srm wrote:
They say that they rent Hobies so that they can add this as another "feature" of their hotel/resort- another reason for people to choose their hotel. But they really don't want to rent sailboats because doing so is a PITA. 99.9% of the renters don't have a clue about sailing and so they often end up having to be rescued.
I got to see that a few weeks ago. Two staff guys started running down the beach to commandeer a jet ski, flew across a few resorts, and one of them steered the wave back. We didn't see it go over, and my guess was that the guy just didn't know how to get back upwind.
I'd be upset about that experience. The resort we went to in Cancun has 4 Wave hulls with masts up on the beach but only 2 running. The two were almost always in use and in good working condition; although the sails were pretty blown out. (I now know what that means after comparing new H18 sails to mine to the resorts.)
The Waves (when working properly) are really a great way to introduce people to sailing. We got introduced to sailing there last year. The activities staff took us out and showed us how to operate it. Then we bought an H16. On our recent trip, we both found the Wave to be very underwhelming now in what would have been nice conditions for a H16. Just a few more months of snow/ice until I get to put back together.