May 6, 2004 - Performance Catamarans, Inc. To Build The Nacra A2

Santa Ana, California -- Today, Performance Catamarans announced the introduction of the new International A-Class catamaran. Teaming up with the well-known design team of Morrelli & Melvin and co-designer Jeremy Laundergan, Performance will manufacture the Nacra A2, their first entry into the carbon catamaran market.

The International A-Class Catamaran is a high-performance ³box rule² International Sailing Federation design specification dictating an 18-foot long, 7-1/2 foot wide catamaran with 150 square feet of sail area and a minimum weight of 165 pounds.

The Hobie 16 Worlds: Racing starts on Wednesday for the Women's, Youth, Master and Grand Masters World Championship. The Forecast is for partly cloudy skies with a high of 87oF with winds from the East Northeast at 12 mph.

Who to watch: In the Women's the defending World Champions from France Lauren Pelen and Lea Jeandott will be on the starting line ready to defend their title. To do that they will have to hold off their French teammate and winner of the ISAF World in the Hobie 16 class Marie Duvignac sailing with Pauline Thevenot.

Bronze medallist from the ISAF Worlds Susan Korzeniewsi sailing with Kathleen Tracy (USA) will be looking for her first World Championship victory.

Annie Nelson, sailing with Eliza Cleveland, will be making her return to the Hobie 16 class after winning the Women's Worlds in 1995.

The Hobie 16 World Championship is only days away. Two hundred and forty one teams, representing twenty-eight countries, are registered for the event in Cancun, Mexico. Five championships will be determined between May 4th and May 14th sailed in sixty-four brand new Hobie 16s provided by the Hobie Cat Company. Racing for the Women, Master, Grand Master and Youth World Championships will be contested on May 5, 6, and 7. The Open World Championship will start on the 8th with a two day qualifying round for the semi-finals. The semi-finals will be sailed for three days followed by two-day finals with the top 56 teams. www.HobieWorlds.com

Afterburner (52 foot Bladerunner Catamaran) sweeps all six categories in Tommy Bahama Newport to Ensenada race. The crew aboard the fastest boat on the West Coast, "Afterburner" swept all six categories they were eligible for including the coveted first to finish in the 2004 Tommy Bahama Newport to Ensenada race held this weekend off the coast of Southern California. Afterburner finished the course a full three hours ahead of the next boat "Alchemy" Richard Compton's Andrews 77. With more than 500 entries from all of the West coast including Canada, the event took place under moderate wind conditions, absolutely flat water and clear skies.

Afterburner reached speeds in excess of 25 mph during portions of the race and finished in time for dinner Friday night in Ensenada Mexico. Several entries were still coming in more than 24 hours after Afterburner finished the course as conditions varied out on the water.

When you hear the term Catamaran Distance Racing you probably think of the "ironman" events like the former Worrell 1000 or the new Tybee 500, Great Texas Catamaran Race, Outer Banks 500, or the combined Atlantic 1000. These are events only available to the very best catamaran sailors who are also well funded and blessed with plenty of free time.

But what about the rest of us who love to get a chance to sail our cats in open water? There is an event in Ocean Springs Mississippi, organized by the Coast Catamaran Club (CCC) and hosted by the Ocean Springs Yacht Club (OSYC), that allows us to get a taste of sailing "out there" with just the dolphins for company, without breaking the bank or our boat. It's the Slip To Ship Regatta, May 29-30, Memorial Day weekend. Racing in an informal atmosphere from OSYC to Ship Island, a low barrier island about 14 miles offshore. The format gives you the feeling of a much longer race since it can be difficult to spot Ship Island until you have sailed straight out into the Gulf of Mexico 8 or 9 miles, but the reward of eating the "best chicken ever" will be waiting on the island as you swap stories about your crossing.

You probably will not find a regatta with the diversity of catamaran sailboats in one race, of course the latest cats and hotshots will be there, the I20's, 18HT's, I17's and FX-1's will be represented, but a lot of us will be there in our old Prindles and Hobies joining in the fun. It's also one of the best regattas to convince your non-sailing "significant other" to join you for the weekend, accommodations within 1/2 mile include everything from free camping on the grounds to 4 star hotels across the bridge at the Biloxi Casinos.