On Thursday April 5 2007, Team Zwitserleven Booth/Nieuwenhuis (NED) finished ninth at the Tornado Europeans 2007 and eleventh in the overall results for the Mats Nyberg Trophy. This was the final outcome, as the Dutchmen just missed the medal race. Sixty teams representing twenty-one countries participated in this year’s European Championship raced in the Bay of Palma. The fleet was the highest standard assembled with many World and Olympic champions taking part. The event was conducted during the annual Princess Sofia Trophy, part of the grade one Olympic Class circuit.

Team Zwitserleven started the ten race series well and by the half way mark it was placed fifth overall. Races seven and eight cost the team badly as they slipped back to sixteenth before recovering to finish ninth overall. This result is awarded with a B-status of NOC*NSF (national Olympic Committee). Skipper Mitch Booth commented: “The conditions were brutal with storms every day over the course that caused the wind to do circles. We are generally happy to have made the top ten in this event, but still have a lot of work in preparation for the World Championships in Portugal this July.” Crewman Pim Nieuwenhuis added: “We have made real progress with our sail development program and now feel confident that we can go and race the best of the best. The new sail designs we are using have improved our light wind performance dramatically.”

US SAILING, national governing for the sport, and Performance Catamaran, one of the top multihull boat builders in the U.S., have signed a two-year agreement to provide Nacra SL16s at the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship in 2007 and 2008. The selection of the SL16 is in line with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), which has named the SL16 the multihull boat for its Youth World Championship. The 2007 U.S. Youth Multihull Championship will be held March 29 - April 1 and hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, Calif.

Under the new partnership, Performance Catamaran will provide ten new SL16s at the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Youth Multihull Championship for use by the competitors at the events. Registration for the 2007 U.S. Youth Multihull Championship will open by February 1, 2007. The U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, established in 2001, is an open event (no pre-qualification required) for young men and women who do not turn 19 in the year of competition. Winners of the event are presented with the Arthur J. Stevens Trophy. For more information on the Championship, please visit www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/multihull.  

The 30th Zwitserleven Round Texel Race in the Netherlands shows several innovations. First, the recreational sailors will have their own classification, the so called silver fleet. That means they don’t need a measurement form and they pay a lower entry fee, which makes participation in world’s biggest cat race more economical. The party tent is the second change, as the new licensee and caterer will restore the original social atmosphere. As of March 6th, all participants can register for the Zwitserleven Round Texel Race 2007, that will start on June 23rd.

Despite the two classes, the whole fleet starts together, so the sensation of hundreds of colourful catamarans on one line remains the same. The top three performances in the silver fleet will be awarded with encouragement prizes. During the Round Texel Week, the recreational sailors can also enjoy the traditional Horsttocht and social beach culture. Their entry fee is 100 euro, whereas the competitive racers pay 110 euro. In addition, the Golden Fleet competitors still have to meet the requirements for participation. Foreigners only need a measurement form, but Dutch equips also need a starting license, eventually a sponsor certificate and a membership at a sailing club that is associated with the Royal Netherlands Sailing Federation. All of this gives them the right to participate in the official Dutch Championship Catamaran Sailing, called the Texel Dutch Open, commencing on June 20th. That competition runs over three days.

We’re ready to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Lake Hartwell Spring Fever Regatta.

The dates are firm, the food is ordered from the Honey Baked Ham Company, the sponsors are being lined up, the campsite's reserved, and several dozen other items are being finalized. In short, we are ready except for your preregistrations. Click here for The NOR, along with most of the details, and the on-line Preregistration pages are up and running at http://www.TwinHulls.com/springfever.

As in previous years, you do not need to send your money when you preregister. We will collect it upon your arrival. (Honest, we won't forget.) Once you have preregistered, we do ask that you notify us should something come up that would keep you from attending. Be sure and visit the "See Who Else is Coming" page and make sure your name is on the list. It will be updated every couple of days as time permits. Although we strongly encourage you to be active and support your class organizations and US Sailing as well, current membership in these organizations is not a requirement for this year's Spring Fever Regatta.

As always, we are open to all catamarans. All boats must carry appropriate insurance and all adults attending will be required to sign a Liability Release form before participating in any regatta events. Come join us for a guaranteed good time and we'll do our best to have enough wind available. See you in the spring! .....Nigel & Mr.Ernie

St. Petersburg, Fla. (February 16, 2007) – On the opening day of the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta in St. Petersburg, Fla., wild weather conditions proved a challenge for the record 195 boats competing. Gusting 15-17 knot northerly wind combined with a sharp dip in temperature – where the high temp registered a mere 40 degrees – and created an unusual test for competitors who traveled to the west coast of Florida despite the snow storms that crippled the nation’s travelers earlier this week.