Hey guys,
I'm an inland AI owner soon to head to a Georgia barrier island (Jekyll Island:
http://goo.gl/tUDXBs) for a week. I've been kayaking just along shore before, but this will be the first time sailing. I've been vacationing there for practically my whole life, and I'm somewhat familiar with local currents, enough to know that it mainly gets dangerous near the south end of the island near St. Andrews Sound. My plan is to either attempt a beach launch between low- and high-tide when the surf is more calm, or start out on the inland side of the island where the water is more calm (but also more sheltered from wind).
Any advice to a guy who doesn't have experience with Hobie Islands on the ocean? I'm not planning on getting too far from shore. Just want to take advantage of some decent wind while I can! Maybe do a little fishing as well.
In the future, my bigger plan is to sail out to Cumberland Island (just south of Jekyll Island), starting from the mainland. It's an abandoned island with wild horses, beautiful dunes, and crumbling remains of aristocracy from the '20's when all nearby islands were privately owned by the likes of Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, and J.P. Morgan. Some people make the trip on kayak, but Hobie Islands were made for this sort of thing.