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Nigel Pitt's Spring Fever at Lake Hartwell Want You! (to pre-register)
Spring Fever at Lake Hartwell, Georgia, (April 14-16) is a professionally run catamaran regatta that is one of the top events in the Eastern USA. Lake Hartwell, located on the border of Georgia and South Carolina is a great place for a regatta, great camping right onsite. See Spring Fever 2005 PicturesThis year it is also the Southern Area Formula-18 Championship. (See Calendar Listing) All beach catamarans are welcome and Forumula 14, H16, H18, Isotope, Mystere 4.3, NACRA 5.8, NACRA 20 fleets, as well as others, are expected.
The event is presented by Nigel Pitt, well known catamaran sailor. Since this is a large regatta, Nigel has an urgent need to have a good idea who is coming.
"Our original concept for Spring Fever was to bring together all makes of catamarans and rebuild the fun that we all used to enjoy at the large regattas. Our goal was, and is, to have 100 or more teams and their families getting together in a fun but competitive atmosphere."
So please, if you are planning to attend Spring Fever, fill out the registration form: 2006 Spring Fever Pre-Registration Form.
New F16 Class Catamaran from G-Cat
Hans Geissler introduces his new G-Cat F16 at the Tradewinds Regatta.
There are Catamarans and then there is the G-Cat. Designed and built by Hans Geissler, this catamaran is known as a vessel of unique, if not revolutionary design. The hulls, being its most unusual features, are symmetric and use no dagger-boards. Leeway is resisted by a its deep-V lateral surface coupled to deep rudder blades which prevents leeward drift and actually causes lift via their low profile and hydrodynamic shape below the waters surface.
And now, after nearly ten years, Hans Geissler has resurrected his legendary G-Cat Catamarans. After 2000 G-Cats he built until 1994 this is the first boat not built by himself but by Vectorworks Marine in Titusville, Fl. The new line takes the form of the Formula 16 High Tech racing version, with a 28’ mast and spinnaker, and a family and rental fleet version with 24’ boomless mast for casual sailing. In addition, the new and improved G-Cat 36 will be introduced, with the first model being a Power Cat that will sleep 5-6 comfortably, and a sailing model with similar accommodations. There will be a full line of options available for your comfort and safety. This represents the resurrection of the G-Cat Catamarans the first production in almost 10 years.
There are Catamarans and then there is the G-Cat. Designed and built by Hans Geissler, this catamaran is known as a vessel of unique, if not revolutionary design. The hulls, being its most unusual features, are symmetric and use no dagger-boards. Leeway is resisted by a its deep-V lateral surface coupled to deep rudder blades which prevents leeward drift and actually causes lift via their low profile and hydrodynamic shape below the waters surface.
And now, after nearly ten years, Hans Geissler has resurrected his legendary G-Cat Catamarans. After 2000 G-Cats he built until 1994 this is the first boat not built by himself but by Vectorworks Marine in Titusville, Fl. The new line takes the form of the Formula 16 High Tech racing version, with a 28’ mast and spinnaker, and a family and rental fleet version with 24’ boomless mast for casual sailing. In addition, the new and improved G-Cat 36 will be introduced, with the first model being a Power Cat that will sleep 5-6 comfortably, and a sailing model with similar accommodations. There will be a full line of options available for your comfort and safety. This represents the resurrection of the G-Cat Catamarans the first production in almost 10 years.
Statue of Liberty Race - special edition
It's winter up here in NJ/NY. We're waiting for spring, and it's already itching. Some folks are fixing their boats, some are working on upgrades, some are hanging out in this site here, but we're all basically just keeping busy.
In our club (SHBCC), we just decided to make our Statue of Liberty Race this season something really special. It's our clubs' 30th anniversary. So just for the fun of it we pulled together this invitational video clip . We're hoping to see MANY of you at the start this year. Sailing New York harbor and rounding the Statue of Liberty is a "once-in-a-lifetime-must-do-can't-miss" event for every catsailor . We're inviting you early cuz we know your season will be booked up before you know it! Click here to view the clip.
