way across the Delaware river.

I keep my cool and manage to tack useing my foot on the rudder or with my good hand or, was it my teeth on the main sheet? I do not know my left hand did not play too much into it though.

after an awkward tack i could not manage to point back to joe who was still stuck in the mud so i settled for heading for the beach. Joe managed to become un-stuck waded to shore to disclose a desire to "call it a day"well, all is well that ends well. it was so good to get off land even if it was for three and a half minutes.

Good story! You'll get it eventually.

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Warm regards,

Jim



"A little crazy but with big balls."

So my mind is mde up.
Anyone wnt to buy boat?
(Which could be the start of a new thread.)
So it would have been a great day if I weren't in the pickle I am in.

Wind was nice about 10 - 15 knots, no real big waves. The tide was just right. There was a total of three of us, one of which was a complete stranger{who will be refered to as "Dude"}, I know not the most wise thing to do but I approched him as he was putting out his 10' compact mono hull and asked him if he wanted to go out on my cat. If he approched me I would have said no. I had grown impaitant (sp?)(I'm a sailor not a secretary) waiting for my scheduled crew and was actually on my way home. When I asked him Dude said yes and I proceded to ask him about his sailing experience. Dude said that he owned many diffrent cats H14, H16, Toranado. So I figured cool Dude knows his (censored) i mean stuff.

I should have known from the onset that things were not going to go that smoothly. Dude rushed me through my rigging process. I don't know about any one else but I have a certian way and order I rig as not to miss any thing. As we are rigging my previously scheduled crew (nate) shows up.
Oooh Ooh the best part. Even before the boat is off the trailer. As I was gathering rudders sails ect. I grab my dry bag that has safety equipment. Flairs extra rope whistles signaling devices. Dude says "OH YOU WON'T NEED THAT STUFF". I should have just stoped packed up and went home right there but, in not so many words I said my boat my decision and I took it any way. I fully believe in saftey first. Its better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it right?

So we get under way, all he wanted to do is go fast which I cant say I blame him hell we were on a cat but, Nate has had no sailing experience and he needed to learn a few things. Dude is starts tacking without telling any one. I'm like wait! wait! and stop him. Then I give nate the ten second course in coming about.
Question: Before a tack, when you guys/girls are out, does any one else go through the motions of; "ready about?" Wait for crew responce, "ready" then "hard to lee." Maybe his stlye is diffrent than mine. I just think everyone should know whats going on before any drastic changes are made. So, just when you thought it could not get better, dig this. I made absolutely clear that going pitch pole was definately unacceptable. Dude said cool but the boat came real close a few times and I had to refresh his memory a few more times. Shouldn't one have been enough?
In hind sight I should have been on the main sheet. We are clipping along the lee bow starts to go i can see it comeing. " DUDE BLOW THE MAIN SHEET! DUDE!! BLOW THE MAIN SHEEBLABLABLAAA...... you guessed it. Pitch pole. effing great! real effing great!!
This post keeps getting better huh?
So I give Dude the benifit of the dbout and a chance to redeem himself by takeing controll of the new, wet, slightly unacceptable situation. Dude is getting no where. So here I am in the middle of the Delaware river with use of only one hand. a boat gone pitch pole. It's going on three and a half could have been five minutes and the boat is still not upright. I am the only one who can climb up onto the low hull. Can you figure this out? The guy with one hand is he only one who can stay on the boat. Nate is calm (Nate and I go way, way back if I'm calm he is calm. we read eachother that well.), I decide its time to take controll. but Dude would not listen to me. Eventually he did and could you imagine the boat was up in two shakes? Everyone got onboard. I tried to get on by myself but needed help. That answers that question.

Needless to say, we B line it for the beach through out our way back I keep asking Dude to, point up or fall off, come to windward or lee, port or starboard as to avoid crab pots or to just basically stay on course. Get this he asks me to "just say left or right". I was a little taken back. Those are pretty dam basic terms WTF? oh well I guess all is well that ends well.

Hey Dude should you eventually find this post, no hard feelings I guess we just have diffrent sailing stlyes. I did have a pretty good time till going pitch pole. and I must thank you for showing me my limit.
Today I learned my limit. For my safety and someone else's, I think I better work on getting rid of the cat. I hate being responsable this effing blows. First I had to stop rideing motorcycles (my first passion) AND NOW CATS!! what a bad year. Anyone looking for crew in the delaware area? I can lend A hand. pun intended. get it "A" hand?

Well folks I'll still be peruseing the fourms and dropping a line every once in a while. Remember "Be crazy not stupid"

-Chris

Hey man, sorry to hear things worked out that way. I'd try to talk you out of selling the cat, but you know your situation better than I do. Best of luck to ya!

Warm regards,

Jim

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Warm regards,

Jim



"A little crazy but with big balls."

I dont think you should give up. Think about it real hard! You already pitch poled. With three people on board! How worst will it get?

You had three people on the boat! cudos to that! Three people on a hobie 16 is a huge crowd, and to me it seems like you had total control over it all at all times.

First one on the bottom hull, and try to get it back up and running. AND WITH ONE ARM! Sheese! I would take you out ANY DAY!

My best recommendation for you is, always wait for your crewmember. Try not to sail with anyone else. Teach him. If you know him that well you should both go out and him learn the boat, one step at a time.

Good luck and dont give in.

Sounds like your biggest handicap was the "Dude" ~ not your left hand!

I'd say you'd be better off to limit the unknown factors & not invite crew you don't know anything about! Just because he was launching his own craft doesn't necessarily mean that he's a seaworthy as the vessel he's trying to float.

After all, for all you know, he may have been hit by a Taho too!!!

I've had some time to think about it and hell with that :x ! I'm keeping the cat. I've made some improvement with the left hand and cant friggen wait till the water warms up.That Thaoe took away my motorcycle the hell if its going to take away my cat! I'm getting better (although not 100% YET) and I'm getting on the water this summer and every summer for the rest of my life!

lets go sailing. :D

I've had some time to think about it and hell with that ! I'm keeping the cat. I've made some improvement with the left hand and cant friggen wait till the water warms up.That Thaoe took away my motorcycle the hell if its going to take away my cat! I'm getting better (although not 100% YET) and I'm getting on the water this summer and every summer for the rest of my life!

lets go sailing.

Thaaat's the spirit! If I can survive the tow of shame two days in a row, you can sail with one good hand and one improving hand.

Warm regards,

Jim

We are human indeed! Or in the great words of DEVO : are we not men?

I second that emotion Jaime.

At the first sign of storm.....WE SAIL!

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The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.

I say keep the boat and kick Dude's ass...

The "Dude" sounds like a lot of bogus, wannabee sailors, that I run into out her in the nor'east. Anybody who prefers left and right to stbd or port on the water is not what he says he is.

Keep on sailing man. Once a Hobie cat'er always a hobie cat'er