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Fear and Loathing in Santa Barbara - 2005 Hobie Tiger Worlds
Well Damon, it's our first day here in Santa Barbara and the venue is
absolutely beautiful. We have taken over the parking lot with a sea of
motor homes and boats. The weather is a blue sky with wispy clouds and
wind at 20 plus today. Eric Finley and I took out the Super Cat 20 with
seas at about the 4-6 foot range. Trying conditions to say the least.
If the wind stays at this speed it will be very interesting to see who
has the balls to pop the chute. The beach is a stereotypical picture of
California, complete with the requisite Baywatch scene of palm trees,
white sand beach, and a hot chick in a pink bikini jogging on the
beach.
All the rock stars are here, and we mere mortals are walking shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Jeff Alter, Mitch Booth, Enrique Figueroa, Greg Thomas and Jacques Bernier. The view is somewhat surreal - in a parking lot adjacent to the venues lays some thirty brand new Hobie Tigers in various states of assembly. Three huge shipping containers hold more hulls and parts in a never ending stream of construction. It is a seemingly impossible task to get all these boats built in the few days that we have before official competition begins.
We are in the process of setting up an internet cafe on site courtesy of Hobie Fleet 2 from Nevada City, Ca. The parking lot where the motor homes are parked it set up as a WiFi hot spot so everyone with a laptop can stay connected to home with out leaving their rigs. Three parties are planned for the week, with the rum drinks and beer flowing freely.
Tomorrow we will begin to weigh the boats and measure the sails - I hope there is a keg close by because this will be a long day with 100 boats now competing. Speaking of beer - the daily stipend you have given us is great, but 250.00 per person per day is a little less that we are used to. Eric is blowing through his like the proverbial drunken sailor. This is really making the living conditions unbearable. I am afraid we will need more money to last us out the week. The Mount Gay rum is gone, as well as the Blue Sapphire gin, so we have already resorted to drinking the cheap stuff. It is only the first day and already we have had to lay off the college girls we hired to wheel the boat up and down the beach - the inhumanity of it all!
That's all for today, I'll send more tomorrow, and remember - send more money! We don't want to have to pawn these nice laptops you gave us to afford the "entertainment" we have planned for later in the week, if you know what I mean, and I think that you do...
Dave Atwater
Somewhere in Santa Barbara
BOOTH/DERCKSEN WARM UP AT FIRST RACING DAY SOFIA CUP 2005
On Tuesday March 22 2005, Team Zwitserleven of Booth/Dercksen from the Netherlands could not easily get going during the first racing day of the Princess Sofia Cup. Due to lack of wind at the coastside of Palma de Mallorca, the participants had to stay ashore yesterday. As a result, four races were scheduled for today. The only Dutch representatives went from a seventeenth place in the openings race to victory in the last one. That gives Mitch Booth and Herbert Dercksen a sixth position on the provisional overall ranking in a fleet of 33 Tornado’s.
The Sofia Cup is Team Zwitserleven’s first olympic regatta since the Athens Games in 2004, where Booth/Dercksen ended in fifth place. Today, they were not in their element yet. Dercksen: “At the beginning it was hard to do it right. We had troubles to speed up the boat. Not only because of the new mast and sails, but also because we did not have enough practice. I really had to find everything again.” During the first two races, there was a light wind of about eight knots. Booth and Dercksen crossed the finish line in respectively seventeenth and fourteenth position. Subsequently the wind increased to fourteen knots and the Dutch crew could add a sixth place and a victory to their total score. Dercksen: “It is good to know that we are still competitive. Now, we need more training and less weight.”
The Sofia Cup is Team Zwitserleven’s first olympic regatta since the Athens Games in 2004, where Booth/Dercksen ended in fifth place. Today, they were not in their element yet. Dercksen: “At the beginning it was hard to do it right. We had troubles to speed up the boat. Not only because of the new mast and sails, but also because we did not have enough practice. I really had to find everything again.” During the first two races, there was a light wind of about eight knots. Booth and Dercksen crossed the finish line in respectively seventeenth and fourteenth position. Subsequently the wind increased to fourteen knots and the Dutch crew could add a sixth place and a victory to their total score. Dercksen: “It is good to know that we are still competitive. Now, we need more training and less weight.”
All NACRA Catamaran Class Championships Together for 2005
NACRA catamaran racers worldwide are coming together to celebrate NACRA¹s 30th Anniversary for an action-packed week of class racing. Traverse City, Michigan on Lake Michigan has been chosen as this year¹s championship location having been the the site of the very successful 1991 NACRA North American Championships. For 2005, from September 12th through 16th, an even bigger turn out is expected because of the combined championships for all NACRA Catamarans:NACRA F18 World Championships; NACRA F17 North American Championships; NACRA 20 U. S. National Championships; and the NACRA Open Championships for NACRA 5.0 to 6.0 as well as the Beach Series Catamarans 500 to 580 models -- all to be held in 5 days of excitement.
