Hobie Sailing Lingo

A Hobie Talk on Sailing the new GetaWay Cat

As we sailed into larger waves off of Bay Ridge, I was pleased to find that the Getaway didn't want to hobbyhorse like some cats but began to rip through the waves. Occasionally, a wave would slap under the forward/leeward section of the tramp and slow us down, but we could get her back on pace quickly.

The boat has a nice groove in the uphill mode that any sailor whose skill level is intermediate or above will be able to find easily. I'd recommend getting the wing seat option when buying the Getaway to give you the needed leverage to sail her fast.

You can buy the "Getaway" without the optional trapeze, but if you do go with it, you might think about adding some windsurfer-style foot straps on the wing to keep the crew from flying around the headstay in the event of sudden deceleration.

Throw some drinks into the coolers built into the durable Rotomolded hull, sit back on the benches and enjoy the easiest cat sailing imaginable. We love the GetaWay Hobie. It was a nice gift to us judges.

Soon it was time to switch drivers, not a problem while underway because of the wings. I dropped the extension behind my back and Carl slid aft on the wing as I slid in front of him on the tramp, an easy enough maneuver. I trimmed the jib in tight and then saw the sheet tail all the way down below the mast on the forward beam.

It took a bit of pace off to go down and grab the sheet but it was worth it; I was able to use the sheet to hike her down a bit and it helped keep me from falling over the side. Another good place to add a foot or hiking strap would be on each hull where the crew is located. The driver really doesn’t need foot support because of the control gained by holding the main sheet and tiller extension.

We were cracked off for a little while, really starting to fly, when we noticed the wave pattern getting a bit tricky, and before we could even process that information, Carl and I buried the leeward hull up to the forward beam and presented our photographer with a Doctor Crash moment--tumbling into a 3/4 pitch pole and 1/4 capsize. We usually try to do a flip test in the smaller boats but hadn’t planned one for the cats.

I remembered observing the anti-turtle ball at the top of the rig during the land test and wondering how well it worked. The answer is: very well! The boat flipped, but stopped flipping when the ball hit the water. However, I didn't. I landed up by the middle of the mast on the mainsail.

It took both of us to get her back over but was a lot easier than I thought it would be. All we had to do was lean back on the righting lines that lead under the tramp and we were back in action. I would've enjoyed sailing the Getaway for a couple more hours, but we had to let the other judges have a turn. Bummer. DSC hobie Page



			Hurricane 5.9
		The Hurricane was designed by Reg White to be a Tornado with a narrow beam for towing. The Tornado is a single wire boat and the Hurricane is a twin wire boat. Before you sail the 5.9 you have an expectation: it will be fast, it will be on one hull quickly and it will accelerate fast because it is light for its size. So what is it like: Hurricane 5.9 Test Sail We give the boat a final check - main up, downhaul set, free off anti-rotation and over-rotation, rudders up, boxes off, jib free. We take the boat down the slipway and into the water. The helm gets aboard, clips on the main, I pull the boat forward, and push it hard across the wind sit aboard the beam and get the jib in as the helm drops the rudders I get the boards down and hook on. The cat gains speed rapidly and the first thing you notice is the way she cuts through the water. We are entered in a race so we check our watches and go to the first couple of buoys to see how the tide and wind are running - we look for boats inshore to see how much the wind is turning as it hits the shore. We head for the line, its an upwind start we stop and wait. 20 seconds to the start we gently pull in the sheets and we move forward a stealth sits in front of us but as we pick up we go down wind of him but unfortunately for him he isn’t big or fast enough as we hit him to blanket us and as the gun goes we pull in front of him. In toward the beach and we go about - still not enough wind to get out on the wire we move swiftly both hulls in the water she is fast cutting through the water. We clear the wind shadow of the point and up she comes we are both on the wire. Up wind she is fast when flat but as she comes up onto one hull she doesn’t go faster a strange phenomenon but you can point higher at the same speed. We are dead on the buoy so we go about and head wider onto a reach again we are flat and fast. I sit forward of the beam and the bow cuts through light chop. We are coming rapidly up to the next buoy we discuss going out or going in for the first down wind tack. We decide to go out so we free off the sails the jib by bardour-hauling the jib sheet. Centreboards up, laying out along the lea hull infront of the beam I adjust the jib to the tell tails and we adjust our direction minutely to the wind speed and direction. We keep the speed up, jibe onto the other tack doing our upmost to not loose momentum through the turn. We are just not going fast enough..... We get the buoy on the fourth tack and tighten up to a reach. The sun is out and we fly along with only the crew out on the wire - the windward hull just kissing the waves. At the next buoy we tighten up go into the beach go about and cross the line for the first time. We are very prone to fluff the upwind tacks. Its this that shows the age of the boat. Suddenly you remember why cat racers avoid tacking often and try to get the buoys in two. Your instincts tell you this boat should be fast. It is light it cuts through the water well it is narrow so should get onto one hull quickly and therefore be quick - logic tells you a cat on one hull has less wetted surface and should be faster but it seems untrue. It is quit a complicated cat often sailed up wind by its downhaul. But it looses down wind. One of the 5.9’s main disadvantages in the UK is its handicap which is set so high because its sailors often race Tornados in the Olympics - so in simple club racing you are at a disadvantage especially to those new boats with their made up PH’s. I helmed the boat around the bay for a couple of hours while we played and adjusted everything. It is an easy boat to sail and going about is easy once you learn to get the crew to go aft onto lea side as you pull the stick toward you wait at the back of the boat until the sail has set and then go across as they move forward and get on the wire and tighten up. The rule is don’t make a mistake up wind and go like hell on the reach ‘cause you are slow down wind and you need all the time you can make up to save you on this leg. On the test sail we learned a lot - we like the boat but you can see why it has been sold on - White Formula make new better boats. Along with the Dart 18 the 5.9 is history on the water. Buying decision - money for new - buy a Fox, an iF-20 version of the Storm or an Inter 20 - money for secondhand - buy it - there are bargains about.