Sure...all that mainsail power is great when you have crew hanging out on the trap. But I can't be the first guy who wanted to singlehand this rocket without getting overly experienced in solo righting skills.

Has anyone jury rigged any kind of reefing, roller furling system, or found a smaller main that would fit the Hobie 20?

Sometimes I need a kinder gentler sailing experience...and no I don't want to trade in the H20 for a Hobie Wave.

Thanks

Have you sailed without the jib?

Sailing without the jib is helpfull as long you never have to tack.

I'm looking for a solution that will save me when the pleasent 10kt wind turns into the 18kt breeze.

Any idea is a good idea, thanks for the reply.....

Roller furling jib and a righting pole is what I use to do. You can buy ricks righting system turn-key then all you need is the harken roller unit for the jib.



Also, I would put on a foot strap or chicken line to keep from a pitch pole or a swing out on a fast bear away. Yes, I did both of them.



Steve

I sail a mystere 6.0 uni quite often.You need to make sure the outhaul is tight, the downhaul is very tight(prebend!!!),rake the mast back a bit more,rotate towards the aft. beam.Roll up the jib.If that wont work try eating more BEEF A couple other things.You can travel out a little at a time till you feel comfortable. the boat will still go to weather well. If you can't roll the jib you can over sheet the jib and ease the main. This helps kill the flow over the back of the main.A good thing when your out of control.

OK I get the basic drift....flatten the main (to the extreme), over sheet the jib(or roll it up), buy a righting pole and prepare to meet my maker in pieces after being pitchpoled through the shrouds. These are all good extreme sailings and racing tactics and I'll try them all, but..........do you think there is any way to mount roller furling on the main? I've been knocked down offshore....all alone and I know for sure that I my primary goal is to stay upright.

Uni cat sailing is a lot like uni diving. Its fun, risky and requires more attention to planing and safety.

Any body have any pitch pole stories they'd like to share?



I just ordered a soloright...any comments good / bad?

How about having reef points installed on your main by a credible sail loft? This is probably easier said then done (how to rig tack and clew???), but would most likely be an effective means of sail control. Heck, go trade for an FX-1 or a F18HT.

Try finding a smaller used main. Then tie enough line between the sail and the ring so that it hoists to the right height to fit into the boom. A older H-17 sail with a little delamination might be a good beater fun sail. Same thing with jibs. You can look outside the catamaran world to find a small storm jib. Something like a 470 or Laser 2 jib would be enough to help you about and not overpower you. Learning to tack a unirig is a skill that will help you in the long run anyway. Take a look at one of Rick Whites books on unirig tacking...it is fun once you get the hang of it. In my youth I even went to the extreme of sailing a H-18 in 45+ knot winds using my DN iceboat sail at 60 sq ft and had a blast.

The smaller main sounds like a good idea. I wonder if the Hobie 21SC roller furling would work on the H20. I don't see any the Hobie SC parts listed in the Hobie catalog. Has anybody seen the roller furling main system for the H21sc? Do you think it might fit the Hobie 20?



By the way, thanks for all of the good ideas... A guy I used to know worked at DisneyWorld doing the Hobie consession and he used to go out with his buddy and pitch pole the H16 for fun all the time. Except one time he got pitched into one of the wires and got hurt. Ever since he told me that story I've had this fear deep inside that the same thing will happen to me while I'm offshore alone. It might be kinda hard to right an H20 with a broken collar bone......

I can tell you from personal experience that hitting a sidestay and then bouncing into the mast when the boat goes 25 - 0 in two seconds is NOT something that you want to do. Six broken ribs all on the same side. Thats one of the reasons that I said put on a chickenline. The other is when a H20 stuffs it gets really weird faster than you can react. If your anchored to the back you might be able to keep it up.



As for the solo right -- never used one before. I afro-engineered a righting bar using an old windsurfer mast and alot of old harken gear that was in my rigging box. Worked great. Very similar to ricks set up.



