Sorry if I somehow came across that way, but I did you miss that I once spent the night bobbing in the Atlantic, on the bottom of a Hobie 16? If so, go back to post 9 in this thread.

In case you still think there was no stupidity leading into that, note that I was alone, without a radio or flares, wearing only a bathing suit, T-shirt, sneakers and a PFD. No food or water. Went out in a small-craft rainstorm. Third time ever on a Hobie Cat, and first time alone. Had never righted a boat before.

Capsized at 3:30 pm (in hindsight, sailed too high, the jib backwinded, and I tried to fight it to go back instead of just tacking the boat). Boat turtled. Had a righting bag, but didn't know how to use it or right the boat alone (at all, for that matter). After giving up on that, I remembered seeing a picture of a "shroud extender" in the catalog, so I thought I could rig something up on the water. As soon as I got one of the shroud pins out, I dropped it in the water.

Now, the boat is turtled and dismasted. After that hour of attempting to "fix" things, I spent the next 12 hours drifting, over 15 nautical miles along the southern coast of Rhode Island.

Got picked up at 4:30 am, by a passing yacht (172 footer, with a helicopter on the rear deck; yes, that part was cool). Got most of my boat back the next day, in pieces (apparently the CG wanted to make sure they didn’t have to go out after my sorry self ever again)…

I did do a few things right:

1. Told people that I was going sailing. Of course, they called the police first when they realized I was missing, who did nothing. By the time the CG was alerted, it was after midnight and they wouldn't send anyone out until daylight.

2. During the whole situation, didn't panic. I was fully convinced someone would come looking for me. Or, at the very least, someone would come out to go fishing and come across me.

3. Stayed with the boat (was about a mile offshore when I first capsized, some people would have tried to make that swim).

4. Took the main off the mast and wrapped myself in it as I tried to balance on the keel of one of the Hobie 16 hulls (yes, that sucks more than you can imagine, hurts and saps your energy). The sail did keep the wind off me.

5. Lots and lots of praying...

And in case that wasn’t stupid enough for you, after that I immediately bought another Hobie 16, a radio and wetsuit. Then, feeling completely immortal, I used to go out alone, with the radio tied to the tramp (i.e. not tied to me), while I trapped out on screaming reaches (offshore yet again), on a $1500 boat, the rigging of which should have failed at any given time.

If that wasn’t stupid enough, I would put my front foot on the back of the rear crossbar, with my back foot at the rudder, in an effort to keep the nose up and to keep from flying forward on the waves. Again, if it wasn’t blowing small-craft, I usually didn’t want to go out.

More than once, the New York YC signal boat would sail by and just shake their heads at me…

At the time, that was the most fun I could ever imagine having. Now, I can’t believe I ever lived through it. Would I trade it in to sit ashore? No way, just wish I would have been a bit more thoughtful…



Has anyone here ever NOT forgotten their drain plugs at least twice? You’re due.



Did you ever give an International Judge a rubber duckie bath mat for his mark boat? In front of everyone at the awards ceremony for a 8-day Hobie NAs?

Mike