I was glad to see Mary's post about women in sailing. I agree 100% that many of the new powerful spinnaker boats are not much fun for a female sailor. Heck, while I love sailing with the chute, there's the expense, upkeep, and extra rigging time involved.
My favorite boat is still my A-cat and I wonder why more women who would like to race have not looked at this option. Here is what I think are the pros and cons:
Pros
1. Super performance
2. Extremely fun to sail
3. Competitive with crew weight ranges from 145 lbs. to 200 lbs.
4. Extremely easy to rig, tune, and handle (165 lb. boat)
5. Super friendly class (there has not been one protest filed at any North American A-class regatta in 2002 to date)
Cons
1. Somewhat pricey for new boats but there is currently a very good selection of used competitive boats
2. Not as big or established as the Hobie and Performance fleets
3. Very high level of competition that could be discouraging initially (Melvin, Smyth, Ogeltree, Lovell, Hall, Struble, etc...)
The two most active female A-class sailors in the US are Pease Glaser (who is an Olympic Silver medalist and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year) and Carla Schiefer (long time Tornado/P-19/Corsair crew and sailmaker). Pease is located in Newport Beach, CA at the Ullman Sails loft. Carla is in Cocoanut Grove,FL at Cocoanut Grove Sails. I think women who might be intrigued by this option should contact Carla or Pease and talk to them about their impressions of the boat and the class.
You can also visit the US A-class website at www.usaca.info.
Bob Hodges
A-Class USA 147
Bob, I agree that the A-class seems like the perfect boat for women. And I think more women might enjoy sailing if they could single-hand -- I know I certainly prefer sailing alone and being the one in control. If we could get all racing couples to split up and sail single-handers, we would have a lot more boats on the water and a lot less strain on relationships.
However, I only recommend the A-class cats to women if they are sailing in a predominantly light-air area, because the boat can be a handful when the wind gets above 12 knots. It sort of reminds me of the Laser in that way. I could race a Laser pretty much all summer in Ohio, but when we moved to the Keys, there was just too much wind for me to keep the boat flat and be competitive. At least in the case of the Laser, they have the Laser Radial rig for women and kids.
What do you think about having a smaller sail plan option for the A-class to make it easier to handle for women and kids, especially in areas that normally have pretty breezy conditions?
Mary,
I weigh 155 lbs. and when I first got my A-boat, I thought it would be tough to sail in breeze. Now my opinion is that it is the easiest boat to sail. Here's why:
1. Upwind in a big blow, just drop the traveller and it's amazing how quiet and controllable the boat becomes.
2. Downwind, you can easily depower the boat by sailing deep and due to the light weight, it just does not want to bury the bows. The Flyer and Auscat Mk. V are amazing in big chop and seas and while I have never sailed one in a blow the Marstrom owners tell me the same about that boat.
3. One advantage to this class is the boat only has to comply with three rules, 165 lb. minimum weight, 7.5' maximum beam, and 150 ft2 maximum sail area. So technically, a Hobie Wave and Hobie 14 are A-cats also! The point is a very light woman could have a high wind sail built and race with it. It would be easy to do by just shortening the foot of the sail and making the sail more high aspect.
C'mon girls,what are you waiting for? Check us out at the Tradewinds Regatta this January!
You don't have to convince me. I have wanted an A-Class cat since the 1960's, when I fell in love with a Unicorn.
And I am glad you mentioned that the Hobie 14 and the Hobie Wave fall within the A-class specs -- I didn't mention it, because I didn't know whether the A-Class Association would be happy about the prospect of those slower boats competing in your formula class.
To me, the ideal situation, from a woman's standpoint, would be to be able to have a pure A-Class cat at the maximum specs to sail on light-air days and something like the Hobie 14 or Wave to sail on heavy-air days.
But I am interested in what you said about the heavy-air sail, shorter on the foot and higher-aspect ratio. Maybe I will get my A-Class cat yet. And I hope Cyndi Bohannon over in Houston is reading this, too.
