In a nutshell...no. The demographic is a little different from our traditional regattas but the camaraderie, the open sharing of ideas, and the general good natured fun is at least on par with all the other events I attend. Most of these guys don't participate much in online forums either. I've often heard about this event that takes place before tradewinds and I've felt kind of like they didn't want to play with us and were snubbing us for doing their own thing. I've heard it from some other people too...but when you can get nearly 30 one design boats together with one start and as much racing as you want to do with some of the greatest talent in the country for a week of sailing in the Florida Keys - wouldn't you do it? They're (we're) not snobby - we just enjoy the heck out of it. This year, several of us are moving up the road and/or switching boats to do Tradewinds but I gotta tell you - this a-cat thing is a lot of fun!
I think I missed my setup for yesterday - too much rake and too much diamond wire tension/spreader rake left me a little underpowered. I've got a 9 year old Boyer MKIV and an 8 year old Goodall sail. I think there are one or two older Marstrom A's out here but everyone else has all the new Javalin's and A2 / A3s and the EVO's are hot sexy. You can still be competitive with an old boat - I'm running about mid-pack with my kit and feeling pretty good about it! (though I do wish I had that new Ashby main!).
Thanks for the plug Jake. We had a great day of racing yesterday in 5-10 knots of wind (4 races). It was a bummer that seven of us (me included) missed the (upwind)offset at the first weather mark. Robbie Daniels and I rounded overlapped so we were in the
heat of the moment
and did not even realize we had not rounded it until we got to the beach (we just followed the boats in front of us like sheep!).
There's some new stuff at this event. Randy Smyth is back in the class sailing an A2 with his boomless mainsail, Goran Marstrom and John Schieffer are sailing with curved daggerboards, and several sailors have the new Ashby 2009 mainsail.
We like everybody. Heck next month we are going to have a joint regatta with the 505's!
Are there results from this event posted anywhere?
Wish I was there!!!!! I should never have taken this guest teaching thing. I miss you guys, plus the temp is about to drop to -20c. See y'all in May.
Fred Smith
A Cat CAN31
We will see how snobby they are when they get back to south cackalacky....maybe you can teach us greenhorns whatcha learned!
upwind...I have learned very little...downwind though, give me a breeze and you mo' fo's better look out!
Predicated by the fact that he was working out some
out of the box
sail shapes and techniques and all...I walk away from this regatta, after all that was said and done, having placed on my yet shallow wall of accomplishment, rolling Randy Smyth coming into A-mark and holding it downhill...for this year, that makes the entire week worthwhile (and I mean that in most complimentary fashion to Smyth!). I seriously doubt that this will every happen again but wow...what a rush!
yes, you are snobby when you pull up, take your boat off the trailer (single handed), set up (single handed), launch (single handed), and giggle the whole damn time like the leprachaun with a pot o' gold hidden in the keebler tree at the end of the damn rainbow!! <img src="<>/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin" height="15" width="15" />
no jealousy here!
look forward to seeing everyone on Friday.
Jake, he's registered for Tradewinds so you may get another chance.
I know I can't teach you much but.
Step one - Put boat in water.
Sorry man it had to be said. LOL
Zander, I had it coming, but 2009 is a new year!
Any room in the RV for 2 new babies?
Hey now. That couch is mine!!!! 😛
how good are you with diapers and bottles? Dont you need some practice?
Unfortunately, I don't need practice yet.
Maybe in 3 years or so I'll be needing that practice.
First one comes any time....btw get practicing!!!
You must not have gotten the memo
I've been married for a year and a half now 😛
Getting practice and gettin' married are mutually exclusive, I think is the term....all I'm saying is if you want kids get practicing....sometimes it takes a lot more effort than you thought and were told in highschool and were worried about in college. plan all you want and remember it doesn't allways happen just because you planned it! Get to it!
I was talking about the
First one comes at any time
comment 😛
I'm married.
A pivotal step in the child bearing process is unknown (rather, beaten out of) to married men 😛
All - any results from the Intergalactics? Can't download the file.
Hey Chris,
The Tadster needs a taller glove , alot of 'em go over his head.
Tawd
You haven't left for Tradewinds yet? What the eff?
No Tradewinds for me ,I'm petrified of the Tad.
You'll have to eat all that gumbo...,by yourself.
If I could have manged the whole A-cat/ tradewinds thing, I would have, but tweren't in da cards. Plus, I've got a new (insert any useless thing here) I need to try out.
Have fun, and don't hit anymore boats with that Sea-Ray. <img src="<>/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin" height="15" width="15" />
On topic, A-cat sailors aren't snobby ,a few are quite eccentric, but that's why Jake fits in.
Tawd
They hit me, I was out o' gear at the time.(buff it out) There was only a little damage anyways. The gumbo, well, I don't know. I'm thinkin that Craigs religion won't allow him to divulge the secret. Maybe we'll have to pull a Brave Heart on him. (?)
Hey now. That couch is mine!!!! 😛
Exactly! (I couldn't resist).
Woody wins the intergalactic giving me great hopes of my future to the point I'm really old and crusty. I placed 14th in both events but happy and proud to have been shown how low and slow beats
bent for hell
on a downwind run when you're c-gate rounding is for crap - thanks Skip!
wow...I learned so much this week...seriously...and had a blast - thanks to all.
Reporting direct from A-cat Midwinters: Race report from my viewing spot in B-fleet down in Islamorada: A real workout was had by all.
This was TOUGH competition for the winners and high placement sailors in the Intergalactic. Among the rest of us, Joe Leonard's new boat the EVO pitchpoled going to weather on Thursday in heavy air. Me ditto, as I stuffed my BimXJ 2005- a new experience. It was pretty bumpy offshore at top end wind speed- 17-19, with gusts to 21 mph on the first race of our second race day on Thursday. Then we had another start with similar conditions. After everybody still out had finished, about 8 of the racers took a quick poll, requested the committee boat to go in, so the 3rd race was called off. I am pretty sure it was rather over 22 at the time.....
No serious injuries or mast bustage however, despite some jibing crashes, just a few battens broken and 2 travellers pulling off. Committee boat and chase boats were very well handled and racing was excellent. A Great event, a bit blown out the last day- while the wily old Florida guy Woodie Cope, resisted the heavy air very well and won. Woodie said at the trophy presentation-
Thank God Ben Hall and Brett Moss were duelling each other to weather, and went for a fishing boat with fish poles sticking out, instead of the weather-mark boat
. So they took each other out, and Woodie was well prepared! I had a hard time finding that yellow weather mark too, even from about 1/2 mile downwind.
I was most interested in my first-ever view of curved daggerboards: Goran Marstrom (several Swedish Olympic Gold medals I believe) and 2 other Marstroms were so fitted, including John Schiefer's. Skip Elliot's was not. In lighter air Skip did best, but in medium air Goran had a bunch of 2s and 3s and was usually very near the front going to weather- as much as the other 7 well-performing sailors. Schiefer said they gave his boat
life to weather
, although he was not able to do the wild thing, much like other well sailed Marstroms (low and slow, but still fast enough to stay near the front). I personally saw Goran going down wind in lighter air with his curved boards up- when I was ahead of him. Interesting/promising developments!
Note- Ben Hall sailed his new EVO very very well with a soft sail- we may seen the last of the hard sail: Hull #2- I think it said on his stern.
Skip Elliot made all the early Hobie 16 sails. Ben Hall is building Hall carbon masts for all J-boats and America's Cup boats; came in 2nd and 4th despite being 61 years old!
2 races were sailed on Wednesday and 2 on Thursday= the Intergalactic series.
Posted results hopefully soon at www.usaca.info