Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:36:08 -0600 http://www.thebeachcats.com/ Powered by TheBeachcats.com en-us http://www.thebeachcats.com/images/logo.gif http://www.thebeachcats.com/ webmaster@TheBeachcats.com http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article335.html A second day (Feb. 7, 2010) of unusually strong winter winds tested racers and tossed up the standings on Day Two of the inaugural Charlotte Harbor Regatta on Charlotte Harbor, Florida. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:36:08 -0600 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article334.html Sailors competing in the Inaugural Charlotte Harbor Regatta battled blustery conditions ahead of a strong thunderstorm including 20-plus knot winds. Following are results from the Feb. 5 races. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:35:31 -0600 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article333.html TheBeachcats.com is happy to announce the launch of www.Tybee500.com a new website for the 2010 Tybee 500 long distance catamaran race. Teams wishing to enter this years race from Islamorada, FL up the East Coast of Florida to Tybee Island, GA can begin the registration process by filling out the simple online registration form. There are over 3,000 photos from past years races, so be sure and take a look and see if you spot anyone you know. Each team that is accepted to participate in this epic adventure will be provided with a team profile page on the Tybee500.com site. News items and updates posted on the site will be automatically tweeted, so be sure to add Tybee500 to your twitter account. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:45:37 -0600 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article332.html Strong Hobie 16 and Weta trimaran fleets will be featured on one of three racing circles in the inaugural Charlotte Harbor Regatta, scheduled for Feb. 5-7, 2010 in Charlotte Harbor, Florida. The multihull circle will include Hobie 16 class chairman and Florida district president Arie Van Duijn, while the Weta fleet will include the class's North American distributor Jon Britt of NorBanks Sailing. Hobie 16 charters will be available via Tradewinds. The two classes will be among nine classes on three racing circles on beautiful Charlotte Harbor, named by SAIL magazine as one of the "top 10 greatest places to sail in the United States." Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:12:49 -0600 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article331.html "Hillbilly Cat's" is now "Sewell Mountain Sailing" West Virginia has 65 new sailors and we have a new name. When I decided to give back a little and start a free sailing school for the youth of WV., I would never have believed the success and joy this effort would bring. At the end of 2009, we count our fleet of training boats, at 9..and our graduates at 65. We are now offering three stages of training. Basic,Stage Two and Three (racing and Keel Boat)Our first 22' keel boat will arrive in the spring of 2010. The state and people of WV.have been very supportive of our grass roots group. West Virginia Sports Radio (22 stations) and WHOA TV-4, have both ran stories and interviews on Sewell Mt. Sailing and it's efforts to promote sailing. Take another look at what we are doing: http://www.soapysails.webs.com Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:15:37 -0600 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article330.html Hobie will make a run of Hobie 18 Hulls if we can get hard commitment from at least 10 buyers. Ok folks, after some lengthy discussions with Hobie Cat Company, we finally have some hard numbers. Hobie will make a run of Hobie 18 Hulls if we can get hard commitment from at least 10 buyers. At this point we are looking at a price for two hulls of $6950.00 plus shipping. As a one time deal, you can order anything else you may feed for the boat, Tramp, Sails, Standing rigging, Rudders, Daggers, whatever, at a 20% discount. This is a unique opportunity to freshen up your tired old Hobie 18, or to dig one out of a storage yard somewhere and essentially "build" your own "new" Hobie 18. If you are interested in participating in this unique program/opportunity. Speak Up NOW. We need commitments from at least 10 people by the end of the first week in January if we are to get this pulled together in time for a May/June Delivery. Now that we have hard numbers, we can quantify the true level of interest. I would imagine that at some point, we will need a deposit so that Hobie Cat Company can be assured that they will not end up with a bunch of hulls sitting in the warehouse. For the time being, I have volunteered to be the liaison between Hobie 18 Owners and Hobie Cat Company as we build interest. In the interest of keeping inaccurate rumors to a minimum, please direct your questions and interest to me, although, I am sure that at some point you will need to get in touch with a dealer to place an order and make your deposit. Once we have all the details worked out, and before you actually part with any money, you will all get good accurate and reliable information on how to proceed. NO part of ANY financial transaction will be handled by me. This will all be handled through authorized Hobie Dealers Only. Stephen Cooley MUST429@aol.com Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:09:44 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article329.html 2009 NACRA North American Championship The 2009 Nacra North American Championships was held in Fort Walton Beach, Florida the week of October 12-15, 2009 and was sponsored by Performance Sports, Inc, the manufacturer of NACRA racing catamarans, Annapolis Performance Sailing, Harken USA, Emerald Sails, and ZHIK USA.  