In our club (SHBCC), we just decided to make our Statue of Liberty Race this season something really special. It's our clubs' 30th anniversary. So just for the fun of it we pulled together this invitational video clip . We're hoping to see MANY of you at the start this year. Sailing New York harbor and rounding the Statue of Liberty is a "once-in-a-lifetime-must-do-can't-miss" event for every catsailor . We're inviting you early cuz we know your season will be booked up before you know it! Click here to view the clip.
Remembering My First Ocean Sail
By Gary Friesen -- I was about 21 years old and had just bought my first Hobie 16. It
was a beat up, old red thing with plain white sails. I wasn't proud
of her appearance, but I could afford her. I think that I paid about
$350, on the trailer. As usual, I had no crew.
My niece who was about 9 years old at the time, was a good swimmer, body-surfer, and had taken some kind of a junior life saving swimming pool class. The two of us had swum like fish together in the ocean surf, many times. So I invited her along for a possible boat ride. I invited my parents too. It was a ploy. I could tell them that they were needed to baby-sit my niece in case I found it unsafe to take her on the boat. This way, I did not have to admit that I wanted my father there in case I couldn't raise the mast or get the boat back onto the trailer.
I had sailed my friend, Dan's Hobie 16 in a lake and had sailed my 12' mono hull in another local lake. Both experiences were lacking much wind. I knew where to find wind; the Pacific Ocean. I was familiar with where all the public motorboat launches were and I chose the one that I thought looked like it had best access. I was not too far from a well-known catamaran beach at Claremont Street but did not know anything about Claremont.
Los Angeles harbor is huge, a hundred square miles. It seemed like a good place to get ocean breeze while not being too affected by the surf. I headed to Cabrillo Beach public boat launch in San Pedro. When I got there, the wind was already blowing pretty hard and I was noticeably intimidated. I spoke to one of the locals and asked about how windy it gets there. He found out that I was a rookie and immediately told me that I was at the wrong place. I did not know that I was at the windiest hole in Los Angeles that carries the nickname "Hurricane Gulch!"
Hobie Hotline Returns as Official Hobie Cat Magazine
The Hobie HOTLINE, the original publication for Hobie
Cat news, has returned. The Hobie HOTLINE started in
1971 as a little newsletter for Hobie Cat owners but
grew into a full-fledged magazine thought the 80's and
early 90's. In the mid-80's, the HOTLINE began to
loose its way. It became more of a marketing tool for
the Coleman Company, promoting Alpha sailboards, Hobie
Power Skiffs and other Coleman products. The Hobie
Class Association started the NAHCA News newsletter in
1992 in part because the HOTLINE was trying to serve
too many masters. Eventually the HOTLINE became a
financial burden on the Hobie Cat Company (now
independent of Coleman), who ceased publication in
mid-1995.
For ten years after the demise of the HOTLINE, the NAHCA News/HCA News kept plugging along, filling the void. In the last ten years, the HCA News has grown into a professionally produced magazine, comparable to the original HOTLINE. So, the Hobie Class Association has changed the name of its bi-monthly publication to the Hobie Class Association HOTLINE. For many the name change will bring back memories of "the good old days." Not to mention the fact that Hobie HOTLINE rolls off the tongue more easily than Hobie Class Association News.
Repairing a Dented Mast
Repairing a dent in a mast sail track.I have had two masts that had a dent near the sail track, and was able to repair them with this method. Here's a photo of the Prindle 19 mast that I just received. As you can see, the area is pinched enough to cause problems when raising the main.
I use thin hardened metal as spacers to spread out the pressure that is applied with a tapered device. In other words, I drive a screwdriver in between a couple putty knives. To keep the straight side from getting damaged, be sure to use a thicker piece of metal as a backer on that side. I started out with two putty knives and advanced to a heavier piece of stainless steel when the track was opened up a little. As you can see in the mast dent repair photos, it does a great job of opening the track back up.
When you have a straight opening in the groove, you might touch up the area with a fine metal file.
Good luck,
Jack Hoying
Fort Loramie, Ohio
Building Your Own Catamaran Sails
Scene: The sails on your catamaran looks (and pulls) like they have been trough both WWI and II. However you are seriously short on money, as the "admirals" priorities have your boat a long way down on the list (mortgages on the house, food, electricity and even gas are higher on the list, go figure..). So, what do you do? You gather all the creativity and initiative you normally pump into your sailing sessions, make a good deal on some sailcloth, keep on chanting "Navigare necesse est!" and build your own sails.