Round Texel Catamran Race to Offer Couch as Prize for Best Club
This year, the Round Texel organization introduces an annual prize for the best performing sailing club. On Saturday June 11th 2005, world’s biggest catamaran race around the wadden island of Texel will start for the 28th time. About 600 teams are expected to challenge the elements and to test the endurance of their equipment and themselves. Since March 1st, 123 teams subscribed for the Zwitserleven Round Texel Race 2005.
Club members often travel together to Texel. Sometimes even in short laps over the North Sea. Round Texel co-ordinator Edwin Lodder: “We want to encourage these initiatives with a spezial prize, a red Zwitserleven couch for their club house. Hopefully, the Round Texel Race will become an annual trip for more sailing associations.” Last year’s promo area on the beach will return in 2005. Catamaran fans will find the newest developments there and they can get into contact with top sailors.
Club members often travel together to Texel. Sometimes even in short laps over the North Sea. Round Texel co-ordinator Edwin Lodder: “We want to encourage these initiatives with a spezial prize, a red Zwitserleven couch for their club house. Hopefully, the Round Texel Race will become an annual trip for more sailing associations.” Last year’s promo area on the beach will return in 2005. Catamaran fans will find the newest developments there and they can get into contact with top sailors.
Italy to Host the 25th International Catamaran Challenge Trophy
Province of Rimini to feature catamaran match-racing as part of BLURimini
Festival.
SEA CLIFF, N.Y. - The Trustees of the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy, in conjunction with defender Southern Yacht Club, have accepted the bid submitted by Rimini, Italy, to host the celebratory 25th anniversary regatta. The event is scheduled May 26-June 1, 2005.
The Province of Rimini, located northeast of San Marino on Italy's upper Adriatic coast, is the host. The BLURimini organization and the Vela Viva Sailing Club will coordinate the event. The regatta will be a featured part of the 7th annual BLURimini Festival, a celebration of music, entertainment and sailing.
"We think that Rimini and its popular festival will make a wonderful host for the silver anniversary of the ICCT," said John B. Dawson, Chairman of the ICCT Trustees. "Multihull racing is popular in Europe, and we anticipate a fleet of 10 to 15 defenders and challengers."
The event will be sailed in F18HTs, an 18-foot, high-performance catamaran. The two-person cats are being provided by the host city and Bimare Marine, the Italian builder. They carry a 20-square-meter (215-square-foot) mainsail and spinnaker.
Nacra Celebrates 30 Years of Excellence in Catamaran Design and Construction
Nacra turns 30. This speedy little catamaran, which Tom Roland initially
designed, built and first sailed in Santa Barbara, California in 1975 has
come of age -- from the agile 17-foot Nacra 5.2 that quickly attracted
fellow sailors to the state-of-the-art models offered by the current builder
Performance Catamarans, Inc. And, Nacra has proven time and time again to be
OAlways One Step Ahead.¹
The popularity of the first Nacra geared the staff towards introducing more catamaran designs including the 18 sq, 5.0, 5.7 and 5.8 models. Over the years, it was necessary for Nacra to move from Santa Barbara to Carpinteria then to the Catalina Yachts facility in Woodland Hills in 1985. In 1988, Performance Catamarans was created combining Nacra with the Prindle catamaran line and moved to Santa Ana, California where it still exists today.
After a second design, the 18 sq., was released in 1978, new Nacra designs were released beginning in the early 80's-, the Nacra 5.0 (16'), 5.7 (18.5')and 5.8 (19¹) designs became the new standards following the Nacra 5.2 in multihull racing. Most open class regattas welcomed the Nacras until their own One-Design race circuit was formed and then Nacra fleets began sprouting up all over the United States, (with the help of the European and Australian distributors) Europe and Australia.
Philippine Hobie Challenge Entry List Hits 30
Neil Bernardo and Roman Azanza's entry, named "To Follow..." (Not their expected position on the water one hopes...???), is the 30th confirmed entry for PHC6, marking a fresh milestone for the Philippine Hobie Challenge team.The first container of fifteen Hobie 16's is already en route from Taal Lake Yacht Club and it will be in Cebu's Tambuli Beach Resort ready in time for the January 15/16 International Hobie 16 Championships incorporating the 8th Philippine National Championships.
This promises to be a red hot warm up regatta even without Hong Kong's Tong Shing defending his Open title (although race organisers are putting a lot of pressure on him to move house the following weekend instead!!!). PHC4 Champion Peter Davies will however fly the HK flag in his stead together with his wife Brenda.
L7 Sport Trimaran has less control lines than a Hobie 18 catamaran.
Mike Leneman has designed, built, and test sailed a revolutionary coastal day-sailor trimaran called the L7. It is a pocket-cruiser that can kick butt on many of the much more costly, coastal racing trimarans.
