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.

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.

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 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.

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.