A Hobie Getaway catamaran — 17 feet, 24-inch draft, wind and solar only. She gets into places bigger boats anchor and stare at. Inside the reef. Into the mangrove channel. Onto the beach where the people are and the stories live.
Twenty-four inches of draft. That is the number that makes everything else possible. Shamrocket gets inside the barrier reef, up against the caye, into the mangrove channel, onto the beach itself — right up to where the people are, where the knowledge lives, where the stories are still being kept. A 40-foot passage-maker anchors offshore and stares at all of that. Shamrocket parks on top of it.
Wind and solar only. Zero diesel. The boat is not a scaled-down version of big-boat cruising. It is the right platform for a multi-decade commitment to the same reef systems, the same coastlines, the same communities — and keeping coming back.
24-inch draft opens up reef zones, shallow atolls, mangrove channels, and remote beaches that deeper vessels cannot safely reach. Shamrocket anchors directly over the sites that matter most.
Sail-driven movement eliminates fuel cost, logistics, and dependence on marina infrastructure. Zero carbon in operation. Every anchorage earned. The vessel is the philosophy made physical.
Shamrocket can be broken down, containerized, and reassembled in another region without an ocean crossing. Blue Rim 5™ moves beyond the Caribbean without needing to sail there first.
Lower cost and fewer major systems make a 20-year commitment to the same coastlines realistic. The Rim Run™ comes back to the same harbors and reefs every year. Continuity is the point.
The sled is what transforms Shamrocket from a day-sailing platform into a true coastal expedition system. Instead of loading every heavy or bulky item onto the trampoline, the DRAGR carries essential support gear while the sailing platform stays light, efficient, and correctly trimmed.
Magnum Jet Sled: 71" L × 42" W × 16" H. HDPE construction with fitted dark-gray canvas cover. Nearly watertight gear storage protecting equipment from spray, rain, mud, and road grit. On-water, DRAGR tows on a 15-foot bridle with an 18-foot safety tether.
The 15-foot bridle creates a passive stabilizing effect — the sled trails at a natural interval that reduces side-to-side yaw in following seas. The tether provides the safety backup if the bridle parts. Both lines have been physics-validated for the load and sea states expected on the Rim Run circuits.
Every piece of gear passes the same test: does it work when everything is wet, tired, and 40 miles from the nearest marina? If it didn't pass, it didn't come. What's listed here is what's aboard — chosen for durability, redundancy, and what it actually contributes when conditions get real.
Magnum Jet Sled with fitted canvas cover. 71" × 42" × 16". Nearly watertight HDPE shell. Tows on a 15-foot bridle with 18-foot safety tether. The raven that guards the gear — and keeps Shamrocket's trampoline clear for sailing.
2042Wh LiFePO₄ power station delivering 2200W continuous / 4400W surge. Paired with 2× ZOUPW 220W panels (440W total). Powers navigation, communications, hookah dive system, refrigeration, and all expedition electronics. Charges 0–80% in 66 minutes from shore power. Zero diesel. Zero noise.
AC-powered hookah delivering continuous breathable air to 60 feet. No tanks. No compressor runs. No fuel logistics. Powers off the Jackery. Deployable at every stop on the circuit — the system that puts the diver on the reef without the tank-hauling logistics across 24 countries.
2.5 HP equivalent. 915 Wh integrated lithium battery. Silent direct-drive at 33 dB. Solar-rechargeable. IP67 waterproof. GPS-based range. When the reef needs to be approached quietly, or the mangrove channel calls for stealth — this is the motor that gets you there without announcing it.
Rapid-deploy windproof and waterproof shelter. The trampoline is the preferred sleeping platform when conditions allow. When they don't, this deploys in two seconds and you're dry in three. No fuss. No assembly in the dark.
Offshore internet and communications, stored in an orange waterproof ditch bag on deck. Paired with Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 5G running Navionics for primary navigation, and a Garmin inReach on the ditch bag exterior for backup position and two-way messaging when Starlink is stowed.
This platform is built around coastal discipline. Short legs. Daylight arrivals. Daily landing or anchoring. Constant awareness of nearby shelter. An operator with nuclear submarine qualification does not take unnecessary risks — and the platform is designed to stay inside an envelope it can always handle.
No vessel removes risk. Seamanship, judgment, and conservative operation still matter. The point is that within a disciplined coastal envelope, a small catamaran operated by a qualified mariner is a practical and effective platform for a multi-year expedition.
The operator holds USN submarine qualification and ASA sailing instructor credentials. The platform is capable. The operator is qualified. The envelope is understood.
The Rim Run™ is the proving ground. Systems get tested in real conditions. Routines get refined under pressure. Gear earns its place or gets replaced. Preparation replaces bravado. Confidence comes from repetition, not talk.
Bird behavior as depth indicators. Water color over reef versus sand. Current reads at specific landmarks. The same intelligence the Norse used crossing the North Atlantic — applied to hundreds of reef systems and coastal channels.
Sail shape, weight distribution, and angle of attack in varying conditions. Shamrocket rewards correct trim with speed and stability. She tells you immediately and honestly when you've got it wrong. There is no keel to hide behind.
Beach landings in surf. Anchoring in coral without damaging it. Getting off a lee shore when conditions change faster than the forecast said they would. Repetition until it is reflex, not thought.
Preventative maintenance. Gear inspection before every departure. The boat is always ready to go — because conditions don't give you time to prepare after they change. This is the operating standard that keeps people alive far from help.
Blue Rim 5™ • Catamaran Dan • Nevado Raiders™