Another boat to think about is a Tiapan 4.9. When sailed as a uni-rig, it is similar to the A-Class. I agree with Mary's comment about light air sailing. I weigh 145 lbs so the Tiapan can be a handful to sail singlehanded in over 12 knots so I usually find a friend to crew for me in heavier air. The Tiapan is versatile as it can be sailed with main alone, with main and jib or with main, jib and spinnaker. The boat is strong and lightweight but I would not recommend sailing it up onto the beach too many times. The boat has daggerboards so one has to be careful sailing in shallow water. I have had my Tiapan for about 4 months now and have not been disappointed with my selection.
Jennifer Lindsay
Tiapan #262
Jennifer, we have a Taipan 4.9, too. Very versatile boat. It can be raced in the Formula 16HP class, but I was very disappointed to learn that it cannot be raced in the A-Class because it is about an inch too wide, or something like that. And it is probably too heavy to be competitive, but who knows? And if a Wave and a Hobie 14 can race in the A-Class, it's too bad that the Taipan 4.9 cannot. If it could, it would be the ultimate versatile racing boat, because it also probably fits within the Formula 18 and Formula 20.
Are you going to the Taipan 4.9 Nationals this weekend in Tampa/St. Pete area? You didn't say whether you race your boat. Rick White (my spouse) is going to be there, with Stan Woodruff as crew. They are both about 65 years old, so if they can do it, you can do it. Rick told Stan he has to get down to 115 pounds if they are going to be competitive. Stan's wife Sharon is dubious.
I'll be at the Taipan 4.9 National this weekend and at the F16HP Nationals you are hosting the following weekend. It is disappointing about sailing as an A-Class but if the Taipan fleet continues to grow as it is in the Tampa-St.Pete area, we will have a good size fleet in Florida soon. We need to encourage those that have cats (I mean all cats not just Taipans) to get out and sail them instead of just talking or thinking about it.
Jennifer Lindsay
Taipan 4.9 #262
Do not leave out the Hobie 17 as an option. We have an excellent fleet of Women sailors including: Kathryn Garlick, Marsha Lodes, Jane Sherrod and Kitsy Armhein just to name a few. Caleb Tarleton
Yeah, I was going to mention the 17, but I don't want to be seen as a fanboi 
Mary
Cyndi and I looked ways to depower the A-class in high wind. All the sailmakers had a slightly different methods but they all basically involved reducing the aspect ratio by removing sail area up high and moving it down low. Increasing the aspect ratio is an interesting idea. It kinda assumes you can depower the upper portion of the sail and maybe the longer sq top will blow over earlier.
It you want the ultimate high wind sail some of the A's can fly a Wave sail with a long pigtail between the head of the sail and the halyard ring. You might even be able to sail it boomless. (Does the A-class now become a Wave that doesn't stuff the bow?)
Another good choice would be a Marstrom M18. From what I understand the extra beam makes a big difference in heeling and stability. The M18 was Goran Marstrom's choice as a woman's boat. It can be sailed or raced as a 1 person, 2 person, with/without a Spin. And with a extra set of crossbeams, it's an A-class.
The only problem with the A's, is righting. The experts don't have any problem. But for the average person, at somewhere below 150 lb crew weight it becomes difficult.
There is no such thing as a perfect boat but if you start off light and strong you can always modify it.
Carl Bohannon
I'm glad you brought up the righting issue. Every time I mention that to A-class sailors, they are adamant that it is not a problem at all, but I have always had my doubts. So I was thinking that for women, maybe there could be a rig with shorter mast and smaller sail, ala the Laser Radial rig. Would that make it easier to right the boat?
Hello,
The A-Cat is a very good boat for women to sail. It is possible to order your mast and sail to your own wishes. I know that Pieter Saarberg, here in Holland, makes different masts according your weight. The same can be done with the sail, fuller or flatter. I have seen the M-18, at Texel last year, and was impressed with the boat. By making the boat wider it makes for a much smoother ride. I owned a T 4.9 before and had my share of fun, but I decided to go for the A-Cat as I sailed Uni 99.9 % of the time. I chartered Rick's 4.9 in April to do his seminar. Nothing outpoints an A-Cat, but downwind you will suffer against the big boats. So I added a spinaker with a Skunk snuffer and I feel that I am right up there with the big boats.
Have fun.
Arjan de Bruin
A-Cat Ned 074
Arjan,
Which A Class do you sail?
What experiences have you had with the spinnaker on it?
I would like to get an A if I can trust it with a spi.