The event was hosted by the multihull friendly Fort Walton Yacht Club on beautiful Choctawhatchee Bay.  The North American Championships, or NAs, was open to the Nacra 20 class, the Nacra F18 class, and the Nacra F17 class.  However, the Nacra F18 class decided not to attend leaving only the 20s and F17s to mix it up on the bay.  Four races a day were scheduled for the 4 day event. DAY 1 – Monday, October 12th Monday dawned with sunny skies and a south to south west wind building to 8-12kts.  The FWYC Commodore said a few words welcoming all the teams and after skippers meeting, the sailors finished rigging their boats and set sail for a 1200 start.  The order of starts for the week was the 20s first followed by the F17s not on a rolling start.  The courses were US Sailing multihull courses 5G and 6G with an upwind finish leaving one more chance to be a hero or a zero! After the fourth race of the day in the 20 fleet, Alex Shafer/Nigel Pitt wrapped up the day with finishes of 1, 1, 1, 2 to lead the fleet.  Wisconsin favorite Guy Selsmeyer was not far behind with finishes of 2, 2, 3, 6.  There was a big collision at the start of race 1 involving Kirk Newkirk and Chris Blake resulting in one of Kirk’s rudders coming off the boat.  Chris quickly sailed up to Kirk and the crews swapped boats.  Nice!!  Kirk went on to sail scoring a 4th and setting up a redress situation for the end of the day while Chris headed back to the beach for repairs. In the F17 fleet, former 2 time class champion Bob Curry showed the way with an awesome first day score of 1, 1, 1, 1 followed by Jim Leonard with a score of 2, 3, 2, 2.  Curry was challenged at 2 A mark roundings and 1 gate by Bill Gillispie.  The battle line was being drawn between Jim and Bill as only 2 points separated them after the day’s racing.  It wasn’t very long after the races were concluded that the boats were washed off by mother nature. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:15:06 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article328.html After a three month break, the Endurance Series heads to Daytona Beach on August 1st for round two. The race boasts fierce competition, a great venue, online tracking, a leisure start time and a great fish fry. Fierce Competition The competition will be fierce with 18 boats preregistered including three of the past series champions and the defending Gilligan's Run champion. The defending series champions Bret Moss and Mark Jones with Carbon Cruising will definitely be the ones to watch. They suffered a broken spinnaker and had to retire early from the Keys 100 after a perfect start. Team CyberSpeed won the Endurance Series in 2007 and also won the first round (The Keys 100) of 2009 series. Rob Behrend was injured during the Keys 100 after he hit the port shroud to avoid a pitch pole in heavy wind and seas. Tristan Fiedler will be Rob's replacement teaming with Craig Van Eaton. Dave Ingram who won the first Endurance Series Championship will be competing with his wife Cathy forming Dingo Racing. This is their second year competing together and they are always at the top of the score card. Also making it a family affair is Team McDonald. Matt McDonald will either be racing with his wife Gina or his daughter Riley. Matt and his son, Peyton, won the race last year. Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:13:28 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article327.html Ocean Springs Yacht Club, Ocean Springs, Mississippi Discuss Slip to ShipIt's getting close to the Slip to Ship Regatta (May 23-24, 2009). This is a fun two day distance regatta in its 24th year. It is a blast and we are ready to put S2S "Back on the Map." I have listed the top three reasons not to miss it this year. 1. New club: Katrina be damned. We now have a beautiful facility, full kitchen, fuller bar expansive balcony. 2. New management/New Value: With the openning of the new building, we have sailors at the helm. We have heard your complaints and are responding. Entry Fee: $50.00 (single handed), $60.00 (double handed). Late registration (after May 15, 2009) will be an additional $10.00. Entry fee will include the following: a. a custom S2S regatta t-shirt for you and your crew (if applicable) b. contintental breakfast Saturday morning c. Beer and chicken out on the Island d. A Saturday Cajun dinner extrodinaire created by Robbie Halstad; e, An automatic entry in the sailor's door prize; f. Two Raffle tickets for the raffle; 3. Old school: We remember what makes a regatta fun: good wind, good food, good drink and friends. This year, we are striving to bring back the fun from the days of old. Call it our Reggatta stimulus package. Remember, camping is permitted on our grounds. Please fax or email your completed registration to fleetcaptain@osyc.com or (228) 865-7885. Also, while our physical address is 100 Front Beach, Ocean Springs. Please send all mail to P.O. Box 821, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Please get your