Absolutely!! Wouldn't miss it....
I Wish I could be there. Spring Fever was the first place that Judy and I sailed together. I made the trek from Colorado for 4 years, and it is one of my favorite regatta's.
Nigel, Mr Ernie, and the rest of the crew do a fantastic job of promoting Catamaran Sailing without regard for who built your boat.
I made a great group of friends at that event, and treasure those friendships to this day. Cary, Dave, Jake, Toby, Bill & Katherine Cash, and many others.
I learned what WWDLD means, and met the DLW.
I'll share one of my most treasured memories from that event. One warm, moonlit evening, Jake got out his Sax, and someone else got out a guitar and gave us a private mini concert. The music floated out across the water to the opposite shore and bounced back, it was surreal and way too cool for words to really describe.
Judy was not with me that year, but as it was happening I had to call and try and share it with her too.
I will never forget that evening, and if you guys can get Jake to share his incredible musical talent with you, you are in for a real treat.
I will be trying to arrange my life so that I can be there next year. Tip a brewski for me this weekend, and know that I am with you in spirit. Long Live the A-Loop Gang
Here's hoping you have a great turnout and a weekend of fantastic sailing.
Stephen
H-18
Wow... look at all the single hander's
9 A Class
6 Hobie 14's.... (they usally only show for nationals!)
3 Hobie 17's.
4 Nacra 17's.
4 Mystere 4.3's.
1 18 Square
3 Sea Spray's.... (I have no idea what these things are... but one report described them as pests from the west coast (grin)
The only other class that is missing are the Isotopes and a Dart 18 or so.... (hmmm... should I bring the 87 Dart.... nah!)
That's 30 single handers. not counting F16's going single!
Very Nice!
Single Handed Boats making an awesome showing. We would have been there with a couple of Weta's, but the organizers said it was a Catamaran only regatta and we could only come as a class. They said that if they let trimarans in they might as well let skiffs in. The class thing cannot happen right now (just not enough boats, big shipment coming in late March). The organizers of Spring Fever do an awesome job (who else gets that many boats to any event) and should be commended and I respect their decision.
What does everyone else think? This is not intended to bring Spring Fever any ill will, just want to see how people feel about racing Trimarans in an open class.
There is precedent for small tris at Spring Fever
Several years ago.... they raced the Windrider Raves in open class... I know the open class included the isotopes...
I would think they would start you in open... but not trophy you since you don't have a class and can't really be scored on PN.
Not bad!!.... And I mutter about my drive from Annapolis!
Who do you think is coming the furthest for Spring Fever this year?
I see that Chuck Brown, from California, will be there sailing with Tammy Pitt. JW, now from California, will be sailing with JC, so I hear.
What does everyone else think? This is not intended to bring Spring Fever any ill will, just want to see how people feel about racing Trimarans in an open class.
Awww shucks...I really want to see one of those things! I think the first step would be for you guys to work with US Sailing to get a Portsmouth number established. I'm sure we could find a way to wiggle you guys into Spring Fever but it's kind of hard to campaign for a spot in a handicap fleet when there is no handicap number for the boat...I'm sure this was some of the logic behind the decision.
There were Raves there several years ago (5 or 6 years ago) - I was racing a 5.2 in open class....didn't realize those t-foils stuck out so far underwater while rounding a mark with one...bonk.
Maybe someone can help me with this. I contacted US Sailing with regards to getting a number and they said that I had to have some race results. How do you get results when you have to have a number to enter? Today I read on the US Sailing website that you can get a number without results (at least that was my interpretation). The only race results that we have are racing each other and some numbers from our beer can racing in NC which would not be very representative of what happened due to the experience of the sailors.
Do me a favor and hold this topic for 24 hours.
I didn't mean to sound weird. I'm looking into the reasoning behind the Weta decision is all I meant. Give me a day for discovery.
You need to have a local portsmouth committee person come up with a ballpark number. Then that number is adjusted up or down based on results.
OR
Offer to race open with no expectation of being scored. You only want the elapsed times so that you can start the PN acquisition process.
You may have to do some cajoling to get the RC to comply, but most would enjoy having a new boat on the scene.
Chicken or the egg, huh?
Mark, being an obscure boat can be fun. All my dogs have been mutts...lol. The Sea Spray 15 was a model for the Hobie 14 are should I say,It was after seeing the boat at a Long Beach Ca. show and asking many questions about it that Mr. Alter decided to build his 14. The boat was never a real success.
Still, for some of us older sailors that find a lite boarded boat that is soooooo much fun to sail and cost next to nothing, its perfit..A good deal of the replacement components can be bought at your local hardware store.Its not a boat for folks who take themselves too seriously. So, for about 300 or so of us, its the only way to go and have FUN !
BTW, we refer to them as SLB's (shi..ty little boats..lmao)
I have a few pic's up on this site's gallery.
Neil Cameron from Edmonton Alberta Canada will be at the SF'08 event..on a Sea Spray !
I had it.....the temps were in the low 50's last monday, by Saturday they were in the teens with 10 inches of snow, today they made it back into the high 40's........gotta love ohio..
Ryan-
Does that mean you are headed south for SF? See you there?
There's a good probability that I'll make it down as a spectator. I've got a friend that lives a couple hours away, so I might take a long weekend.
I just don't think my boat will be ready, nor do I really have the boat handling experience to be racing.
89 boats and counting. Maybe we can reach that longlost 100 boat mark again this year. You guys better be there!
Gotta start somewhere and from what I have heard, nothing but nice people at this regatta (for the most part... I am sure there are exceptions <img src=
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Ryan, PTP is right. This is THE regatta to go to learn, be with catamaran people, warm up(most years), and to see whats up in the catamaran world today. Whether you race or not, sign up and bring your boat. These guys will help you rig it correctly, and you can judge your speed against others on the race course. Other than Rick Whites sailing seminars, racing can be the best way to learn
Bump, 101 boats! Now...you all have to show up...no wussin out or excuses allowed!
We pulled the boat out and I've sorted through all my gear.... Time to Rock n Roll.... well hopefully not roll. We've pitchpoled in a race in each of the past two years... Not to mention not getting on the course on time... That sure doesn't help your scores... This year my goal is to stay upright and on time.