Until now, the biggest difference between a catamaran and trimaran has been the way that the trimarans were designed to primarily sail upon their center hull while leaning on one of their two outrigger style amas. Leneman has made a timely step forward in developing a trimaran that more closely resembles a catamaran.
For so many years, Mike Leneman has been representing a very famous multihull manufacturer who has had the greatest and best trailerable multihull trimaran on the market. That design, brand has been extremely popular and partly thanks to Leneman, has enjoyed tremendous success on the West Coast.
Until now, the biggest difference between a catamaran and trimaran has been the way that the trimarans were designed to primarily sail upon their center hull while leaning on one of their two outrigger style amas. Leneman has made a timely step forward in developing a trimaran that more closely resembles a catamaran.
For so many years, Mike Leneman has been representing a very famous multihull manufacturer who has had the greatest and best trailerable multihull trimaran on the market. That design, brand has been extremely popular and partly thanks to Leneman, has enjoyed tremendous success on the West Coast.
Endurance Sails Series Crowns Inaugural Champion
FLORIDA, USA. (December 17, 2004) David Ingram was crowned the inaugural Endurance Sails Series Open Class Champion for 2004. The catamaran series, sponsored by Endurance Sails of West Palm Beach (www.EnduranceSails.com), comprises six distance racing events around the State of Florida. The series had an excellent turnout with 100 individual skippers participating in at least one event. Ingram will be the first name added to the perpetual trophy, "The Endurance Cup" after his excellent finish at the final event, the Steeplechase, held last week in Key Largo, Florida. Ingram sailed on a Nacra20 catamaran.
Asked about the level of pressure he felt going into the Steeplechase against a large competitive fleet, Ingram replied "You always feel the pressure of your competition, the southeast offers a great deal of talent at almost every event you attend. You never know if you are going to be on the starting line with an Olympic medalist, W1000/Atlantic1000 winner, and/or several national champions." Ingram also commented on the popularity of the series and the outlook for 2005, "Now that the sailing community knows the series is for real the amount of talent on the starting line next year will be dramatically different. Every race will be a hard fought contest. The 2005 season promises to be very exciting." When asked if he thinks the series is only for the hardcore racer, Ingram replied "No! Four of the six races are geared towards a more relaxed fun aspect of the sport. The Mug Race and Hiram's Haul are two of my favorites and I have done them almost exclusively with my wife."
Asked about the level of pressure he felt going into the Steeplechase against a large competitive fleet, Ingram replied "You always feel the pressure of your competition, the southeast offers a great deal of talent at almost every event you attend. You never know if you are going to be on the starting line with an Olympic medalist, W1000/Atlantic1000 winner, and/or several national champions." Ingram also commented on the popularity of the series and the outlook for 2005, "Now that the sailing community knows the series is for real the amount of talent on the starting line next year will be dramatically different. Every race will be a hard fought contest. The 2005 season promises to be very exciting." When asked if he thinks the series is only for the hardcore racer, Ingram replied "No! Four of the six races are geared towards a more relaxed fun aspect of the sport. The Mug Race and Hiram's Haul are two of my favorites and I have done them almost exclusively with my wife."
Harken to Sponsor Catamaran Bouy Series for 2005
1Design.Net (www.1design.net) is very pleased to announce that Harken (www.Harken.com) has signed up as the primary sponsor for a new buoy racing series for 2005! The Harken Buoy Series for the Harken Cup will consists of 6 major buoy regattas in the State of Florida.
The Harken Buoy Series will complement the Endurance Distance Series that will finish its inaugural season this year.
The Harken Series is open to all one design and/or formula classes. Complete rules will be posted in the next couple months, but for a fleet to qualify, it must have a 5 boat fleet at 4 of the 6 series races. There is no registration necessary or no additional entry fee required other than the standard regatta entry fess.
So NOW is the time for your fleet to get together and start planning to attend. Based on past years, A-Cat, Hobie Wave, Hobie 14, Hobie 16, F-16, and I20 should all be able to qualify. 1Design.Net will be happy to provide links on its site for any one design and/or formula class website to help promote your class. Contact 1Design.Net for more information.
The Harken Buoy Series will complement the Endurance Distance Series that will finish its inaugural season this year.
The Harken Series is open to all one design and/or formula classes. Complete rules will be posted in the next couple months, but for a fleet to qualify, it must have a 5 boat fleet at 4 of the 6 series races. There is no registration necessary or no additional entry fee required other than the standard regatta entry fess.
So NOW is the time for your fleet to get together and start planning to attend. Based on past years, A-Cat, Hobie Wave, Hobie 14, Hobie 16, F-16, and I20 should all be able to qualify. 1Design.Net will be happy to provide links on its site for any one design and/or formula class website to help promote your class. Contact 1Design.Net for more information.
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