registration form in early to avoid the $10.00 late fee. I would also appreciate an email just to help us gauge the number os sailors to plan for. More information can be found at www.osyc.com Tue, 12 May 2009 09:32:53 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article326.html TopoFusion.com in conjunction with SailSeries.com will be providing event coverage for the Tybee 500 using Spot Satellite Messenger units. TopoFusion.com has been providing online tracking for endurance mountain bike races and is excited to expand into endurance sailing. Their software is capable of linking multiple Spot units together on the same page with both an event page with team's last position and separate pages for each teams tracking. Wed, 06 May 2009 00:24:19 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article325.html Team Cyberspeed drives through the wind and waves for a win in the ‘Keys 100 Reef Run’ Hardy souls braved blustery conditions to compete in the inaugural Keys 100 Reef Run, Saturday, April 25th. Five of an intended 10 boats decided to fight strong winds and go racing 80 miles from Islamorada to Key West. All were briefed on conditions. Averaging 18.1 mph over a five minute period, with gusts to 24, from the east, measured at the end of the pier at the Islander Resort. Major reef marks 3 miles off shore recorded wind gusts over 30 mph during the day. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:11:43 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article324.html The 2008 Endurance Series points were announced at the Keys 100 which was the season opener for the 2009 series. Everything came down to the final race of the year with only ten points separating the top seven boats. The last race, the Steeplechase, is a two day event covering 110 miles and navigation skills are a must. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:07:13 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article323.html The Keys 100 Reef Run will start Saturday morning April 25, 2009 from the Islander Resort in Islamorada (MM 82, US 1, Florida Keys). This race replaces the Hogs Breath race of years past. Several boats are already in position at the resort, to start on this forecasted 80 mile sled ride to Key West. Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:24:43 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article322.html Starboard Marine, Panama City, FL, April 19th, 2009 A 1989 Yellow Hulled Hobie 16 was reported stolen from Starboard Marine, Back Beach Raod, Panama City, Florda. If you see this boat or have any info, please contact Pat at (850) 235-4805, Starboard Marine. Download pictures and PDF Flyer Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:11:58 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article321.html Latest test sail and pictures of the new Hobie F18 Wild Cat Hyeres/France, April 3 april 2009 - Team Zwitserleven Booth/Nieuwenhuis (NED) had the chance to test sail the new Hobie Wild Cat in preparation for the 2009 season. The Wild Cat is nearing completion after a long winter development program and is expected to debut in Carnac, France during the Eurocat regatta at the end of April. The new Hobie is a state of the art F18, created to race at the highest level in the ever-expanding Formula 18 class. Booth and Nieuwenhuis will contest Eurocat, Zwitserleven Race Week (including the Round Texel Race), Duc D'Albe and Formula 18 World Championships in Belgium. Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis were excited about the performance of the new machine and looking forward to the race season to kick off. Nieuwenhuis commented on returning to the beach: 'This boat feels great to sail and very responsive in the gusty conditions we had today." Booth added: "The helm on this boat is a dream and feels like you are gliding on ice. We have put the Wild Cat through some tough testing conditions and she has come out with full marks.' The Wild Cat, designed by Hobie Cat Europe in conjunction with Martin Fischer (AUS), is along similar lines to the other current F18's with its wave piecing shape and reverse bow stem giving it a very distinctive look. The hulls are the most visible update for the new Hobie, but when looking closely every component has been developed to the latest and highest quality. The extreme high aspect centerboards and the super slick wing mast section just all add to the whole package of a great race boat, which is built by Hobie Cat Europe in Toulon/France. Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:45:26 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article320.html The long awaited announcement of the Endurance Series is finally here. The new schedule consists of only four races with all counting toward points. This will achieve two goals, one allowing all sailors to compete against each other head to head and two allowing us to focus on making the events higher in quality. The 2008 awards will be given out at the Key's 100 which is the first race of the series. 