Hobie Sailing in Madison, WI

Hello Hobie Friends,

I am just wondering if there are people on here from the Madison, WI area that would be interested in sailing around in the Spring (or still this fall if it is warm enough).

I'm not looking for a crew, just someone else in the area with a hobie cat who wants to sail around with another hobie cat... let me know!!

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Chris

1980 H16
Emerald Blue Sails

Nice to meet another WI hobie sailer! I live in Oshkosh.. I keep my boat on Lake Winnebago all season, it's actually coming off the dock today, stupid park rules and crappy fall weather so far.

I'd love to sail with you next year if you want to come up to Oshkosh? Or if you convince me to move my boat down to Madison for a day.. I don't really have a tow vehicle anymore though...

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1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

awesome... maybe we could do both!!

My girlfriend is from Appleton... and I have a bunch of friends who go to UW-Oshkosh... we should go next summer..

its a shame how crappy the weather has been so far this fall....

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Chris

1980 H16
Emerald Blue Sails

email sent.

There are a couple other hobies on the cat dock here in town but I've never seen either one on the water... I guess we all choose different days to sail.

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1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

Hello from Milwaukee. We sail on Lake Michigan at the southern edge of Sheboygan County. You can keep your boat right on the beach, so it works great. There are about 5 Hobies in about a mile stretch of beach up there and once in a while we get them all out. Our boat is still out but not sure we will get out on the lake any more this year. Maybe sometime next year we could have a Wisconsin Hobie sailors event somewhere.

Awesome! I've always wanted to drop my boat into Lake Michigan.. but it's fairly daunting... that water is COOOOLLLLDD! I much prefer the warm water in Winnebago!

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1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

Too bad the Winnebago water is so gross

I def. think that next summer we should all get together and have a Wisconsin Hobie party!!

I just want to sail once more this year.... but I don't think it's gonna happen...

Next summer will be a good time!!

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Chris

1980 H16
Emerald Blue Sails

Well.. I try not to spend much time in the actual water of Winnebago... but it feels nice when it splashes you. I grew up on the water here in Oshkosh, so I've spent a lot of time in Lake Winnebago and Lake Butte des Morts, Lake Poygan, etc.. They aren't crystal clear or anything but they are basically mud bottom lakes.. so you have lots of muck to deal with if you touch bottom. But I've skiied, jet skiied, swam, etc... not a huge deal.

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1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

Nice, I have been on Lake Butte des Morts a few times... not yet with the hobie... but with other wind powered water crafts! You could always come and sailing in the warmer still, Lake Mendota in Mad-town!!!

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Chris

1980 H16
Emerald Blue Sails

Provided my trailer can get it there! My trailer is in rough shape.. I basically use it twice a year right now.. one trip to the dock and one trip to pick the boat up in October.. and it only has to travel about 5 blocks each way.

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1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

Well lets hope that when the weather is warm again, that we can work something out!!

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Chris

1980 H16
Emerald Blue Sails

Great to see the potential resurgence in Hobie sailing around WI. I'm in Oshkosh, have two Hobie 14's, and would like to help grow the movement. I've been quite involved over the past two seasons with large-scale youth sailing (schools, Boys' and Girls' Clubs) using the O'pen BIC primarily, but have introduced the kids to the Hobie world via the 14's.

By the way--the water quality on Lake Winnebago is vastly improved in recent years, and varies greatly, depending on the shore in question--High cliff is usually very green (prevailing SW winds), and Oshkosh/SW shore is usually very good, occasionally rivaling Lake Michigan clarity.

Anyone interested in exposing lots of kids to cat sailing, for a one-day KidCatFest?

I would totally be in!!!!

Let's get Wisconsin cat sailers on the move!!!

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Chris

1980 H16
Emerald Blue Sails

Sounds like a good idea! I'll make sure to be available and to have my 16 available, especially if we do it in Oshkosh, as I stated, my trailer is not in the best shape.

I can add that the local DNR or park ranger or whoever has done an amazing job so far in the weed/cleansing issues in Miller's Bay in Oshkosh. It used to be a scum pond full of nasty plant things right behind the cat dock and I had to paddle my way through it on light wind days just to get out into the lake... but this year it was free from all that and even out in the bay, there was way less seaweed than in years past. I was used to having to clean my rudders off regularly when coming in to port or leaving, now I can generally shake it off with a good pull or a quick kick up... much better than years past!

One day in heavy winds, I spent an hour just doing laps in the bay cutting the weeds with my rudders! I'll admit I was a bit chicken to brave the whitecaps that day but didn't want to let the heavy winds go to waste, so I just stayed in the bay. It was a good day to practice high wind, tight quarters tacks and gybes! Nearly capsized it a couple of times.. it was a hoot!

As for Winnebago clarity... um, I'm not sure I've seen the areas you are talking about that are as clear as Lake Michigan.. but I'd be interested to see them. It would be a hoot to get a couple cats out together, I sometimes get off shore a ways and lose my confidence and turn back... I haven't sail very far from the park... a couple bays each direction... I would love to man up sometime and go somewhere... Fondy or Neenah!

Also, anybody know the height of the Butte des Morts bridge in regards to clearance? I've always wanted to sail my cat into the mouth of the river there and go to eat but rather than deal with all the draw bridges coming from the Winnebago side, I could put in, in Butte des Morts and just sail under the 41 bridge and hit up Fratello's.

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1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

There's lots of cat racing in Wisconsin if your interested.
CRAW Catamaran Racing Association of Wisconsin
http://www.crawsailing.org/