Does anyone know if it is possible/ sane to single hand a Hobie 17 from Florida to the BVI's? I have had plenty of experience sailing larger keel boats in the ocean, but the Hobie brings up a bunch of questions I haven't encountered before.

1) How far can I expect to sail in a 12 hour period with moderate winds?

2) What the hell do I do if the wind dies 30 miles from land?

3) Can I sleep on this boat in the ocean at night? And if so, for how long?

4) Can I buy wheels that are light and portable? How do I get this thing safely on the beach at the end of each sailing day?

5) X factors?

If anyone has any tips I would really appreciate it, this is pretty much all I think about.

Are you out of your mind? Other than getting run down during the night or getting off course and drifting into Castro's Cuba there are Pirates in the area, but I doubt that they would want a Hobie 17.

12 hours maybe 100 miles
If the wind dies 30 miles from shore, you may have the same fate
You should be able to use two boat fenders to roll a cat up on a beach
My tip is don't try I had 2 friends try a similar trip, but in the Pacific and they were never seen again although a freighter did spot thier boat and took pictures it appeared that the boat had started to take on water because the bows were sticking straight up with the transoms facing straight down.

H17 are not the best at handleing waves so it would not be my choice for this type of trip.

It is probably best to have the support of a powerboat and others... but it is possible, has been done, and would be 1 hell of an adventure.

1. You can average the same as the wind... so 12 hours with 10 mph wind = 120 miles.
2. drift
3. yes you can sleep on a hobie.
4 i have seem people use 2 pvc pipes to roll the boat up the beach
5. storms, sharks, whales, metorites, bermuda triangle. sunami's, capsizes, a horible flaming death....

Man what a trip. Does anyone remember that short lived show "I Shouldnt Be Alive?" pretty sure it got canned anyway. There was 2 guys that tried to make the trip across the Sea of Cortez on a hobie 16. Long story short..it was way overloaded with gear, so they unloaded the important stuff...like water. Storm trounced the cat. Surrounded by hammerheads. Stranded on an island for days / week + with no water. Damn near died before they had to talk the rescue boat into actually rescuing them...

man what a trip...if you do it..you got huevos grande!!

take pics and share.

leave a will...is your wife hot?...lol



edited by: turtlecat, Aug 19, 2008 - 09:29 PM

Supposedly there were guys who crossed the Northwest Passage (Arctic Ocean) in a Hobie18. I can't imagine it.. but i heard it was true, and done over 2 seasons.


"in 1988, skipper Jeff MacInnis and crew Mike Beedell completed a long, cold journey, becoming the first to cross the Northwest Passage in a solely wind-powered boat. Their craft? A Hobie 18 Magnum, of course."



edited by: andrewscott, Aug 20, 2008 - 01:10 PM

There is some seriously rough water north of Puerto Rico. Routinely. I have only known one man who did something like this. The man who made my G-Cat 5.7. Hans Gessiler. When he designed the 5.7 he was so sure of the design that he put three hulls together and left St Petersburg, Fl. and sailed to Mexico with the help of a small honda motor. I told Hans people would think he was crazy, he said that sometimes it takes being crazy to get your message out.

I lived in the USVI a number of years... DO NOT try it!. Shackleton might have managed it... but it is not in keeping with good sailing practices.

GR

If you are insane enough it is possible. But get right with god before you push off. The H17 isnt the best blue water boat. Loaded with supplies it will be very low in the water. I would suggest a H21 or Beneteau 42 or something like like. If, I mean when, you capsize you will just float with the current and wind. The trades will just take you back to fla. Make sure you wear a harness so when they find the boat your body will be attached to it. Yep, you are insane and you need help.

If you're interested in a bit of an extreme adventure, I have a few catsailors interested in joining a trip around Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest for next summer. Its almost exactly 1000 km's and I'd be prepared to have our 20' inflatable with a 115HP escort us provided that the participants can help with the fuel costs. You'll need a bigger cat though.

The race will be called the Gau Shi 1000 which although is a name derived from my last name, it also means Dog Sh*t in Cantonese...how apt. Anyway, its still in the planning phase but its entirely doable.

Let me know asap if you're interested. I'd like to keep it small to avoid a Worrell 1000 repeat.

i know im reviving an old post but my question is somewhat relevant. Has anyone ever crossed over to the bahamas in a smaller beach cat?

It doesnt seem like it would be too bad, isnt it only like 65 nautical miles or so? Ive done it twice on motor boats so i know how you have to pick your days well to avoid chaos in the gulf stream.

anyone here done it?

Hey Andrew..... I do have that Artic crossing in my favorites somewhere & another adventure by a couple of guy's ..... I''ll post it later, I gotta leave the house now
To the guy(s) who want to go to BVI~~ getta bigger cat.

--
~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
--

The Artic passage story was put into a book "Polar Passage" by Jeff MacInnis and Wade Rowland published by Random House Toronto in 1989. I found it used on Amazon a couple years ago. Good book actually with some cool color photos in the middle of it.

The Bahamas seem possible with the right conditions and right boat. Maybe sailing from the Bahamas to Florida would be better?

--
Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
--

I knew I screwed up after I signed off... I meant to say 'Bahamas'.......It could be possible like ya say.

--
~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
--

While I have no experience with a beach cat in these waters, I've read about a few people doing similar trips.

In the jan/feb 2001 Multihulls magazine there is a story by George Bellenger about numerous trips he made from the Floria Keys to Cuba with crew. He was well prepared for heavy weather. He encountered 20 foot seas and whiteout conditions, had numerous breakdowns, but still had fun as he was prepared to handle whatever conditions or repairs were necessary. He used a paddle for propultion. Making 4 knots if calm.

Also two other people come to mind. Matt Layden, and Dave and Mindy Bolduc. Matt layden is the designer of Paradox a fourteen foot boat that he has made countless crossings to the Bahamas and up and down the East coast. Dave and Mindy have one of his designs, and you can read all about there trips at Microcruising.com. These are not keelboats or anything, just sharpies, and they make the crossing. And they scull when they need to get out of a ships path in a calm.
Good Luck, Matt

I will stick with the Gulf of Mexico

Its all fun and games until you run out of water....

YES, it's feasible! Beto Pandiani, on his 1st adventure, brought his Hobie from Miami to Rio de Janeiro! On his 2nd one, he crossed Cape Horn eastbound and sailed up to Rio, not in a Hobie, but still on an open 20-footer. Not satisfied, his next one was to cross the Drake....YES, the Drake! Than, he decided to go from Miami to Greenland...on this one, he first took part on the infamous Worrel 1000 (arrived 2nd) and 24hours after arriving the finish line, he continued to NY, and from there to Greenland. For this adventure, he sailed an Eagle 20.His latest one was to leave Chile towards Australia on a 24-footer open cat....he accomplished that few months ago. What's next??!!! From Alaska to California!! Call him!

I'll have what hes having , make mine a double.