As for changing sails or getting a roller main. Too much money and screws up all the angles. Maybe if you want to swing for another main (used) and get it recut really flat. Thats the way I'd go -- you also have a sleeper sail that you could race with crew in really big wind.



Just a thought.

Steve

From what I understand, the righting poles, such as Rick's, have worked very well with boats such as the Nacra 6.0.



Rick gave me a "test model" to use on my Hobie 20. We came to the conclusion that the comptip mast wasn't as bouyant as the Nacra 6.0 mast, and therefore the pole didn't work as well on the Hobie 20. I think a better option in that very specific instance may be a righting bag to give you more weight in your favor.



I also tried the Soloright a few years back, and at the time found it to be the "Solowrong." I know it works very well, for many people, but I just didnt' have the acrobatic skills necessary to operate the darn thing. I also tested it very early in production, and my first one broke in half while doing a land test!



Good luck,



Tim Johnson

Okay folks, here goes another long one. This story is entertaining, has lessons to be learned, and nothing less than a positive outcome. It would make some nice reading on a winter's day when you are not busy with your own sailing, but the sooner I tell it, the sooner someone may benefit.



1: Nice Warm Weather



As the summer solstice approached, it was a good week of sailing with warm weather, warm water (mid to high 60's F), and great wind all week. Earlier in the week I experienced a nice day of sailing in very calm water with light wind, just what my boat does best with only me aboard. I was skimming through the water in various points of sail, on one hull, on the trap, always moving much faster than the wind was blowing.



2: Better Wind Follows



Mid-week the wind picked up and I was sailing in over-powered mode, practicing my heavy weather boat handling. In sustained wind of 16-18 knots (gusts at 23) with steep to very steep 4 foot waves, with the main traveled out at least 16", I was still sailing in the neighborhood of 45º off the true wind.



The boat went entirely airborne once. She slammed the entire leeward hull onto the water's surface all at one time. The boat felt rock solid when this happened. It was a secure and exciting feeling.



I did some practice maneuvers such as handling the VHF radio while driving the boat from the trapeze, parking the boat against the steep seas, and preparing to reef the main sail. I was planing on doing a practice capsize, but thought that I would simply wait for the real thing which I expected may occur sometime soon.



At this point I decided to unfurl my jib and compare the boat's behavior to the way I had been sailing her, unirig fashion under main alone. I took off upwind and while on the wire began to bring her into trim.



The power of the boat was more apparent and the amount of steering corrections for waves was busier. The power to pull up through waves was better while the tendency for the bows to fall away when airborne was worse. My speeds were slightly slower. I was unsure of my pointing ability. But I did get a comparison of how she felt and how manageable she was. It is difficult to say which felt better, but it sure appeared that she was making better progress when less sail was hoisted.



The clear sign that it is time to furl the jib is when you have the main traveled out, to avoid healing, so far that the jib is severely backwinding the main sail. This is easily detected by noticing the fluttering of the main sail at about the 40º of the chord, position. This excess wind against the sail, in too sharp of an angle against it is giving you not much more than simply extra upwind drag. It is no good on your boat's performance.



In my case, sailing in already depowered mode, when I unfurled the jib, I had to bring up the traveler to both balance the CE to CLR ratio as well as to pull the back of the main up, away from the Jib's draft. This gave me far to much heal so it was obvious that I was over-canvased.



3: Fasten Your Seat Belts



After I finished my observations, I was ready to reach off. I had planed on carrying the jib downwind anyway, for some speed runs. So I transitions through the danger zone (beam reach) quickly with low boat speed so as to minimize my apparent wind speed as I crossed though the danger zone. My technique was to first pinch to weather to get minimum boat speed. Then just before heading off, I cut the jib and cleated it in a very eased position. Just as a wave moved through my bows, I cast off the main sheet and turned suddenly enough to position my boat on the back of the wave. This way, when the wind hits me from behind, my boat is leaning backwards toward the wind with the bows being buoyed up by the back of the wave that has crossed.