Hello Sam,
I sail an Auscat Mark V. It is a pretty strong boat even though it is not designed for a spinaker, but with the windconditions in the U.S., relatively light compared to the European conditions you should have no problem sailing it. The dousing with the Skunk setup is a lot easier than with the EO snuffer I had on my T 4.9 and you have less windage.
Regards.
Arjan
The first time I flipped my Taipan, I could not right it by myself. Luckily, it was between races at a club race and the crew from a 2 person boat swam over and helped my right it. Since then, I have installed a Power Righting Pole which has been modified so I can hoist a water bag on the end to increase the righting moment. I have not flipped recently so I have not had a chance to see how it works.
Another issue for me was raising and lowering the mast. The Taipan has a lightweight 28 ft aluminum mast but its not that light. I can't raise it by myself so I use to have to ask one of the men on the beach to do it for me. I have since then install a winch and a gen pole so I can now do it by myself. It takes a few more minutes to set the boat up with the gen pole but I like not having to ask for help. It's also safer because the mast is restrained from falling to the side in a heavy cross wind.
Jennifer Lindsay
Taipan 4.9 #262
I'm with you, Jennifer. If I am going to sail my own boat, alone, I do not want to have to ask anybody else for help, whether in righting the boat, raising the mast, moving it around on the beach, putting it on the trailer, etc.
The good thing about being a woman is that, #1, we CAN get away with asking for help, and #2, since we don't want to ask for help, we figure out alternative ways of doing things, and/or, #3, we get a boat that fits our physical abilities.
Men do none of those things. Instead, they end up with back problems.
JenniferL,
You are right about the Taipan being a great boat. I sail mine cat rigged only and love it. I'm male by the way.
If you are finding that the boat is overpowered for you when the wind gets up sailing solo you may wish to use a different sail. The specialist cat sail for a Taipan is built differently to the sloop sail and is built to suit the weight of the sailor as well. The sail is fuller lower down than the sloop sail to reduce the heeling moment wheras the sloop sail needs to be flatter lower down due to the jib. Of course, the lighter the sailor the flatter overall will be the sail. This is my understanding anyway.
If you are finding that you are overpower sloop rigged as well then perhaps a flatter sail would suit you better. You should probably talk to a sailmaker about this. I can recommend two in Australia who specialize in Taipan sails. One is of course the co-designer of the Taipan Greg Goodall : www.ahpc.com.au
and the other is the current World A-class champion and Australian Taipan champion Glen Ashby : www.ashbysails.com
I hope this is of some help to you.
Regards,
Rob Wilson
Taipan 4.9 AUS175
Mary,
I too was disappointed that the Taipan 4.9 was just too wide to qualify as an A-class.
It, however, is way under the minimum weight for the F18 or F20 unless you want to put 80kg of lead on the boat.
Rob Wilson
Taipan 4.9 AUS175
At 155 lbs. and 5'11, I have never had a problem righting my A-boat. Your height and weight will make a difference. Someone who is 140-150 lbs and 5'6" to 5'8" in height could probably still right the boat but that is probably the lower limit unless you use some type of assistance device.
The mast is 99% sealed (the only holes are at the hounds and at the base but these are out of the water in a capsize). It's very cool that you do not have to worry about turtling this boat.
Regarding stepping the mast, the Boyer/AHPC boats all have hinged mast steps. I simply secure my trapeze lines to the front beam near the inner shearline and can put the mast up and down with no assistance. The A-cat mast weighs 18-19 lbs.
The H-17 is a great boat but again think about the weight of the rig and the overall weight of the boat. How does that compare to a 165 lb. boat with a 19 lb. mast for a woman?
You have to seal the holes at the hounds for if the mast fills from that point on you will not be able to right your boat after a capsize. I am 5-11 and over 180 and I could not right the 4.9 after a capsize. So Jennifer that might have been the reason why you couldn't right the boat by yourself.
Arjan
For an A-cat mast blank is typically around 9 kg's (19 lbs)while the Taipan mast blank is 13,5 kg's. (29 lbs) Single hander mast blanks of big builders usually measure 18,5 kg's and more (41 lbs and more.)
Naturally the increase in weight won't help you but at 180 lbs = 81 kg's and at 2 inches less than 6 foot tall you should be able to right all singlehanders.
