Is relaxing a possibility?? :)

[abrummett]

I have an offer in on a Hobe Cat 16. I have always wanted to learn how to sail and have some wonderful places to put in locally. My question is, can you take a Hobie Cat 16 out and both sail and decide to stop and relax? I'm sure for all you veterans, this is a really naive question! Just wondering if we took a cooler out, can we stop and just be still for an hour or two and relax and enjoy the sun and surroundings OR do we need to stay on the move the whole time?

- Lots to learn and excited to do so! Thanks for any help!

Andrea

[casioqv]

You should be able to heave-to to stop. Here's a discussion on heaving to in the Hobie 16:

Hobie Cat Forums • View topic - Can Hobie 16 be "heaved to" for a lunch break?

You could also take down all sail, and drift. If it's very rough/windy you might need some sort of small sea anchor to keep the boat in hove-to position.

[ottos]

Originally Posted by casioqv

You could also take down all sail, and drift. If it's very rough/windy you might need some sort of small sea anchor to keep the boat in hove-to position.

I disagree with taking down the sails while afloat. That would be relatively difficult as you have to be in front of the mast to unhook the main halyard from the hook at the top of the mast - and the Hobie doesn't have a topping lift to support the boom while you drift. You could try to unhook from the water, I guess. Then rig the main halyard as a topping lift, and bungee the main to the boom to keep it off the tramp. The standard jib would be completely impractical to take down, but if you get a roller furling kit - it's a snap.

All in all heaving to is a better option - especially if you are somewhere with smaller waves. You just need to lash the tiller extension in place.