Both Hannah and I are new to sailing. I started as crew on a monohull in 2016, and Hannah joined as crew in 2018. We both really enjoy it and our friends pointed us to CRAM as a place to improve our sailing skills, and have a more exhilarating experience.We purchased a Hobie 16 in the fall of 2018 and took it out twice before winter. We were amazed by the speed of the H16. It was much different from the 30 ft boat we crew on, and taking the tiller for the first time was exhilarating. Right away, we knew it would be something for us and joined as CRAM members for the 2019 season. We figured the best way to learn to sail was by racing it. Trial by fire.
Higgins Lake was our first regatta and was the third time for us sailing our boat, or any H16 for that matter. I will spoil the story now and say that we did not finish any races, mostly due to user error. However, our experience with CRAM was great and we plan to get better and compete in more regattas this year. Everyone in the club really enjoys sailing and enjoys helping beginners like us get better.
We don’t expect to perform well at any regattas this year. There are some great sailors in the H16 fleet and we have a lot to learn. However, we do expect to improve and I already know the members of CRAM contribute greatly to our success. If there is anyone out there considering purchasing a catamaran and joining CRAM, I would definitely encourage it. It’s a wonderful club, made up of some great people who enjoy competition. We will definitely be back!