Fishing Australia

I recently got back from two weeks of blissful Summer Holidays, and while the beaches, fishing, swimming, surfing, boating, bike riding, BBQ’s, catching up with family etc was as good as ever, this little fishing show host went one better and rolled many of these activities into one by adding a beaut new little sailing craft into the mix.

There is something just so relaxing and fun about slicing through the water without the noise of a motor-it’s the best fun I’ve had all summer and the kids agree with a grin. he craft I’m writing about is the new Hobie Tandem Island, known simply as the TI. eaders of this column were first introduced to the TI via the ‘sail yak’ marlin adventure that tested the fishing capabilities of this craft in the most extreme circumstances possible. However, as I was to find out, the craft is also perfect for family adventures.

You see you can use this thing on your own, with your dad, mum, a friend, or bring along a handful of kids. My eldest two kids (13 and 10 years old) loved laying in the trampoline and watching the water scoot right by at eye level. Amongst other things they also liked being able to move around the craft with confidence, do belly drags at speed, and generally jump around the TI like it was a play ground on the water. With a bit more sailing practice I will be able to send them out safely on their own…if they can wrestle it off the rest of the family!

Being able to talk easily without engine noise was a huge social plus too-they loved catching up with their uncle Mark who was in the front seat. Hailey, our 3 year old, has missed out so far, but is really looking forward to her turn and we can’t wait to see her reaction when the boat magically moves forward with the breeze.

I use the Hobie Kayaks all the time, and credit their Mirage Drive for being behind the boom in Kayak Fishing because your hands are free to fish, but I don’t know their sailing craft in such intimate detail. n the case of the TI, these have always been rigged up and ready to go when I turned up to catch a marlin or whatever else was on the cards. But I wanted to rig and launch one for myself to see how hard it would be for someone unfamiliar with this process.

It turned out to be dead easy, everything clicks into place in classic hobie fashion, no extra tools or expertise needed, in fact this 5 minute process was actually part of the fun! Once on the water the craft is really easy to use, in fact I took in the joys of my high speed windsurfer without the extreme physical effort, and the pleasures of slower sailing without the costs and maintenance involved in a bigger yacht. Furthermore, I never worried about the wind dropping off, the mirage drive was always there to get me back to the beach when needed-it quite simply is an unbelievably versatile and practical package; nothing in this price bracket comes remotely close.

About the only hiccup on the day was that we didn’t realize how many people this craft could take, so it was me who ended up with the big bulky spare life jacket from the shed-much to the kids amusement… On the warmer on-shore northerly wind days many a beach lover came over to ask about the TI and the fun we were having. When a cooler southerly off shore wind evacuated the previously packed beach we had the place to ourselves and had yet more fun (see attached pic). Like most Hobies, TI’s are impossible to buy leading up to holidays such as X-mas and Easter etc, so the trick is to test drive after or well before such periods and make your own mind up from there. You can get more info on the craft and where to try them at www.hobiecat.com.au

Of course there was some family fishing, and some bigger fishing adventures with my mates too, but I’ll save that for another column and there’ll be lots more detail on a Fishing Australia Adventure later this year. In the meantime I can’t help but dream about this, here I was on a beach I have holidayed on for over 40 years. Every year we do just about every water sport you can think of, including everything mentioned above plus water skiing, jet skiing, snorkeling and more. However the TI provided the most fun of all in a wide variety of conditions. We simply can’t wait for this weekend to come so we can do it again…who would’ve thought there was yet more ways to enjoy a beach I know so well… I guess that’s why they call it growing old not shrinking old…bring it on!

See you on the water.
Rob Paxevanos