How usable are the AI/TIs in Monterey bay wind /waves?

I've been enjoying the full AI recently, following NwM's prime example of how to cover ground and catch fish.  It's a ton of fun, when you have the right conditions.  I'm still a bit new to the sailing aspect, and prefer to keep to light winds.  When I first got the AI I had a terrible day of trying to go directly into a 30mph head wind to get back to launch and I was not making any progress.  Also the idea of punching through waves and possibility of pitch poling just sounds like no fun. However if you plan on going in normal weather you would normally kayak fish the AI has some nice advantages.  The first wind when the sun rises can often take you pretty far even if it's going to die out fairly soon. Know the wind and swell directions and plan for it, you get to have an easy ride back to the launch, or you can wait longer and go for a sporty sail.  Minimalist thinking is required, you cant have a ton of stuff loose or you will loose it.  Wind can be unpredictable, but it's no motor and you will still be peddling to get where you want to go a lot of the time.  That said, it's hella fun when everything works out.  A trailer makes things a lot easier, but having the option to use single ama makes it very versatile. 

Ive been trying to learn to sail confidently on my AI, and I think pushing it to the limit would really be the only way to generate enough confidence to go full tilt while fully loaded with fishing gear.  I was contemplating waiting until the winter off season to choose some days to do this.  Maybe a good 15-20 mph wind with 3-5 ft long period swells?  If I find a good window, Ill try and post a hookup for an AI/TI sail-a-thon.  That could be fun, and if one of us capsizes, we will have support.   

When I first got the AI I had a terrible day of trying to go directly into a 30mph head wind to get back to launch and I was not making any progress. 

I can imagine that was a nightmare. I had one day when I launched at Monterey Bay Kayaks where the afternoon wind was directly offshore--nothing like 30 mph, but enough so that I was wondering if I was ever going to hit the beach.

When I look at the forecast, I pay a lot less attention to wind speed than direction...

Ive been trying to learn to sail confidently on my AI, and I think pushing it to the limit would really be the only way to generate enough confidence to go full tilt while fully loaded with fishing gear.  I was contemplating waiting until the winter off season to choose some days to do this.  Maybe a good 15-20 mph wind with 3-5 ft long period swells?  If I find a good window, Ill try and post a hookup for an AI/TI sail-a-thon.  That could be fun, and if one of us capsizes, we will have support.   

There's no need to wait until winter, as there are often afternoon winds in SC that will challenge your sailing skills. When the Hobie cats are launching from the harbor beach, there is usually some significant wind on the way.

An AI/TI sailing day is a great off-season idea...

If you like to stay busy (managing reefing, trim, rudder, rod, downrigger, etc) and don't mind being wet or dealing with all the schlepping and setup, AIs are great. As far as bad conditions, your confidence will likely falter before the craft will. Except for in the surf zone. It is pretty easy to get an AI sideways in the surf or break a ruder pin.

Here's something to consider when thinking about max speed:
https://www.boatsafe.com/waterline-length/

Couple of things I learned hard way:
- it's OK to furl (as in - sometimes it's not smart not to)
- get out ASAP when waves become too high and too short (as in - going against 6 ft / 6 sec even when wind is reasonably good is not a best idea). This probably more applies to the Bay, when condition can drastically change very fast - but I had some challenges in SC as well.

Here's something to consider when thinking about max speed:
https://www.boatsafe.com/waterline-length/

For the AI, that hull speed formula would give less than 6 knots (sqrt(16)*1.34=5.36), and it’s certainly higher than that. They say that formula does not hold for trimaran designs (like the AI). I’ve seen some discussion of this on the Hobie forum, and it seems there is no consensus as to what the correct answer might be.

Couple of things I learned hard way:
- it's OK to furl (as in - sometimes it's not smart not to)

This is certainly true. In strong winds you can easily be overpowered, which buries the ama(s) and puts more stress on the boat, and you end up going slower than if you furled the sail some.