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PostPosted: Sat May 25, 2013 9:46 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:02 pm
Posts: 27
Location: Maui, Hawaii
I am looking to buy/borrow and AI for the months of July - August - September and will travel the country putting in along the way. Please see my separate post on wanting to buy an AI if you have one you can part with….

But, what I am looking for here is suggestions and info on regional conditions from IL to CA or anywhere where someone wants to encourage me to sail an AI. I'm open to lakes, rivers, ocean. What I want to know is based on the time of year (July - September) I will be through a given area that you are familiar with or would suggest, what I might expect out of the area regarding wind, typical weather expectations for that time of year, other local considerations for the body of water, etc etc. I am mostly used to sailing on lakes and rivers in the midwest or the big Pacific here in Hawaii, but have little idea of what to expect, say if I dropped into some random lake in New Mexico or Colorado… or if I can even expect to find wind in a given region that time of year at all. I will also be prepared to do camping expeditions from the AI depending on certain factors… if there are good water based camp sites at a location, comfort and confidence with conditions at a given time or for a span of time, potential costs involved, etc. So, I would love to hear any ideas for dropping in a place for a day, or a place that would be good for a short-term camping expedition. Maybe I can meet some folks along the way and hook up with regional clubs if the timing works out too… it would be fun to meet some folks and sail with others too.

Thanks for reading!

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Maui, Hawaii
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PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2013 5:31 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:57 am
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Location: Fairfax, CA USA
July through Sept, you cloud come watch the Americas cup...perfect sailing in summer- wind always blows with the fog pushing in in the afternoon.


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PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2013 6:57 am 
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Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 8:48 am
Posts: 159
Location: Southwest Calif.
I've always discovered that the best trips are the ones that come from serendipity, just going with the flow.
With the internet, you can research while you travel and find great spots to visit and what the conditions will be like for the next several days as weather is always changing across the U.S. during the summer months.
Local bait and tackle shops are a great resource as the locals have a vast amount of knowledge about lakes and conditions nearby and want to share their stories with you. Just be courteous and learn how to steer and end a conversation as they'll want to dazzle you for hours about their awesomeness. :D
I have found that it's not about the destination but enjoying the journey getting there that makes for great memories. 8)

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PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2013 8:35 am 
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Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2012 5:41 pm
Posts: 184
Location: Aussie living in San Diego, CA
ShakaGeoff wrote:
I am looking to buy/borrow and AI for the months of July - August - September and will travel the country putting in along the way. Please see my separate post on wanting to buy an AI if you have one you can part with….

But, what I am looking for here is suggestions and info on regional conditions from IL to CA or anywhere where someone wants to encourage me to sail an AI. I'm open to lakes, rivers, ocean.......Maybe I can meet some folks along the way and hook up with regional clubs if the timing works out too… it would be fun to meet some folks and sail with others too.


ShakaGeoff - sounds like a great trip - and, unfortunately for you, I just sold my AI 2 days ago (upgraded to a TI). However looking at the low-down on some of the sailing areas in Southern California. In this region the sailing conditions are good all year round - ocean is cold 60's (you can gauge it by watching what the local surfers are wearing - if they have wet suits on its considered cold - for here). Winds are generally light around 10 knots (+/- 5 knots) year round - obviously as fronts move in and out conditions change but there is a lot of consistency in the winds here (or perhaps lack of them from your perspective).
Favorite sailing spots are:
Ocean / Bays :
San Diego Bay http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Bay lots of boat traffic to watch out for but a nice harbor to sail in
Mission Bay http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Ba ... n_Diego%29 San Diego's family playground - this is a great spot - gets busy in the summer as you might expect but its a fun sailing place. You may even get to see the Ketterman brothers and friends sailing their Hobie Tri-foilers there. Hobie has made several of its sailing videos in both San Diego Bay and Mission Bay [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_PctyORT8Q[/youtube]
La Jolla Shores Beach - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla_Shores This is a very popular kayak launching spot - the surf here is usually easy to navigate - you can strip down your AI to kayak mode and explore La Jolla caves
Oceanside Harbor - http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rl ... =0CJoBELYD
Oceanside is a good spot to launch - boat ramp launch only - some nice protected sailing in the harbor and entrance to ocean - good fishing location
Dana Point Harbor - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Point,_California - this is a top spot for sailing - the harbor is not that big for sailing in and there is a lot of boat traffic with whale watching (not so much in summer) fishing tours and ferry trips to Catalina Island. I sailed there yesterday and had a great time - winds were around 10-15 knots with slightly higher gusts. Winds here tend to be slightly stronger than in San Diego and therefore better for sailing.

In each of San Diego, Mission Bay, Oceanside and Dana Point there are Hobie dealers close to or on the bay so getting spare parts is easy. You might even arrange to do a factory tour of the Hobie facility while here (they are at Oceanside) if interested.

We have a group of Ai/Ti owners who get together about once a month at the moment here and you would be most welcome to join us - sometimes the Hobie staff join us due to their close proximity.

There are some more great harbors as you go north towards Los Angeles but I have no experience sailing in those. Then you have the Catalina island and the channel islands which an experienced sailor can do in an AI (with the right weather conditions of course). The wind and sea can build fairly quickly in this region so planning and caution is needed.
There is a great video of sailing from the mainland to Catalina island on AI's - http://vimeo.com/14578210

Here are some Lakes that I have sailed in locally
Lake Hodges http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Hodges - inland about 20 miles - winds can get quite strong as the land heats up - tends to be gusty. Occasionally the Tri-Foilers will be seen here. Its also a top Bass tournament location so best to avoid those events.
Lake Perris http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Perris - about 30 minutes drive further north than Lake Hodges - good strong winds for sailing there too.

That should get you started. Let me know if you are coming to this area so I can invite you to our local Hobie Island events.

Barry

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PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2013 12:07 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:02 pm
Posts: 27
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Thanks for all the great advice already. And, I think I may have found an AI to buy in Kentucky not two hours away from my spot in Illinois!! Right from posting on the forum already... yay!!!

I have to be short for now, but Barry I would love to come to San Diego and sail there.

One question a local friend brought up with me I wanted to put out there - what about having this boat registered from state to state??? In Hawaii, we do not have to register these boats. In Illinois, you do. So, can I travel the country with Illinois registration and put in anywhere without fear of fine, or worse, AI abduction!? Ha, that would be awful.

Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate the advice and help.

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Maui, Hawaii
AI x2 TI Revo13 Pursuit

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PostPosted: Mon May 27, 2013 11:13 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:02 pm
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Location: Maui, Hawaii
Per a phone consultation with Kayaking Bob (privileged access) he tells me any state registration should be good for all but one state, but generally you can use another craft for about 30-60 days in another state without fear of issues. That's the very short of it. This is probably common knowledge among mainland boat users, but I have never had to register a "kayak" before. Thanks for looking it up for me Bob!

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AI x2 TI Revo13 Pursuit

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