By the time the next wave strikes me, I am accelerating away from it and catching back up to the one that crossed me when I turned. As the boat went through the danger zone the sails were luffing and the boat's forward speed was minimal, about 5 knots. Then I headed deep until I was in proper trim and had a foot in a rear strap.



I took off like a bullet and began heating it up with the bow's deck at the surface of the water. At this time I was disgusted at my forgetting to bring my gps along. Speaking from my well practiced and very accurate estimating skill, I was sailing at sustained speeds of 14-18 knots, bursting to 21-22. My rear foot was two inches off the deck with the strap being the only thing keeping me on the boat. The front foot would lift and land repeatedly.

Pumping the main was the only way of keeping the boat on coarse as the tiny rudders can not produce enough lift to overcome the huge changes in sail balance that occurs in surf at these speeds. Pumping the sheet is an absolute necessity.



I was really in tune with the boat this day and as I passed a fleet of Star boat racers the whooping and hollering boosted my already pumped adrenaline levels. I was surfing on one hull down wave after wave with the bows often piercing under the surface.



4: New Frontier



Then I did something that was new to me. I actually went so fast that I jumped a wave, downwind. I have had the bows lift a little bit, just before diving down and stabbing into the water before. But this time, I actually got some air off this wave with much of my CG ahead of the top of the wave before I tipped forward to dive.



And when she did dive, wow! I pierced through with both hulls all the way to the centerboards, past the cross bar and mast. The amazing thing was how she kept plowing forward, pushing her flat topped decks right through the water until they surfaced again. Sure I lost 75% of my speed, but I was still moving right along! My foot was gripping the foot strap like an opossum's tail on a tree.



Next thing I knew I was already at the harbor entrance where I normally have a jibe, jibe, jibe, downwind slow trip home. I was flying a hull downwind in calm water like a mad man! Oh the faces on the sailors aboard of the boats I passed!



5: Can't Get Enough



When I got to the dock, it was about a half an hour before sunset and I just could not bring myself to quitting just yet. So I did a 180 and headed back out to sea. A quick 1 1/2 mile trip up the marina and I was once again wave hopping. I repeated my fast reach back in without the wave jump and as the weather calmed, I was able to keep the hulls on the water going downwind.



6: Got Enough?



While jibing and sitting on lee side, a wind shift hit and I took dunking. It was a little embarrassing, but I wanted a practice capsize that day anyway. An accidental capsize, in the marina, is always the best panic scenario for me. It is the only place I sail where I have a time limit to worry about since there are rocks and yachts to collide with. Minutes later I was up, sailing, and soggy.



7: Nope, Need More!



Being angry at myself for not having my gps with me when I was most likely going the fastest that I have ever gone on this boat, I decided that the next trip would be with the chuter, gps, and newly acquired, freshly practiced opossum grip skills. I would go for a speed trial and that would certainly lead to at least one capsize while trying.



Saturday I headed out for the fourth sail of the week. Weather was as nice as it had been all week, warm and breezy. I diligently prepared the boat for my personal performance. All rigging was done with capsize in mind.



The chuter halyard was ready to pay out. The knife in my pocket was freshly sharpened, cleaned, siliconed. The two way radio was charged and tested. The gps was on me. The chuter was strapped down to the deck for optimal upwind performance. The safety supplies were all accounted for. The hulls were dry and sealed. The mast was sealed. The SoloRight was secure and within easy reach. The righting line was set for immediate deployment. I even did something that I have not done for over ten years, I tied a float-bob to my car keys.



I beat upwind towards Malibu. I passed everything in sight. After my 2 o'clock departure I was getting far beyond not only the outgoing traffic, but going well upwind of the returning day sailor traffic.



Shortly after 4 p.m. I was 20 nautical miles away. I turned around, over-rotated my mast, eased my outhaul, eased my downhaul, moved my jib lead forward and outward, raised my centerboards, hoisted my chuter, sheeted and cleated my chuter, stuck my foot in the foot strap, and hauled butt.



