Give me a break

Out today on Jordan Lake. Wind was honkin', as the junkyard crew would say. I don't know exactly how hard but enough to whip up some white caps and decent swells for a lake. I've opted not to go to the beach again to catch my second attempt of the fall spot run, even though I'm hearing reports of coolers being filled in just a couple of hours, but I'm a sailor first I tell myself and the forecast has called for 10-20 mph winds, few gusts. I'm probably 20-30 minutes into sailing after driving 1 1/2 hours to the lake and spending 45-an hour rigging the boat solo. Sailing hard up wind to starboard, close-hauled, traped out, and with the windward hull just a few inches above the water. As I am intensly watching the leward bow to keep it level as I suddenly feel a quick change in the feel of the tiller, it pulls hard into the wind as I round up just a hair. I look back and to much supprise, the port rudder is gone. Broken cleanly just at the rudder casting. So I have to go back to shore, after blowing a tack due to the non-responsive port rudder, naturally on a starboard tack, so stearing is quite difficult and I have to de-rig the boat as I watch the couple of Moth's on the water up on foils hauling ass. Not to mention the "sweet" 16 regatta is next weekend and I don't have a replacement rudder. Come on sailing gods, give me a feakin break. I think I can find a replacement though, but it's just the principle. I tell ya, with these sailboats, it seems like it is always something. But don't get me wrong, I love em' and wouldn't trade it for anything, except maybe a newer boat .

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Oh, and by the way, any of you NC sailors that are near the coast, grab your rod and real and find the closest pier. I just spoke to my mom who has been at Surf City with two friends and they say the spot are running like crazy, just a few blue, pompano, and trout too. Pulling em up two at a time. They got there around seven this morning and have already filled up two huge coolers, they're working on buckets now. Me and a buddy caught about 100 four days ago in about six hours, and they are putting us to shame. They probably have 3-400 by now. Those recent coastal storms, onshore wind, and muddy water are driving them in close to shore. Get em while it's gettin. Bloodworms, Artificial bloodworms, and earthworms seem to be hitting the best. I hope I can make one more trip down there before the've headed too far south, but that doesn't mean I'm not gearing up for a good ole' fashioned fish fry, which means I'll be cleaning fish for the better half of the day tommorow. I'd of gone today if the forecast hadn't of been calling for the awesome wind we've had today.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

That's nothing. At the North Americans in Alameda this year one team of racers shipped their boat across the country only to unpack it in Alameda and find that the bottom of both hulls had been ground down about an inch or more by the hack transport company. The transportation company must have been dragging the boat around their concrete and asphalt loading dock.

The two racers spent much of the prep day re-glassing the bottom of their boat. If my memory is correct, the comptip on their mast was also damaged, so they had to replace that, too. Compared to comptips, rudders are a dime a dozen.

By the way, I've got a spare set of rudders for the exact reason you describe above, since it's happened to me, too.

Man, I can only imagine what that would be like to have soemone screw up my boat like that, especially at an event like that. And yeah, the rudder thing really isn't that big of a deal, I'd rather it be a rudder than just about anything else on the boat. I just thought I'd share my short sail session with ya'll on the forum. It was the first time something like that has broken out of nowhere when I was actually sailing the boat pretty well, opposed to just doing something stupid. But, I've heard that those old rudders have a tendancy to do that, I need to get a new set anyway.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

take a look at Trey's refurbed epo's. He used them as a mirror to shave in last night, so they are 100% redone and look great!

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Brad Stephens
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