Bad Hobie Cat

So there I was...watching from the porch of my brother's cottage as my Hobie Cat catamaran sailboat took off sailing across the lake without a person onboard.  It happened many years ago when I trailered the boat to the Berkshires to have some fun with family on this beautiful and often times windy lake.  After a bit of sailing, I tied the boat to a very heavy chunk of stainless steel used as a mooring just offshore in front of the cottage.  I left the sails up, but all of the lines loose, so the boat would point into the wind floating docile until my return from lunch.  Then the fast moving thunderstorm came over the western mountains that rim the lake.  It came on so quickly and with such ferocity, accompanied by bolts of lightning, that I couldn't get to the boat to drop the sails.  As the Hobie whipped around with the strong winds, the loose lines snagged around part of the rudder system allowing the sails to fill with air and the boat took off dragging the mooring behind it.  Once the mooring hit deeper water it no longer dragged but just hung on it's line.  Now the boat really took off.  It was heading for the dam at the other side of the lake and I was so relieved when it flipped over, effectively stopping it, about half way to it's destination with the lightning still keeping me pinned down in the cottage.  Shortly after the storm passed multiple people from around the lake, assuming that some fool had sailed out into the storm, got in their boats and sped to the overturned Hobie.  Not seeing anyone, they started diving around the boat looking for a body.  Then we heard the siren of the emergency vehicle responding to the call that there was a possible injury or drowning on a boat that went out in the middle of the storm.  I hustled to get out to this debacle in my brother's ski boat to ease everyones fears.  After eating much crow, we got the Hobie back to the cottage and dropped the sails immediately.  Never underestimate the power of the wind or an ill-behaved Hobie Cat.