Catamaran sailing news, repair tips, and sailing pictures.

It looks like a long-time catamaran regatta normally held at the Lake Charles Yacht Club in Lake Charles, LA has folded it's tents. I was told by a club officer that the regatta was cancelled by the yacht club board last week.

I had called to get a correct date since there were various reports that the regatta would be held the same weekend as the Hobie Midwinters East at Panama City and I was trying to decide which way to go. Now it seems there is no date conflicts on the gulf coast, so all Hobie sailors are free to head to Panama City for a great event.

Gulf Coast catamaran sailors will no doubt miss the Deep South regatta, which was well known for hospitality and a giant crawfish boil on Saturday night. reminisce about past Deep South Regattas in the Event Forum.

A month prior to the start of the 6th Hobie Tiger and 3rd Hobie Dragoon Worlds in 2008, the South African organization received 74 pre-entries representing fourteen countries. Seventeen youth teams (soon 25 in total) will battle it out on the Hobie Dragoons. The rest of the fleet will line up on Hobie Tiger catamarans (F18). Among them are top ranked sailors, like multiple Tornado World Champion and current F18 World Champion Darren Bundock (AUS) and silver medallist of the 2007 Tornado Worlds Carolijn Brouwer (BEL). The local youth squad is well prepared for an exciting competition in the Langebaan Lagoon on the West Coast of South Africa. The championships will start on Monday March 3rd and finish on Saturday March 9th. For both classes, a maximum of ten races are scheduled.

Langebaan is well-known for its strong winds and flat water. These are not only perfect conditions for the performance of Hobie Tigers and Hobie Dragoons, but also a pleasure for the competitors. Heavy weather specialist Mitch Booth (NED), Olympic medallist and Hobie Tiger World Champion 2003, will be eager to win the title again. But the competition will be full on, as current F18 European Champions Mischa Heemskerk and Bastiaan Tentij (NED) returned to the Hobie Tiger class in which also the local Hobie 16 heroes will try their luck. Among them are three past Hobie 16 Worlds Champions: Blaine Dodds (1998 and current Master World Champion), Shaun Ferry (1993, 1998 and 2005) and Colin Whitehead (1978). And South African most adventurous cat sailor Duncan Ross, he crossed the Drake Passage on a 20-foot multihull, grabs the opportunity to race once more on the highest level. Mixed crew Allan Lawrence (past Hobie 14 World Champ and placed 2nd at the inaugural Tiger Worlds in Italy) and Inge Schabort (past ISAF Ladies World Champ) will join forces in their attempt to win the event.

March 21-23 2008, Milltown Campground, Hartwell Lake, GA

Update from Mr. Ernie
This afternoon, I received a call from my friends at the Army Corps of Engineers with a proposal for me to consider. They said they would give me the key to the gate, turn on the water, and the electricity. IF --- I, personally, would take care of everything else: Including, but not limited to, cleaning the entire park before and after the regatta, cleaning and repairing all bath house facilities, removing all trash and garbage, killing another gazillion fire ants, and raising the lake back up a few feet from it's present less than full pool level.

Obviously, I agreed to all of it although I sure hope we get a few inches of rain in the next two months.

So, in short, Spring Fever is back on for this year and if we take care of the campground, as we always have done in the past, I'm pretty sure we won't have to go through this exercise again in future years - I'm just getting too old for this foolishness.

The disapointing news came today that the Spring Fever Regatta, held each year on Lake Hartwell during Easter Weekend, has been cancelled. The main reason for the cancellation is that the Corps of Engineers will not allow the organizers (Nigel Pitt and "Mr. Ernie") to use the Milltown Campground on the dates neeeded due to budget cutbacks.

After efforts to convince the Corps to allow the even failed, alternative sites were investigated. The most promising appeared to be a sailing club on the North end of the lake named Western Carolina Sailing Club www.wcsc-sailing.org, but the board of that club refused to allow the catamarans on board.

This is a very disapointing development, the Spring Fever Regatta has been a well attended regatta for 10 years and is always a good time. (Spring Fever Regatta Pictures)

Read More to see the annoucement and more details from Mr. Ernie.

Just in time for "Black Friday" shopping, I am pleased to announce the launch of "Shopping At TheBeachcats.com".

The plan for the new store is to offer catamaran sailors unique and usefull items related to our sport that are not available everywhere. In keeping with the gift giving season, the first items available are beautiful watercolor prints of catamarans, lighthouses, and nautical scenes. These have been created by the Maryland Watercolor Artist, William C. Gardner.

So if you happen to know any catamaran sailors who have been very very good this year (wink/wink) please let santa know that these are available, you will be sure to make that sailor happy, and support this site at the same time.