Last I glanced at the gps I was doing 18 knots. I was flying a hull, surfing waves, having to let out the main sheet on occasion when I found myself so tilted that I could not get the mast to stand back up again. No matter how far off the wind I turned, she just kept falling over. I gave up and decided to fend for my body's protection. It is a long up up there when you are standing on the side of the bow at the stern when the boat is falling over forward!



I sighted down at the leach of the main sail. The sail was now parallel with the surface of the water. I dove, face first, at the water just aft of the leach. I raised my face out of the water quickly to see the boat blowing away from me very quickly!



So I put on the swim! It was at this moment that I noticed something. Wearing the spray suit over-top of the PFD actually allows you to swim a lot better than when the PFD is dragging like a parachute in the water.



I swam real fast and was starting to gain on the mast head which was about 20 feet in front of me. The hulls were to my right with the wind on my back. The Hulls were blowing downwind faster than was the mast head and as the hulls got beyond perpendicular to the mast, suddenly I was aware of the mast being accelerated and moving away from me as I swam! Oh oh!



8: Not To Panic



I became aware of my VHF radio being on my body, rather than on the boat and pictured myself calling a "Mayday." I was more than a mile off of Malibu Pier and no boats in sight. I knew that once the hulls would get to be directly downwind of the mast, that the trampoline would then be perpendicular to the wind, creating an even faster moving boat. So even though the mast was moving faster than I was at the time, I knew it was about to get even faster.



I decided that before using my radio and basically watching my boat go away, that I would give it one big adrenaline shot until I was no longer making progress. So I attacked the water with arms of fury and began to reverse the separation. Once I saw progress, this gave me all the motivation I needed to finish the job. Seconds later I was grasping the leech of the top head of the main sail. "Now I got ya!" I exclaimed.



I confidently worked my way quickly to the deck and released the two headsail's sheets. Then the main traveler was cut loose and the main sheet verified for being paid out. Then I pulled out the chuter halyard, cut it loose, and helped it pay out as the sail went down into the depths, suspended by its tack on the spinnaker pole end.



This submerged chute made a great sea anchor and slowed the boat down, spun the bows into the wind, and increased the apparent wind on the boat since the boat was not moving away from the wind as much as she was before I dropped the chute into the drink.



I took my SoloRight off of my boom and clipped it to the steering cross bar just to keep it from footing away on me while I would go around and prepare my righting line. I went to the front cross bar and sat there on the hull and reached back to put my centerboard part way down. Then I stood and pulled my righting line out of my tramp pocket, near the mast and tossed it over the skyward hull. After securing it to the rear beam, over the hull there as well, I rigged the SoloRight and began to move away from the boat on it.



I was pretty surprised when the boat was already falling down toward me when I was only half way out on the SoloRight, but I guess that what benefit I had from the "drag anchor" chuter in the water.



I stowed my SoloRight and righting line and began to raise the chuter. It was coming out of the water awfully slow and I was having to pull awfully hard so I looked aloft and guess what I saw? The chuter halyard was flipped up and over the top of my square top main sail. Argh! I was drifting downwind, eating up distance that I wanted to be going 20 knots over. It was also at this time that I realized that I had not cast off my rotation inducer and this had resulted in a broken batten. Oh well, at least it wasn't five broken battens as has happened once before.



9: Tangles and Complications



After tugging and flicking at it, I decided that I two options. One; douse the chuter and tie it down on deck. At 20 miles upwind from home? NOT! Second; capsize and go for a swim. I opted to do so and as I began to to prepare myself, a third option came to mind. Earlier I had not thought of trying to pull the sail all the way around the boat to untwist the line from the top of the mast.



So I decided to go that route. I ended up having to go for a swim to the front of the pole to aid in the twist maneuver and also had to untie and retie the sheets. It was a big, time consuming mess and I wished that I had simply capsized instead. Nevertheless, I eventually got going again with all three sails flying.



