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Anyone sailed the Florida keys?

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MN3

Rank: Master Chief

Registered: Jun 20, 2006

Last visit: May 22, 2024

Posts: 7089
Posted: Sep 01, 2009 - 10:14 AM

QuoteAndrew, Rick sells this as a kit. You can find all the info on that other catamaran site. Mine came off a Prindle 19 that a friend and I split. He took the boat an I took the hooter. Here https://store.c...category=261
and here https://store.c...category=261

cool, thanks
PS $2717 for everything? WOW
guitara

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Jul 07, 2009

Last visit: Sep 02, 2009

Posts: 3
Posted: Sep 02, 2009 - 01:11 PM

Spray_in_the_face
QuoteThis weekend looked rough for sailing on Lake Michigan. When I checked the chicago forecast and saw NOAA forecasting possible "waterspouts" I had to look it up and decided that was a bad forecast, so I stayed home. Not to mention the 25mph+ wind and 4-7 foot waves in 65 degree air temp.

Smfinley, Yeah what the heck happened on lake MI Sat night? I got a call from friend Brjair and said that he heard marine warnings come over the scanner. We went down there after midnight and the wind was blowing 25-35 mph (no big deal) but the surf was brutal.We could hear a strange whistle of the wind. (may have be blowing much harder at higher levels) We had 35ft boats loose from there moorings and getting pounded on the beaches. My guess it that it was a remnants of a hurricane passing through. Many smaller boats were cast about. We had seaweed 5ft up from the water line tangled in the forestay.???

I of course decided to sail in it. You can read the whole gruesome story here http://www.hobiecat.com/c…656&f=13&t=14327&start=0. It's funny that the newbie sailed, and the veterans stayed home.
flightlead

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Apr 24, 2006

Last visit: Feb 26, 2020

Posts: 81
Posted: Sep 02, 2009 - 02:21 PM

I've sailed around Florida Bay on similar days on my H16, except the shallow water and protected areas prevented the waves from being more than a 2' chop. I wore a full wetsuit, left the jib off, and reefed the mainsail. I was able to handle the boat solo out on the trap in 30 mph winds and light rain. I can't recall if the H18 mains have reefing holes in place. BTW, that maneuver of turning away from the wind is called a jibe and can be very dangerous in high winds (Be sure to duck your head).

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Flightlead Bimare F18 HT SpaceCoast
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lawrencer2003

Rank: Mate

Registered: Sep 05, 2004

Last visit: Oct 19, 2015

Posts: 327
Posted: Sep 02, 2009 - 03:51 PM

[/quote]I of course decided to sail in it. You can read the whole gruesome story here http://www.hobiecat.com/c…656&f=13&t=14327&start=0. It's funny that the newbie sailed, and the veterans stayed home.
[/quote]
I see you have been properly admonished to be more careful next time. Veterans stay home because we've all ventured out at one point or another and gotten in over our heads. Yes that was "fun" but it could have gone the other way as well. Last Sunday, not even the best of our club left the beach. The Great Lakes are not merciful and bodies wash up all the time.
MN3

Rank: Master Chief

Registered: Jun 20, 2006

Last visit: May 22, 2024

Posts: 7089
Posted: Sep 02, 2009 - 04:09 PM

QuoteI see you have been properly admonished to be more careful next time.

Hahah...i went back to the hobie site and "softned" my possition a bit, well at least i told him not to take it personally :

I thought i was a little to "high on my soap box"... as you said larry, we have all gotten in over our heads
guitara

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Jul 07, 2009

Last visit: Sep 02, 2009

Posts: 3
Posted: Sep 02, 2009 - 04:56 PM

Yes, I'm alive to be admonished.. Had the same thing happened out on the lake, instead of right next to shore, well.. The guy that picked me up didn't say much, except that an old salt told him this once, and he thought it applied. "better to be on land, wishing you were on the water, than one the water wishing your were on land". How true. The Great Lakes are a harsh mistress.
Spray_in_the_face

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Jan 22, 2009

Last visit: Nov 23, 2014

Posts: 99
Posted: Sep 02, 2009 - 07:48 PM

I am all too familiar with being in strong winds jibless. I've made some tacks going backwards and reversing the rudders, but usually I'm just too impatient for that so I opt for the jibe. I generally wait for a calm in the wind, get aft, head downwind with speed then get leeward just as the sail is about to catch the wind and push it over before the wind does it with violence. The thing that really stinks about this is having a obstruction on your downwind that you didn't plan for. ( like running out of room because of two failed tacks)

Kinda funny, a few weeks ago there was a small craft to my downwind and soon as I could clear him ( both going in the same direction) I circled him in a complete 360 with amazing speed. He looked in astonishment and was laughing about the maneuver. Sure glad he thought it was cute, because I didn't want to be the asss who slammed into moored boats.
lawrencer2003

Rank: Mate

Registered: Sep 05, 2004

Last visit: Oct 19, 2015

Posts: 327
Posted: Sep 03, 2009 - 09:35 AM

andrewscott
QuoteI see you have been properly admonished to be more careful next time.

Hahah...i went back to the hobie site and "softned" my possition a bit, well at least i told him not to take it personally :

I thought i was a little to "high on my soap box"... as you said larry, we have all gotten in over our heads

Nah...You lectured guitara like a dutch uncle! A fine wag of the finger we all need to heed at one time or another. (Like the time in my 20's when we drunkenly launched off the beach into obviously unstable weather in early April off Nags Head, NC without wetsuits. (and then got even more wasted) We were kissing the sand four hours later. Quite stupid and we were lucky. We were also being shadowed by a CC Helo for the last desperate hour.)