After World's Questions

Mike, As an indicator of how that might go down, The Tiger Worlds in Santa Barbara in 2005 we had close to 100 boats show up- alot of European teams. There were something around 35 US teams.

http://www.hobieworlds.com/tiger2005/results/tigerworlds_overall.html

I bet if you held an F18 event with the same parameters as the Tiger event in Santa Barbara you'd see more boats now. Things have matured a bit over the last 4 years as far as F18s are concerned.

J

First class comment douche

Uh Oh. That didn't get ME very far last time I threw it out there. <img src="<>/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin" height="15" width="15" />

JC has bigger muscles.

There was a Tiger (2004) on the beach with broken mast. The mast was broken just above the point where diamond wires attached.

The guy told me he went in downwind without kite, he made a jibe near to the gate. The mast was broken at the moment the main went to the other side. So I think it just happened, nothing to do with the current, timing or the number of the boats. Only the strong wind and the stupid waves, or boat handling. Or the mast was damaged at a previous capsize...

jibing without kite was really risky there

- with lose main you can easily overload the mast
- with closed main you need to make the jibe really precisely, what was not possible because of the waves

I've seen all the other boats but never heard of the Shockwave, who makes it? Are there any in the USA?

Shockwave is the same maker as that 16 footer in the

What did you do on the weekend?

video 😛

Thanks, does it look like a bigger version of that boat? Kind of the way the Cap looks like a big Viper (or Viper looks like a small Cap if you prefer).

The Spitfire's big brother. Not that I've seen, but I don't get around much.

I've actually sailed on a Spitfire! All thanks to Dermot in Dublin! (Thanks again Dermot!)

I liked the Spitfire design, big round hulls with lots of volume, is the Shockwave designed like that?

The Shockwave as pointed the big brother of the spitfire, designed by Ives Loday and Reg White, both Tornado legends, designers of the Vx40, check the VX40 again and you´ll see the distinctive bow shape. They also built the F18 Dart Hawk and the Dart 16 and the list goes on...
http://www.swell-catamarans.co.uk/
http://www.swell-catamarans.com

http://catsailingnews.blogspot.com/2009/06/lodaywhite-shockwave.html

2 seconds in google and 1.98 of it was spent typing in

shockwave catamaran

Here you go Timbo: http://catsailingnews.blogspot.com/search/label/Shockwave

Up against the Spitfire its simply huuuuuuuge. Up against the Hobie Wildwind its still huuuge, big big volume well forward. <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />

Hey Tim here is a link:
http://catsailingnews.blogspot.com/2009/06/lodaywhite-shockwave.html

Were the broken masts carbon or aluminum?

Sucks that you can break a mast just by gybing technique (or lack thereof).

OTOH, I watched a guy destroy a mast on a Melges 24 before putting in the water for a 3-day regatta last weekend. Caught some rigging on the hoist, and pulled the boat/trailer forward (still not sure why). Broke the CF mast and boom, no sailing for them.

Mike

Hey Tim, I found a link for you on the Shockwave:
http://catsailingnews.blogspot.com/2009/06/lodaywhite-shockwave.html

😛

No carbon masts allowed in F18 IIRC.

All Alu masts, F18 rule.
30knots and huge waves, not strange at all, it was survival conditions they've told me.

Absolutely. People would be surprised to find out who knows who in this world of cat sailing. It's an incestuous bunch I tell ya.
J

I donno what you're talking about, but JC's shoulders are the size of bowling balls.

Good point. Anyone with the cahones to even attempt racing with a chute in 30 knots probably needs to have their heads examined...

Mike

I raced just up the coast from there in those kind of conditions. Shallow water big current and huge steep waves that are very close together all with cold gusty wind. Went swimming a lot as that was not anything I had ever seen even close to before that.

It is racing though and this was the World championship. If the guy ahead or behind of you puts up his chute you have to follow. If he does not go over you were not going to beat him anyway. If he does go over, you can douse it after you pass him up. <img src="<>/laugh.gif" alt="laugh" title="laugh" height="15" width="15" />

I know, it's just insane is all...

I guess I have a different tactic for survival mode. Just keep the pointy end up, you'll at least beat the boats that explode...

Mike

In this conditions easier to sail downwind with kite than without. The wind direction was changed so if you were on the wrong side of the field you have to go to the gate without kite.

Thanks for all the links guys, much appreciated. Looks like they had quite a good time!

And as Matt points out, sailing over there is -not- like sailig over here. More wind, more waves, and the locals are used to sailing in it.

I'm guessing there probably isn't a US based Race Committee that would have sent the fleet out in 30 knot winds!

Did any of the teams in the Worlds sail with the smaller sail plan? If so, how did they fare?

I have not seen any teams with small sail plan.

...And that would be an incorrect guess. Although, normally, no one but the top third of the H16 fleet wants to be out in those conditions (you read that correctly, no other boats), and they're not afraid to tell you that.

Mike

Last week 2 guys argued with me here on catsailor that they were out in 30-40 KNOTS and I called them on it. They both held to thier story and I started to wonder if I was a wus.(no comment Tad or Todd!) Maybe thier story wasnt exactly accurate....
Ive been in a monohull when it was blowing 30, and it was rediculous. No way a cat could survive for very long in that. And yes, no RC would send them out in todays litigation hungry world.

H16 sailors are crazy anyway <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />