Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... allow me to recommend in the strongest terms to you an excellent book which I have just finished.
The Last Time around Cape Horn by William F. Stark.
It is the very well-written story of the author's journey on the very last commercial sailing vessel to deliver cargo from Australia to England. I confess to smiling broadly at his description of climbing to the top of the Pamir's 168 foot mainmast, high above nearly an acre of sail area - and coming close to tears at the end of the book (for a variety of reasons which I will leave for you to figure out for yourselves.)
It's not often that I recommend a book to others but this one is hard to put down and I guarantee it'll be worth your while.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.kolumbus.fi/jamikko/Pamir%201934.jpg)
Hmm..., that picture's got me thinkin'...is it possible to put two more masts on my Hobie ???
Jaime,
You`ve got me interested. I`ll have a look. Now that summer is fading away fast (actually gone up here), the only way to the water is through a good book.
Dave
Hey Dave..you need to come down south. For one, summer is only starting (we don't really have a spring or autumn. Just a summer and cooler summer. The plus side, good winds all year round. Just having had my first winter sailing season here I’m already looking forward to the next one. Winds drop nicely to the 10-20kn range over winter. 
Of course the day you sail will be the day a front pushes through with strong winds 
Clint,
Careful with the invite - you may end up with a houseguest!
As for up here (near Toronto, Canada) the seasons are more like 5-6 months winter (serious winter) and 2-3 months summer. Sailing on the Great Lakes IS great - while it lasts...
I have a well heated power-boat to stretch out my seasons on the water. But, I am definitely climate limited with the Hobie.
On the bright side...we have no white sharks! (haha)
Dave
Yeah, the sailing season is almost over here in Minnesota. The weathermen are predicting some temps in the high 60s for the next few days, so I might get one or two more chances, if the wind is there. The waters getting cold, though.
I've already started my first sailing book yesterday (Oct.12). It is called:
"The Voyage of the Norman D." , by Barbara Newhall Follett (1927).
It is a delightful and 'unexpected' book about a sailing adventure. I'm about one-third through the book and intend to tell you folks all about it, when I finish. But I guarentee you have never read a sailing adventure like this one.
Tell me about them..out of all of the sailors in my club I'm definately the biggest 'wuss' when it comes to sharks 
The only factor for us here is wind w.r.t sailing. To much or too little..otherwise it's all good. Nice thing, is that if its a blaring wind, we can trailor our boat to the harbour (10min trip) and sail in nice flat water. We are lucky here. BUt the apeal of a lake is still great. Leave your boat on the shore over night. I get the idea that you guys living near a lake can really have 'week' afternoon sailing??
Oone thing though..offshore sailing is the way to go 
Riding swells puts a new dimension onto the hobie 
Clint