Speed did not seem to be as good as before so I checked the gps and while I was at it, checked the radio. As usual my watertight electronics have served me well. As suspected, I was not able to get over 12 knots. Wind was waning.



I felt really bad that I spent all the good wind time, fiddling around with tangled sails and lines. I missed my long sought opportunity to set my personal speed record. Not only that, but I was going to be home after dark now and that means that people will worry.



It is a funny feeling being out on the water on a beautiful evening and enjoying yourself while you know that are making life uncomfortable for the people who are actively worrying about your welfare. I was having a great time while feeling guilty about it.



10: Alone At Sea



Within a half hour's time the wind was down to about 2 knots and my boat speed was hovering between 1.2 and 3.3 knots. This was the way I sailed all the way back home, slowly.



I found that the best way to get any progress was to furl the jib, use the chute, and by removing a couple of purchases off of the main sheet tackle, I pushed the boom all the way to the spreader and tied it to the spreader.



I had not eaten since breakfast. I did drink water a couple of times after taking my salty swim though. More than once I wanted to go into my emergency stash and have a power bar. But, I decided that I would save my appetite and take Shari out for a real nice dinner to show my appreciation for all the worrying that I was sure that she was going through.



As the sun went behind the Santa Monica Mountains I prepared for night sailing. I got out my red light for use in finding things, white light for use in illuminating my sails in case of traffic, neoprene gloves to keep my pinkies pink.



When I had the harbor entrance in sight it was already dark. I navigated by marker lights and the gps with its built in maps came in very handy. As I entered the marina I had barely any wind at all, glassy water. I was moving at 1 knot and I had to heat the boat up on broad reaches to even get that.



The whole time since it became dark I wondered if the Coast Guard would be notified by my loved ones. I was monitoring channel 16 and since there was not much weather nor boats around, the radio was quiet. I had already checked the weather stations on the radio to put myself at ease, things were calm.



When I got to the part of the marina that is adjacent to the beaches on either side, Venice and Playa Del Rey, I heard a whisper quiet helicopter approaching. I thought "I sure hope they aren't looking for me." As it passed over head, parallel to the beach shoreline, I was amazed at how quiet it was. Then I thought that it must be a military (Coast Guard) helicopter since the the news, police, and sheriffs 'copters are more noisy.



He passed right over me and kept on going. He had two search lights running steady beams of light. One beam was right ahead of him and the other was off to the side, enough to see the beach. He was fling just off the shoreline, and very low. I was hoping for a push in my sails from his rotor blast, but no such luck.



Ten minutes later I was at the main bend in the channel. This is where the UCLA dock, Coast Guard, Harbor Patrol, Sheriffs, and Baywatch are all located. Just then the radio reports a Pan Pan. A Pan Pan is the next urgency level below a Mayday call.



"Pan pan, pan pan, pan pan. This is the United States Coast Guard, Long Beach Group. Break." "Attention all boaters in the Santa Monica Bay area. There is an overdue boat reported in the Santa Monica Bay, a 20 foot Catamaran with one sailor aboard. The skipper aboard is one Gary Friesen who has been sailing since earlier today and is overdue on return. All boaters are advised to keep a sharp lookout for any such boat in the Santa Monica Bay and to report any sighting on this channel. This is the United States Coast Guard, Group Long Beach Clear."



To this I pull my radio out and broadcast that I am in the Marina Del Rey harbor and in no present danger. I call again when I get no response and realize that I have my radio set on low power while my signal is being blocked by the apartment buildings that are sitting right between me and the Coast Guard in Long Beach.



So then I broadcasted again and requested a relay and the Lifeguards "Baywatch" came on and assured me that they would do so. They then contacted the Coast Guard to which the Coast Guard requested a channel change to 22A. At this time I lost the conversation because of my hands being full. I have a red light and a white light in my hand. The red I aimed over the port bow and the white I was shining up on my sails. I had two sail sheets and a tiller as well. Also, my radio had been bumped on the button that sent it over to international stations, instead of U.S. stations so I was unable to pull up channel 22a. All I could get was 22(non a).



