Welcome to the webpage that introduces our fleet.  My name is Joanie, and I arrived a little late to the Wonderful World of Hobies and catamarans.   Born and raised in Texas, I lived along the Gulf Coast over 25 years but never learned to sail.  Now that I live in western Maryland, and have never lived so far away from The Gulf (or any ocean), for some reason NOW I've decided to learn to sail - especially catamarans.

        Back in the 70s I taught myself how to sail a Snark while in college, but 15 years ago I rented an H-16 near Destin, Florida and sailed my first catamaran.  Since I knew the basics, the fellow assured me if I remembered to release the jib AFTER the catamaran finished its tack, I would do just fine.

        I didn't try to "fly a hull" or attempt anything with the trapeze.  But when a dolphin swam alongside for a short while, I knew I would remember my first day of sailing a Hobie.  Before the end of my sail, I was caught up in that whole "Cult Mystique" that surrounds Hobie Cats and their owners.  I wanted one of my own!

        For a couple years I'd noticed an older gentleman kept an H-14 Turbo moored at the local  lake.  Remembering how much I enjoyed my first Hobie sail, I asked him to keep me in mind, should he ever decide to sell, and crossed my fingers.  I liked the small size of his H-14, and appreciated how it was geared for the solo-sailor.  Western Maryland is the "nautically-challenged" part of the state, and our list of sailors (much less Hobie cat owners) isn't long. 

        After three years I was tired of waiting, and I found a winner in Michigan.  (This was before eBay and Craig's List made it easy.)  It was in great shape, and on a registered trailer (worthy of the 8 hour drive back).  I was twice blessed, because 6 months later I found a second Hobie Cat - only two and a half hours away.  I bought it, too.  And not long afterwards, a third one as a parts boat.  Between the three cats I was able to completely outfit two very nice Hobies, with parts to spare.

        By then I couldn't stop:  I've since added two Trac-14s, an AquaCat, and several other boats (single, dual, and tri-hulled) to my personal fleet.  I try to rotate their use at the lake, so I can keep all of them in good working order.  Most of my family think I'm nuts - but my two nephews think it's just great.

           And what about that elderly gentleman sailor?  Derr is a seasoned sailor, having sailed his Hobie for many years at The Gap.  He turned 80 a couple years ago, and is by far the most active sailor of our fleet.  He's more apt to be the one sailing if you see a boat out on the lake.  (Look for his red, white and blue sails.)  I'm so lucky he decided NOT to sell his Hobie, because two catamarans sailing together are always better than one.

          Derr taught me how to rig my Hobie, and has been a valuable source of information so I could fully enjoy sailing in the tricky mountain winds.  Derr is also a glider pilot, so his knowledge of the wind and airflow has been very beneficial.

          We recently added a third fleet member, Elaine.  She received an H-16 from her uncle and began learning the tricks to sailing it towards the end of the 2007 sailing season.  She's a welcome addition to our fleet.