Mary,

Please allow me to provide a counterargument to your points with all due respect.

You are saying it yourself here :

>>Sorry, Wouter, but I am a hard-core one-design racer, and it doesn't matter a whit to me how fast or slow the boats go as long as all the boats go approximately the same speed.

YOU are a hard-core One-Design racer, today this is synonimous with hard-core Hobie Racing.
YOU are sailing at approximately the same speed as other boats, He has no other boats around.
It doesn't matter a whit to YOU how fast the boat is. In his case doing trip among islands (currents) I think increased boatspeed is added safety.

>>Those Hobie 17 Sport sailors in Dubai apparently have not noticed that their boats are half sunk, because they are having too much fun racing.

Well THEY are racing, T55 will be making daytrips. THEY are middle eastern men typically 60-75 kg a person. T55 I talking about crewweights between 145 and 180 kg's + camping gear/food/safety for the day. They are pleasure cruising in sub tropical waters, probably wearing nothing more than a bathing suit and life jacket. T55 will wear a thick wetsuit or a dry suit and be alot less flexible or agile when moving about on the trampoline that is likely packed with cruising stuff as well.

I did weekend trips with my Prindle 16's and Prindle 18's in the past (sailing to a regatta venues, doing them and then sailing back later in the weekend) and I really did appreciate the extra space on board. Not to mention the extra speed. More than once I had to sail against the currents past harbour inlets or against time to be at the destination before dusk. I'm not recommenting larger cats or advicing against the H17 because I'm anti one-design racing or supposedly dislike hobies, I'm doing that because I'm looking at T55 intended use for the boat. Sure one can cross the atlantic on a Hobie wave if ones life depended on it. Larger "cruises" have been made on rubber liferaft. But if one has the luxury of choosing than going for a larger cat is certainly the smart thing to do.


>>You are absolutely right that people usually try to convince a new sailor to get the type of boat that they themselves sail ...
>>Personally, I don't care what kind of boat he gets, but my recommendation would be a Dragon. It's one of my favorite boats,

I rest my case.

Again, I wish to underline my respect for you Mary, and for Hobie cats in general.

Wouter