After that the Life Guards approached me and verified that I was the one that they were looking for and asked if I was going to be able to get back on my own. Shortly thereafter they returned and offered to give me a tow for the 1/4 mile remainder of my 40 mile journey. It was going to shorten the time that I kept my loved ones waiting so I enthusiastically accepted a tow.



11: Meanwhile At Home



When I got to the dock, my gal Shari was there. Then I saw Joe. Then I was greeted by Geoff too. I said, "what is this, did you all come to see me die?" And we all laughed it off. Geoff and Joe told the Lifeguards, "this is the wrong guy; take him back out!"



Shari greeted me appropriately and promptly offered to go get my car for me. I reached in my pocket for my keys and they were gone. It seems that my keys would have never left the deep recesses of my pocket until I tied a key float onto them. They must have buoyed up and out of my pocket as soon as I was in the water. Shari went home and found my extra key.



It was 10 o'clock at night; restaurants were closed. We did find a hamburger stand that was open. So I guess I owe Shari a dinner and if Joe and Geoff had not told Baywatch to drag me back out to sea, perhaps them too.



And I, as always, owe my respect and thanks to the Coast Guard and L.A. County Lifeguards who are always most professional, friendly, and helpful.



12: Live And Learn



My radio has a feature to lock the keys. If I had done that, the radio would have worked better for me instead of being on the wrong station settings.



I guess it would be better to release the chuter halyard, just before the righting attempt. The halyard would be less likely to get tangled over the top of the sail, that way.



I can swim better if the PFD is on the inside of my spray suit. I always knew it was warmer this way.



My lights that I keep on me worked great as planed. The red light gave me some light to work under, without destroying my night vision. The white light made me visible when I was in the company of other traffic.



A sealed mast is priceless!



When you have let go of the main sheet in a panic attempt to dump the main sail, then subsequently dive clear of the boat the way I did, hang onto the trap handle. Or maybe hang onto the tiller, which in my case would have probably broken if I had done so. Perhaps try to dive downwind instead of upwind. But to do so, you would first have to remove the trap wire. My conclusion is that when you go over on a broad reach, sit down and hang on. Wait till the boat is stopped before you jump off. Jump off toward clear area that is downwind of your situation. Otherwise you may find yourself separated from your boat.



If possible, carry a cell phone so you may be able to set your loved ones at ease.



If it aint broke, don't fix it. I lost my keys because I was trying to improve a method that has worked very well for me for 20 years.



If it aint fixed, don't break it! Always cast off the mast rotation inducer before righting a capsized cat.



Sail as fast as you possibly can!



GARY

>> FX-1 or a F18HT.



An FX-1 ? Heck go F16 be faster, ligther, cheaper and righting it without aids.



(And please remember I've sailed the FX-one quite bit)



Wouter

I'm fairly new to cat sailing but my 80's h-16 has 2 sets of reefing points on the main. Seems to me that you could find a used h-20 main and have reef points added to it if you don't want to alter the one you have. I am not even sure you could find a roller boom for a h-20 but if there is one it's probably lot's of $$$$.

Harken also has available a single line reefing system. I had a similar system on my Hunter22. This made reefing quick and easy.

First of all... HobieGary WOW! What a great story.

I am now convinced more that ever that finding a way to reef or roller furl my mainsail is a worthy goal. Well the real goal is to keep the boat under control so that I don't capsize. The whole point is to have thrilling fun not life threatening terror. I've been sailing long enough to know that bad and unexpected thing can happen during a capsize. Mostly things start breaking and floating away....boat things and people things! After hearing Gary's story I'm going to add a mini EPIRB to my strap on survival pak and an old cell phone in plastic bags. Even without a monthly subscription they will still call 911. The first stitches that I got were at age 14 when a center boarded mono hull fell back on top of me after I righted it in a heavy breeze. The coast guard had come out and rescue me and my turtled (waterloged) Hobie super14 a long time ago. Every time I go sailing I learn something new and hopefully come back in a little wiser. On thing I know for sure is that its always you aginst the deep blue sea and the wind. The only thing that gives you an edge is your boat and your skill. When the boat can overpower your skill, then its time to flatten sails and then roll them up. So on I go with my quest to roller furl the main on my H20.

