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/14578210Here 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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