A new feature is available on TheBeachcats.com.

If you have questions or comments about how things work here at TheBeachcats.com, you can now use the Support Forums. Please try them out to help me shake out any bugs, if you don't have a question right now, there is a test forum. With over 2,000 members and 200 new registrations per month, I'm going to need some volunteer moderators to watch the forums. If you visit TheBeachcats.com several times a day and would like to help, use the contact form to let me know.

PLEASE NOTE: These forums are strictly for help with this site, TheBeachcats.com, and are not meant for general catamaran sailing discussion. To discuss catamaran sailing please continue to participate in our catamaran sailing email list

Just a reminder, August 30, 2003, this Saturday is the grand reopening of Hobie Beach in Oxnard, California. Come out and support the efforts of the Channel Islands Catamaran and Dinghy Association.

Bring your catamaran, your friends, and your barbeque and join the fun. If you don't want to cook out there is plenty of food within walking distance of the beach. For more information see the Hobie Beach Announcement

Catamaran Bench Seats for the Hobie 16, isn't it about time!

New on the market from Sit 'n' Sail, catamaran benches for the Hobie 16. These are "Bench Seats" that you sit on; they attach to your trampoline frame using our supplied stainless steel bracket hardware. We have field tested these products for about one year, and they are rock-solid. This is a legitimate product made by a Hobie enthusiast for other Hobie enthusiasts to enjoy. They are not available anywhere else, inside or outside of the U.S. Go ahead, just try to find some. We are a new company, Sit 'n' Sail, and we'd like to promote our revolutionary new product for the popular Hobie 16 market. It's hard to believe that no one made these Bench Seats until now.

How do you know if you are sailing your catamaran efficiently? One thing that can help catamaran sailors “listen” to their boat is the proper use of telltales. This article, originally published in the On The Wire Ezine for Catamaran Sailors in January 1997, is still great information for all sailors.

If you have comments about this or sailing articles on TheBeachcats.com, click on the “comments” link at the end of each story.

A local group of dedicated catamaran sailors in California are attempting to "Fight City Hall". They want to reverse years of declining public beach access in California for sailing beach catamarans from the beach as they were designed. Located only about 100 miles from the birthplace of the Hobie Cat Company, catamaran sailing in the Channel Islands Harbor area was once so common that "Hobie Beach" is the official name of the public beach in question.

You would think that sailing catamarans from a beach named "Hobie Beach" would not be a problem, but these sailors need your help. Read about the efforts of the CICDA (Channel Islands Catamaran and Dinghy Association) to regain sanctioned beach access at Hobie Beach.