[quote=Dogboy]I think you should have put the boat "hove-to" after the clew plate broke. This is something that every sailor should know how to do. If you're not familiar with what is entailed, the process is very simple. You release the mainsheet completely (obviously this happened automatically when the clew fitting broke), then sheet the jib in tight using the jib cleat on the windward side of the boat (so the jib is sheeted to the "wrong side") and push the tiller all the way to leeward and hold it there. This will point the boat on a close reach heading and the boat will slowly claw its way forward.
The clew plate on the Hobie 18 should have either three or five holes to connect the outhaul fitting, so if one hole rips out, you should be able to pin the outhaul using one of the other holes. If you're not able to install the pin, then I think as an alternative, you could use a piece of line to lash the boom to the end of the bottom batten. I wouldn't sheet in real hard with the sail lashed like this, but it would probably be strong enough to get you to shore.
With three people on board, I would have had one person holding the rudder over hove-to and then one person holding the boom steady while the other connected the clew.
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