When we bought our current Tornado in 2001, a set of sails from year 2000 came with the boat. The Tornado class changed their sailplan after the 2000 Sidney Olympics, so these sails were a first generation cut. We used these sails both for training and competition until 2004, when we bought a well used asymmetric spinnaker from the Swedish Olympic Tornado team. Strangely enough, there was a huge difference in the power and speed this asymmetric developed compared with our 2000 asymmetric (I'm being ironic).
After this discovery, we began studying our main and jib with a critical eye. Compared to other T's, we were lacking both power and windward ability. A common problem with sails where the draft has moved aft. When hit by a gust, the boat wanted to heel instead of squirting forward, no matter how much we "massaged" the downhaul during gusts.Wanting to stay competitive with the fleet on the beat, it was time for some new sails. Besides, the old sails were literally falling apart. The luff tape on the main was so worn that hoisting and unhooking the main was a chore at every outing.
Local Catamaran Sailors Venture to Catalina Island
All who sailed or attempted to sail to Catalina Island this past weekend had a wonderful time.
From Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, we had 4 Inter 20's, a Prindle19, a Nacra 5.8, a C-class cat, a Warrior 29, a Tornado, and a Reynolds 33. The C-class cat opted out when it looked highly improbable that anyone would actually reach the island before dark-thrity. Chris on the Tornado also turned back, as he had planed to because he only had one sailing day available.
Solo sailors included Chris on his Tornado, Lee on his Inter 20, Alan on his Inter 20, and John on his Reynolds 33. Also Kelly single-handed from Newport Beach on a 30' Piver trimaran.
Those who had motors used them quite a bit and those who didn't were either towed at times or did lots of paddling. The one exception was Alan, who took a ride on the C-class cat Friday, then sailed himself over to the island on his Inter 20 on Saturday when he had wind for the whole trip. He may also have been the only one in the entire fleet to have landed when there was still some daylight.
The Marina Del Rey fleet that was to consist of a Viva 27, a Reynolds 21, and a Hobie 21, a Hunter 42, and a Choate 40 had no wind on Friday. The Hunter did not go. Geoff, on the Viva 27 motored all the way to Twin Harbors. Chris and Richard from the Choate made the crossing on an 18' Whaler with a 150 horsepower grinder. I presume that the Reynolds 21 didn't set sail. I spoke with Collin who sailed the Hobie 21 on Saturday and made it to approximately the shipping lanes and having not been to Twin Harbors before, opted to turn back to the coast where they made an emergency night landing for safety. They sailed back to Marina Del Rey on Sunday and it was a very long haul for them. They accepted a tow from a passer-by when they got close to the harbor. It took them 4 hours to get close to the harbor from Point Vicente.
From Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, we had 4 Inter 20's, a Prindle19, a Nacra 5.8, a C-class cat, a Warrior 29, a Tornado, and a Reynolds 33. The C-class cat opted out when it looked highly improbable that anyone would actually reach the island before dark-thrity. Chris on the Tornado also turned back, as he had planed to because he only had one sailing day available.
Solo sailors included Chris on his Tornado, Lee on his Inter 20, Alan on his Inter 20, and John on his Reynolds 33. Also Kelly single-handed from Newport Beach on a 30' Piver trimaran.
Those who had motors used them quite a bit and those who didn't were either towed at times or did lots of paddling. The one exception was Alan, who took a ride on the C-class cat Friday, then sailed himself over to the island on his Inter 20 on Saturday when he had wind for the whole trip. He may also have been the only one in the entire fleet to have landed when there was still some daylight.
