| Vol 1 - Issue 5 | January 1997 |
|
On The Bookshelf Book and Video Reviews By William Wallick |
|
CATAMARAN SAILING: A Step by Step Guide by Kenger Television VHS, 45 minutes,1992. KENGER TELEVISION SAILING SERIES Catamaran Sailing is a good attempt at an introductory video showing the exciting sport in which we participate. Why they start it off with a dull section on Trailering is beyond me. A brief introduction by Jeff Alter is followed by some good action shots of various cats, then with a deceleration reminiscent of your worst pitchpole you run smack dab into the practicalities of trailering your boat. Good information, but it could wait until later in the program. (Yes Homer, it does tell you not to raise your mast near power lines). This is followed by Parts of the Boat, where some very good 3D computer generated illustrations lead you through the major parts of the boat. The Rigging section is a little long. Unfortunately there are no tuning tips here, folks, just step by step rigging of a H-18. Twenty-three minutes into the tape they finally shove off and explain points of sail and demonstrate tacking and gybing. Hosted by Brian Heffernan, the photography is very good and the audio isn’t bad considering most of it is live, taking place on the boat. Tacking and gybing are repeated in a more interesting fashion during the following section, Moderate Winds, which also includes some very moderate hull flying. Brief sections on Trapezing and Capsizing conclude the program just as it was getting interesting and exciting. Recommendation: Best for Beginners. Technical quality is above average. Catamaran Sailing: A Step by Step Guide is available from Murray’s Marine, Hobie Cat, or your local marine dealer. William Wallick wallick@concentric.net Back to Features |