A-Class Islamorada Race Week - Day One Report

Bob,

Is there a site where we can see overall results? I want to see how our buddy Mikey is doing.

has anyone ever tried adding kelp cutters to cats?

Maugan, are you talking about something like this?: http://www.santanasailboats.com/boats/schock40/kelp.htm

I can't find any A-Class site with any information about this event. Rick is going to Islamorada today with notebook and camera. We will let you know what he finds out. Rick is hoping he can get out on a powerboat to get some pictures.

P.S. A September report at the web site from Bob Hodges indicated that the A-Class is tentatively planning to hold their 2007 World Championships at this venue at The Islander in Islamorada. This is kind of test event to see whether that will be a viable venue.

The Islander is probably a great place for such a thing. The Tybee launched from there for a couple of years but I think the expense of it and the hospitality offered by the city of Hollywood are why we start in Hollywood now.

With regard to kelp cutters - I once saw a dingy that had a rod and V-shaped piece that stuck straight up and high from the leading edge of the rudder. If they got something stuck on the rudder, they would just push the rod down and lift it back up to push whatever it was off the bottom of the foil. We don't have a big bulb to worry about on the end of our foils so just something to push the weeds off the bottom of the rudder or daggerboard would do....Something like that would probably not survive or could become a hazard during a capsize on a cat though.

The thing is that you don't need those things to clear the rudders and daggerboards if you have a crew to do it. If the crew is going to have to go to the low side to do it anyway, why can't they just raise and lower the daggerboards and the rudders to clear them? What's the point of kelp cutters?

It's singlehanders that have the problems. And the problem is the same whether you have to raise and lower rudders and daggerboards or raise and lower kelp-cutters.

39 boats! and its not even a national championship. Congrats to A class, your obviously doing something right. May be time to start thinking about an A.

I thought you had an A?

When I first read the post I thought the same thing.

The advantage of having a kelp cutter is you don't have to unload the boards to clear them. You could also set up some kind of line an pully system that could work the cutter from the wire which would be a clear advantage for single and double hand rigs.

The downside would be the added weight for the very light weight machines.

Dave

No Jake. I have an H17 which provides very good racing around here so I won't be giving that up. But when you see another single handed class growing like the A class is you start to think.

Jake, Do you still have your 17? Thought you mentioned you had one some time back. I think you'd love racing with Dan and the NJ boys. Some really good competition there! I met a bunch of them at Buzzard Regattas. Blew a tack once in the middle of the New Bedford shipping lane/channel because I was watching the race! Not good on my part, but it was really fun to watch!

I borrowed an H17 to race a couple regattas on while I was waiting for delivery of my F18 but it's back to it's owner now. I only had enough wind in those two regattas to spend about 5 seconds trapezing off a wing before the gust disipated but I could tell that it would be a hoot!

trapping out off the wing is a lot of fun.

Added benefit is that you don't really have to worry about the damn waves washing your feet out 😛

Dan:

I hope to get me a Nacra A2 soon. We have a real good A cat fleet out of Houston Yacht Club
I will keep my 17, still a fun boat. Just wish I was in your part of the woods, Not much of a class around here. Have to race Portsmouth.

Doug Snell
Hobie 17

Not to trash anybody's else's boat, but sailing an A-class cat after a heavy beach cat is like liberating yourself from a bad marriage... I'M FINALLY FREEEE!

Mary,

The USACA website is www.usaca.info. The information about the event in Islamorada had been on the website at least 3 months prior. Check your web links and be sure they are correct. Glad Rick got down there. Right after the start of the first race on Tuesday I was flat out on the wire going upwind and Rick passed by me to leeward on the photo boat. He should have got some great pictures that day.

I e-mailed you the article I sent to our website along with some pictures I took. I also sent the same info to the IACA website and a shorter article for Sailing World. Hope you can use it for Catamaran Sailor.

Thanks!

Bob Hodges