And another great Hobie story that could hit the point home of WEAR YOUR DIAPER!
When my dad was first teaching me to sail our Hobie 16 (and my dad is the kind of person who thinks it isn't worth taking the cat our if it isn't blowing SMALL CRAFT WARNINGS or better).
I was back in Jr. High School, skippering the boat off of Point Loma, after getting out into the ocean about a half mile off the point, I thought we where far enough our and decided it was time to bring the cat around and head back into the San Diego Bay. I called "Ready About!" and brought the cat into the wind. Being a "Hobie 16 sailor in training" I brought the cat into perfect IRONS... #@!@, reversered the rudders, and I just couldnt get the boat to go onto the new tack, and got blown back onto the same tack we where on... My dad wasn't very pleased with my helmsmanship.
While we where getting things organised, we say something drift over our field of vision (Something just kinda floating in space), WHAT THE?! looking up the mast and sa. il where roated and canted at a weird angle, and pushed forward.. My dad realising what had happed said, "WE JUST LOST A SHROAD GO STRAIGHT!!!"
Switching postions, we where able to sail the boat with the load on the windward stay into the roccks off the end of Point Loma, my dad used the jib halyward to tie the loose chain plate in place, and we where off back to Shelter Island.
If anyone knows San Diego Bay, half way from the end of Point Loma to the Shelter Island ramps, you have the NAVY degausing station, and sub base, and a spit of land before it (On NAVY property) called BALLAST POINT.).
My dad who was chekcing our Mcguyever rig, noticed the jib halyard was nearly cut through, and beached the cat on there.. We dropped the main sail, and my dad got me on the trapeeze so we wouldn't loose the mast, while he rigged a more secure stay system, that got us back to the beach.
(I got many more Hobie stories
abouhttp://homepage.mac.com/svannie/PhotoAlbum1.htmlt my cat)
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