San Diego Bay 2 Bay race

Just a reminder to all those in the SoCal area, the annual "Bay 2 Bay" race is next Saturday, June 12. There are two races -- a 20 mile race from Mission Bay to San Diego Bay; and a 5 mile race inside San Diego Bay from Shelter Island to Coronado.

This is the only race locally where pedalers can go head-to-head with paddlers and see who gets the bragging rights. There are separate SOT categories for over 15' (Adventures), under 15' (all other singles), tandems (men, women and mixed), and many other categories, so there are plenty of opportunities to win, place or show.

The $45 (price goes up next week) includes continental breakfast, lunch, T shirt and awards. Lots of cool boats to look at, plenty of fun, great exercise, and good cause (proceeds benefit the YMCA aquatics program).

More information and entry form here: http://www.peninsula.ymca.org/special-e ... gatta.html

Hope to see some of you there!

Congratulations Roadrunner!
I just checked the results and it looks like you and your daughter easily got first place in your category. Great work!
Any more details to share on how the TI performed?
Did you end up taping the Daggerboard slot?
We have just tried out our TI in kayak mode and are very happy with how well it performed in shallow narrow creeks and being paddled.
I think the Oasis has lost its crown and the TI is now Hobie's most versatile kayak!

Thanks stringy! I didn't want to just blurt it out so I'm glad you asked!

For the race, I taped over the centerboard well (big improvement) and streamlined the 4 seat scuppers. We found the boat seems to run best with the heavier person forward. Even clearing seaweed occasionally, we averaged about 5.7 MPH over the (shortened) 4.4 mile course with dual Turbofins. My daughter did most of the leg work while I handled the more skilled steering. er, I mean navigational duties from the front while providing valuable ballast.

Pedalers ruled the day -- there were 4 categories where pedaling kayaks entered and they won them all. Three were Hobies -- an Adventure won the men's over 15' SOT (most paddlers have abandoned the category this year as hopeless), a Revo won the men's under 15' SOT, and the 4th was a custom built 17' Seda Swift prop rig that won the men's SIK division. Perhaps they should put the pedalers in a different division next year to give the paddlers a chance to compete on a more equitable basis.

I would post pictures (including our photo finish with a 6 person outrigger canoe (OC-6) which made the TA look tiny, but alas, I'm out of town and have no access to my pic file presently.

With hull streamlining, the TA has a lot of speed potential -- is definitely the fastest boat in the Hobie fleet now. It's the first tandem to run quietly and smoothly. Of course it bounces around more than the Adventure in chop and responds more to wind, but compared with the Oasis it's in a different league. Practicing for the race, I gained a lot of respect for its pedaling prowess. Overall a formidable pedaler!!

Thanks Roadrunner. That's an excellent average speed. Great results!
With me being heaviest, I hadn't considered sitting in the forward seat. We will have to try that and the taped streamlining next trip.

It's not a big deal, but at the higher speeds there is some dynamic lift on the bow and the stern squats a little bit. This drops part of the rudder housing in the stern wake, creating additional drag. You can hear the difference when this starts to happen. With the heavier person forward, this tendency can be minimized for an extra smidgen of speed -- always handy in a race!

For cruising there may be other more important considerations that dictate seat position. Additionally, at more moderate cruising speeds, the issue may be moot -- this is more a "high speed" phenomenon. Finally, this applies to the TA mode only, not necessarily the TI mode -- extra equipment changes the center of balance.