Wouter
Mary ,Mary come on now. Lets not start man bashing. The problem with your second point is it goes back to your first point.....asking a man to help.....By the way, something I would gladly do.
Mike Catley
ouch, you hurt my feelings mary. why should i ask for help when most cat sailors are generally friendly enough to offer without being asked?
Catman, I was not man-bashing. I just said that men don't like to ask other men for help, don't like to bother with using mechanical devices to help raise their masts, and have a tendency to get boats that are maybe bigger than they can physically handle. Women, on the other hand, tend to recognize their physical limitations and ARE willing to ask for help, use mechanical advantage, and get boats that fit their size and weight and strength level.
And, Dave, obviously, men are happy to help both women and other men who need help. It's just that many men, at least in my experience, do not like to ask and do not want to even give the appearance of needing help. They would rather stop sailing.
Okay, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just my own stubborn, macho-man husband, who has always refused to ask for help even with back problems, neck problems and rotator-cuff problems in his shoulder. He doesn't even want anybody to know he has any problems. I don't have to bash men -- they do a fine job of bashing themselves, at least physically.
Sorry to have dropped off the face of the earth. Not one, but two people e-mailed me to make sure that I jumped into this discussion. Let me preface my post with the understanding that I am not the typical performance driven racer. I highly respect folks that choose the ultra high performance boats - I'm just not one of them.
We have a strong and growing A-class fleet here in Texas and I have been strongly encouraged to get an A. I originally decided against the A-class because I wanted a boat that I could sail with my 6 year old son and I felt (after taking a closer look thanks to Mary) that the A was too "tippy" in heavy air. In retrospect, I am very happy that I did not get an A-class. Why? Well, Bob Hodges gave a good summary of the pros and cons - and as the long list of replies have shown, almost all of the drawbacks of the A can be remedied with changes in the sail profile or in sailing technique. But the long and the short of it is that the boat is a beast in heavy air, the acceleration in puffs can literally scoot the boat right out from under you.
I have been following the trials and tribulations of one of our male fleet members who is about my size and weight and I feel the A is just too unforgiving. Dennis' boat starts to fly a hull at 6 knots! Any momentary lapse of concentration will result in a bath. I personally sail for the fun of it - and the thought of sailing a boat that requires that much concentration and is as unforgiving as the A gives me a headache.
The other problem that I have with the A-class is the level of competition. Almost all of the A-class skippers in my area are extremely talented and aggressive sailors. Around here the A is the boat that you graduate to once you are at the top of your game. Call me a spoiled sport, but I prefer to compete at my level - I have a serious problem with being lapped by the lead boat. I am rarely the the lead dog in the pack, but I prefer to finish a race before everyone else has fallen asleep from boredom.
So, what did I get? Well, if you subscribe to the magazine - her name is Monster Kitty. If you don't subscribe, shame on you. The subscription rate is a steal and you are missing out on great articles and wonderful photographs. It's late and my natives are getting restless, if I don't feed them soon they may start chewing on my ankles. I'll post again soon about what boat I think is best suited for women sailors.
Mary as you can see (attach.) I'm working on the next generation.........So far so GOOD!
Mike Catley
You're probably right, Mary - it's just your macho husband.
On my beach, I find it virtually impossible to actually set up or break down without one of myfellow sailors, god-bless-'em, coming over to help out. Even when experimenting with a new aproach to rigging it up solo, I end up getting help 'cause who wants to be rude and say, no thanks?
The beach has a 2 foot lip of seaweed, and every time a cat comes ashore, 2-4 guys trot over to haul it up.
This season, I spent a couple hours at the home of one of the guys, installing a gin pole onto my trailor. Most of us have them, now, and not for any lack of manliness. You can rig solo; (yes I figured out how to do this without a gin pole, but it's inelegant) and standing on the tramp, shouldering a mast just seems like too much abuse for boat, tramp, and potentially, 'nads if you go through the tramp. Plus they're cool innovations; one 4 foot pole hinged where front crossbeam meets trailer, no extra wires, use the forward traps as guy-lines, up you go. You can get the rig tension right without going to the sidestay each time. Et cetera.
And you're right about (at least) one other thing, Mary. You hear "Hey Bob, want a hand with that?" about a thousand times more often than you hear, "Hey Wally, gimme a hand, willya?"