This is the reply I got from Hobie Cat. It doesn't solve my problem but it contains usefull information.

But first a couple of questions:

How do you rig a chicken line?

What are some good uni tacking tips?

What is the best course of action when you know you are about to lose it, hang on to the boat, jump free, etc...?

Placement advice for foot straps?

I'm going to trailer the H20 about 3000 miles this summer and I am thinking about putting foam rubber between the hull cradle and the hulls to soften shocks. Is there any reason why this might be a bad idea?





Reply from Hobie Cat Factory..................................

You can fit a roller furling system onto the H20 jib. Reefing the mainsail

may be a bit more difficult though, first you would have to have grommets

put in your sail to tie the excess sail around the boom and then you need

to figure out a way to keep the mainsail up and still be able to put

downhaul on the sail. Also, if you look at the comptip mast at the top 12"

of the luff track it is aluminum while the rest of the luff track is

plastic. If the top of the sail were to stop while still in the plastic

area of the luff track it WILL pull out of the track (which is bad). To

prevent this you would need to take the top of the sail all the way down

past the comptip. That would all be a lot of work, so it may be easier to

just go with a roller furling jib and then you can sail under mainsail

alone which isn't too overpowering.





Thank for all of the replys

see earlier discussion at:



http://www.catsailor.com/forums/sho...;page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1



I installed lines based on this discussion and they work great!

Thanks for the chicken line link. I'm going to order the parts today. I especially liked this quote;

“My chicken lines broke. Both of them,” said Brendan Busch of Lexis Nexis, speaking of the safety lines used to prevent skipper and crew from flying forward when smashing into the back of a wave, experiencing sudden and drastic deceleration. “They didn’t wear through or get cut – they broke.”



I've only seen one line break in my whole life and that was during hurricane Dennis. And the 3/4" line didn't really break so much as it melted from the tension. In fact of the 2 lines that were still connected to the dock after the storm the knots were reduced to globs of melted nylon. The cleats on the boat were bent back 180 degrees.

I have a question about tethers. Am I right in saying that a tether is line of last resort to keep sailors from being seperated from their boat (like what almost happened to HobieGary)? I'm wondering if its really a good idea to tie yourself on to the boat. It seems like there would be a lot of potential for getting tangled up at the worst time.

The chicken line thread is a really good one. I should have searched for it first. I did an Intenet search for chicken lines and all I got were chicken jokes(don't bother)

Thanks for the replys. I'm really learning from this forum. Any other helpful advice or stories about uni sailing are greatly welcome.



Here is more info from the Hobie factory about the rollerfurling for the H21:



The furling system for the main on the H21 is such that the sail furls

around the boom by cranking on a winch type handle that connects to the

front of the boom, through the mast and extends out from the front of the

mast, then to furl the main, crank the winch handle and the main furls

around the boom. Kind of hard to explain

All the best..........

I wonder if Mitch Booth was using chicken lines?

The issue of the boat blowing away faster than you can swim has come up before. Many of the old-time cruisers would drag a light line in the water behind them. Some would even tie a small float on the end.

Even if you were double-handed, one of you could become separated from the boat and the other not be able to right it alone. Trailing 50 feet of polypropylene could save your life or at least make it easier.



As I recall:

The mainsheet on the Hobie 21 SC attaches to the end of the boom, much like the post mount at the mast end. The H21 boom is relatively short. This allows it to spin like a window shade. I don't remember if the main slides in a track on the boom like the Hobie 16.

Since many other boats use a section with a sail track for a boom, you could probably make a furling boom cheap and fit a sail to it.