The Marina Del Rey fleet that was to consist of a Viva 27, a Reynolds 21, and a Hobie 21, a Hunter 42, and a Choate 40 had no wind on Friday. The Hunter did not go. Geoff, on the Viva 27 motored all the way to Twin Harbors. Chris and Richard from the Choate made the crossing on an 18' Whaler with a 150 horsepower grinder. I presume that the Reynolds 21 didn't set sail. I spoke with Collin who sailed the Hobie 21 on Saturday and made it to approximately the shipping lanes and having not been to Twin Harbors before, opted to turn back to the coast where they made an emergency night landing for safety. They sailed back to Marina Del Rey on Sunday and it was a very long haul for them. They accepted a tow from a passer-by when they got close to the harbor. It took them 4 hours to get close to the harbor from Point Vicente.
Stuart Gummer and Gillian Power (GBR) Win the 2005 Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta
Aruba, November 11th 2005 On Friday, Stuart Gummer and Gillian Power (GBR) won officially the 15th Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. Although the 2005 victory was already a fact, the British winners sailed the very last Aruba Bank Race as well and finished as first F18 in fourth position overall. Eduard Zanen and Mischa Heemskerk (NED) are second best this year, followed by Richard Allen and Simon Farren (GBR). Stuart Gummer carried a little camera on top of his cap during their champion’s race. Gummer: "That is fun. We have produced a lot of footage this week, which we will use for a report on the 15th Aruba Regatta." The end of the racing was a relief for Gummer: "I have been ill for the last two days, so I am happy that it is over now." Although it seemed to be an easy victory, it was obviously not that easy. Power: "We had to sail hard for it. Competing on handicap means that you never know how you did, until the prize giving in the evening." Last year, Gummer and Power had a terrible regatta, as their Spitfire crashed in a collision, so they had to make up for that and they did.
Big smile for runners up
"Every day, I have come off the boat with a big smile", said Mischa Heemskerk after the last race. "The conditions have been great and we enjoyed the sailing very much." He and his occasional skipper Eduard Zanen became second best. Heemskerk: "We are happy with the result, since we are the first Tornado and we know it is hard to beat the F18’s on handicap. We did well in comparison to other Tornado teams and so did Stuart and Gillian. They were very fast and sailed a good competition." Heemskerk will fly directly to Miami / USA for a training session on the olympic Tornado with his skipper Koen de Koning. They are aiming for the 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing. Marcus Lynch (GBR), crewing for James Power, has also aspirations for the Olympics in London in 2012. Back home, he will participate at the F18 Olympic Sailing Camp with Christopher Rashely.
Gummer and Power (F18 GBR) Unbeatable at Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta Day 4
Aruba, November 10th 2005 British teams dominated on the fourth day of the Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. In the morning race, Stuart Gummer and Gillian Power (F18, GBR) beat Chris Sproat and Georgina Burke (Spitfire, GBR) by just three seconds after calculation. The Dutch Tornado sailors Eduard Zanen and Mischa Heemskerk won the Gaastra long distance race in the afternoon, followed by Gummer/Power and Allen/Farren. With one race left, Gummer and Power are unbeatable, so they can start to dismantle their F18 Capricorn. "We had a good race with Mischa", told Richard Allen in the morning. "We were up to three laps in the lead, when he took it over. We caught them back and we rounded together the last gate, but we both choose another mark and Mischa finished just ahead of us." After calculation, Allen and Farren got a 7th position and Zanen and Heemskerk a 6th.
Bad start for leaders
Stuart Gummer and Gillian Power, the current leaders, did not win the eighth race because of a good start. Power: "We were too conservative. We rounded as fifth Formula 18 the first upwind mark. It was a terrible feeling to see all the Tornado’s and then the F18’s in front of us, but in every downwind reach we caught one up and we ended as first F18." Chris Sproat and Georgina Burke came very close to victory with their Spitfire in the morning race. Sproat: "We had a good start at the committee boat, so we had clear air. We zig zagged through the middle and reached the mark just behind Stuart. We increased our speed downwind, so we seemed to do very well. It was a good day for us so far."
Capri speed wanted
James Power and Marcus Lynch finished as second F18, which put them in third position on handicap. Power sailed a Spitfire last year, but he enjoys his Hobie Tiger (F18) now: "It sails smoother and you can push it much harder, but we want to have some ‘Capri speed’ upwind." The British sailors had two bad results, due to a broken jib and an OCS. After eight races, the second result could be discarded and that is why they came back in third position overall.
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