3 lunatics on the broads this past Saturday. Anyone know them?

[Damdonzi]

And I mean lunatics in the best possible way!

Saturday afternoon as we were heading toward Wolfeboro we saw these 3 guys on a Hobie Cat absolutely owning the broads. It had to have felt like it was their personal playground, because there was nobody else out there.

In my 40 years on the lake, I have never seen a sailboat go completely side to side (They popped out from behind Rattlesnake to Cow Island AND BACK) so fast.

It was amazing from a distance because the color of the sails stuck out on such a great Fall day. Your reference point in the distance was something colorful and large moving across the broads at a high rate of speed. We had to get a couple of pictures of them as they were headed back toward the Ames Farm area. If anyone knows them, please let them know what a great show they put on for my family.

Saturday the wind was blowing steady around 20MPH and there was a 2-3 foot chop in the broads. These guys were working really well as a team, and it might as well have been sunny and 80 degrees to look at them move around the boat.

Poor quality pictures from my phone, but at least you get the idea. Most are of them going downwind, but when they turned toward the mainland, it was like they lit an afterburner and just took off. Between the spray and the speed that they shot right up to, it was a very cool site to see.

You have to love Fall on the Lake.

[VtSteve]

Those Cats make for some fun sailing, light wind or heavy wind. Amazing how fast they can go. Years ago, I marveled at how they could move in what amounted to a whisper of a wind. After being on a Hobie 16 one day in some decent sinds, I also noted how poorly my back did in the various positions required to sail them properly :(

Looks like they had a blast out there on their private lake!

[OFD232]

They are alot of fun, I had one for a couple of years and used to fly up and down Meredith bay to the Weirs and back. I actually learned to fly on one. It was a day like the one shown in the pictures and I was coming screaming up the bay when I managed to bury both hulls in a wave. The boat flipped over in a "pitchpole" and I flew into the air for what seemed about 20 feet screaming "Oh (insert colorful adjective)":eek:

It was great

Now being older, wiser (ahh maybe not) i just watch and smile,:D

[gf2020]

Gusts to 20 MPH and a 2-3 chop. Those are Boston Harbor conditions every day!

Today's forecast is a little sportier, however: NE winds 20 to 25 kt with gusts up to 30 kt. Waves around 2 ft...except 4 to 7 ft at the Outer Harbor entrance. Rain likely.

[Misty Blue]

"Look out boys, I've got a license to fly..."!

'Had a job in Wolfeboro on Sat. and it was a rough ride down there. The ride back was water over the bow. Then...

"What the heck"? Man look at that Hobbie!

They were going (flying) between Sandy and Welch and as I was creeping along at nine knots they flew by me, must'a been do'en 15!

I had to honk and wave and my rerward was three thumbs up and smiles as wide as the broads.

Wicked cool.

Misty Blue.

[JPC]

I was on a red 30ft C&C and we saw the hobies. I thought we were going fast until the hobie flew past us. What a day! :D

[SAMIAM]

Where is the MP when you need them.?.......clearly exceeding the speed limit.

[Winnipesaukee]

I bet he could have gone a lot faster, too!

Sailing a cat on a run like that (directly with the wind--note the sails are "wing-on-wing") is like driving a car in first gear. The wind is only pushing the sails, whereas when it is closer to a 90-degree angle, the sails act like wings and can push to boat to over twice the speed of the wind. It's a crazy experience.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuRvujRFsjY

[SAMIAM]

Sounds like fun....maybe we should have a thread on scary boating stories.

[ApS]

How about scary catamaran pictures? :eek2:

http://horsesmouth.typepad.com/hm/Richard_Blake_2006-05-30-155317.jpg

[Sunbeam lodge]

Here are some nice hobie shots:
http://www.omniscopic.com/hobie/hobie1.JPG

http://www.omniscopic.com/hobie/hobie2.JPG

http://www.omniscopic.com/hobie/hobie3.JPG


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fobKDJuWwVA

[ApS]

It's a crazy experience.

Sailing a catamaran doesn't have to be a crazy experience.

Until it is needed, you can keep this cat in your closet.

It holds four people, and has an optional outboard bracket.

http://xtreamchris.com/images/Summer-sports/FunForFour.jpg

[fatlazyless]

Hey Sunbeam.....nice video of something like a 1980 Hobie 14'er or so sailing on Winni!

It's not too unusual to pitch-pole a cat in moderate winds, and then need some outside help with uprighting the turtled twin hull. Here on Lake Winnipesaukee, there is always a very helpfull motorboater nearby who comes to the rescue by grabbing the mast or something and lifting it upward. Especially true for the sailboater who's out by himself and not wearing a pfd like in the video.

The little Sailcat ($1499 at Dick's Sporting Goods, made in China) above with four seats is a new concept......a cat that actually has comfy looking seats with backrests even! The problem with cats has always been the lack of seats! Monohulls by design automatically usually have pretty good seats. Cats by design usually have bad seating.

There's always old used Cat sailboats, fixer-uppers, up for sale cheap, like $400, on craigslist NH, from Lake Winnipesaukee. Unless the Cat sailer is into yoga or something, sailers lose their Cat capability as they age. Sailing a Cat without good seats requires the flexability of a 14-year old.

[ApS]

It was amazing from a distance because the color of the sails stuck out on such a great Fall day. Your reference point in the distance was something colorful and large moving across the broads at a high rate of speed. We had to get a couple of pictures of them as they were headed back toward the Ames Farm area. If anyone knows them, please let them know what a great show they put on for my family.
1) They may be sailing out of Ames Farm, and you were lucky to see this boat. I've seen them off in the distance, but hadn't seen them north of Parker Island.

2) Catamaran sailing isn't as popular here as it is in Europe: even Eastern Europe has more interest than the US. :(

But Holland has a "Texel Island Race" :) which draws over 1,000 entries, including 40-foot cats. :look:

Don't ask where the starting-line is—the field is so crowded, "The Start" must begin with a flare dropped from a helicopter! :eek:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hD8FFMGlAMo/TBbIlwPVAWI/AAAAAAAAEV0/ebuaZs5UC_Y/s1600/Texel2009start.jpg
The weather for a previous year's race:

"A severe northeasterly combined with high waves made for perfect sailing along the Texel coast."
:eek2:

3) "Catamaran News" can be found at this link:

http://www.thebeachcats.com/News-catid-15-allstories-1-startrow-26.html

The link starts in familar territory—Newport, R.I., but I don't know where it ends up—'cause there are 316 pages of catamaran stuff!

:eek: