New h18 owner looking for any advice

Ok I'm new to this site and i have sailed many times on various boats but back in January I purchased am 84 h18 with 3 mainsails and 5 jibs and lots of other goodies to boot. All it needed was a good scrubbing and just a few small items to make it sea worthy, but with that said I've taken it out on the nearby weiss lake and we always have a blast. But next week we are going to PCB and are gonna be able to keep it on the beach and was wondering if anyone had any pointers, or does and donts for the ocean versus the lake anything anyone has to input will be greatly helpful thanks!

Watch the weather. Ask the locals about wave action tendencies. Be aware of the tides. Beach anchor for a storm. have warm soapy water, or, at least a scrub brush, ready for morning. (used seagull meals and bugs).

Beach anchor even,if its up by the dunes at night? What do you suggest for a beach anchor?

Welcome to the H18 class. May the boat bring you many years of joy.

When sailing in the ocean you should use more mast rake to help keep the bow up and stop it from crashing into the next wave.

On my boats own Facebook page there is a photo album showing how much mast rake to use and how to measure it. My guess is for an 84 boat, if the rigging is old, you may need to use full aft rake on the forestay hole.

In the ocean you should also stand one or two steps further aft when on the trapeze.

If you feel too close to the waves/chop when on trapeze, try pulling more mainsheet on to keep the boat up flying a hull a little more.

_________________
John Forbes
Hobie 18 Reimagined
Sail # 490
Boat name: 18@heart
http://www.hobie18.fun
https://www.facebook.com/Hobie18catamaran/

Dig a hole 3 feet deep. Tie a 10 foot long rope to a cinder block. Toss the block in the hole and cover with sand. Tie rope to front crossbar.

The biggest challenge you will find going from a lake to the ocean is the difference in the water “texture” and specifically launching and landing through the surf. The H18 is very capable in ocean conditions, but I highly recommend you act conservatively when starting out. Waves three foot or less and wind in the 10-20 mph range. Too much wind and you’ll be out of control. Too little wind and you won’t have the power needed to punch out through the waves. The wind should also neither be directly onshore nor directly offshore.

Always keep the boat pointed perpendicular to the waves when going in or out through the surf. Getting turned sideways in breaking waves gets ugly quick. Launching and landing with the jib out (un-furled) will help with keeping the boat pointed where you want it and provide extra power needed to get through the waves.

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Thanks for the pointers thats some really helpful tips they will be put to very good use. As far as getting out of control I normally dont do too much fast sailing we just kind of just cruise around for the most part just for fun kind of thing just depending on who all is with me on the boat thanks for your tips