2009 Endurance Series Schedule Apr 25–26 – Keys 100- Reef Run (Key Largo to Key West) July 25-26 -- Gilligan's Run (Daytona Beach)* Oct 31-Nov 1 -- Hiram's Haul (Melbourne to Sebastian) Dec 12-13 -- 25 Annual Key Largo Steeplechase (Key Largo) *- tentative date Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:35:03 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article319.html Delta Sailing center is pleased to announce to have the first and so far only HOBIE FLEET 888 in China mainland. http://www.ShenzhenSailing.com is where you find futher information about our private members club. The club is located outside the City of Shenzhen and has ideal sailing conditions in the south China sea. Full membership or short term membership is available for the beginner or advanced sailors. For further information about available membership, available boats and general information, please visit www.ShenzhenSailing.com Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:33:58 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article318.html As of 2009, the Round Texel Race is to be continued as Zwitserleven Sailing Week. This high-performance event unites spectacular activities that rise the adrenalin. For decades the main focus was on the Round Texel Race itself, whereas the new program becomes more extensive, challenging and longer. Not only for the competitive and recreational sailors, but also for the audience. The first considerable addition is the 2009 World Championship Windsurfing Slalom that will attract world's best windsurfers. From June 8 until June 13, the Texel beach at Paal 17 will be the center of everything that sails on the sea, beach and through the surf at high speed. The Dutch Championship Catamaran sailing has expanded to three full (instead of half) racing days and the ultimate Round Texel Race on June 13. After the last finish on the first three days, the participants are welcome to compete in the TNG Short Track Races. The exciting finals will be held on Friday. There is also more to do for fun seekers, as the Light House Race to the northern point of Texel will be added to the traditional Horstocht to the south. Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:09:10 -0600 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article317.html In 2009, Team Holmatro (NED) lines up for the iShares Cup as well as for the F18 circuit. This combination should provide skipper Carolijn Brouwer (BEL) with the necessary sharpness and skills to keep up with world's best Extreme 40 sailors in the iShares Cup. Brouwer made her début as Holmatro skipper in 2007. In the Olympic year of 2008, she focused completely on her Tornado campaign. She will now return to the Extreme 40 class with Holmatro as true partner. The F18 replaces the Tornado for her valuable 'dinghy experience'. It is from the very first day of the Extreme 40 (2005) that the Dutch company Holmatro got involved in this spectacular, high-tech class. CEO Jaap Meijer (NED) about the long term partnership: "The boat and teamwork of the crew symbolize our key values, they represent 'Mastering Power'. The professional and high level skills of the team fit our business ambition of achieving the best. In addition, our hydraulic cylinders and winches onboard show how sailors can manage the forces by using our products. We are constantly trying to collect more knowledge about our products and more feedback from the users on that top level. That enables us to grow." Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:53:37 -0600 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article316.html On the second day of the Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta 2008, the fleet of 41 teams had to deal with tricky sailing conditions on the Caribbean Sea. From time to time, big clouds brought rain showers and gusts. That resulted in a shifty and variable breeze, which made it an interesting competition. Dutchmen Booth and Nieuwenhuis are still in the lead by one point, with Xander Pols and Frank de Waard (NED) in second position. Last year’s winners Eduard Zanen and Mischa Heemskerk (NED) climbed to a third place. Henk-Johan Hankart and the Grijpma brothers are first overall in the fleet of slower catamarans. Today’s weather required a lot more trimming and smart racing. The winning strategy was about getting the shifts and pressure right. Sunburned legs and arms had a rest, as it was mostly clouded. The morning breeze was about 8 knots strong, but in the afternoon it picked up to 16 knots and more. During lunchtime on the Aruba beach, the competitors could share their experiences and reconsider their tactics. Or simply enjoy the Aruba hospitality. Late afternoon, they decided to have their happy hour in sea, as the rain was pouring down in a tropical shower. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:57:10 -0600 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article315.html Day one of the Cat Caper Regatta got off to an excellent start with good wind and 5 races completed. Very gusty conditions made for challenging lake sailing. More info after day two. Rank Fleet Class Nat SailNo Helm Crew Rating R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 Total Nett Notes 1st Portsmouth A Formula 16 spi USA 1 Oley Olsen Joanna Lienti 63 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 (4.0) 10.0 6.0 2nd Portsmouth A Nacra F17 Uni spi USA 218 Jim Leonard 66.7 1.0 4.0 1.0 (5.0) 3.0 14.0 9.0 3rd Portsmouth A Nacra 20 Slp spi USA 11 Mark Smith Karen Ann Xavier 59.3 (3.0) 2.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 12.0 9.0 4th Portsmouth A Formula 16 spi USA 724 Jody Abrams 63 4.0 3.0 4.0 2.0 (6.0) 19.0 13.0 5th Portsmouth A Nacra 20 Slp spi USA 1015 Philip Mumm Rundell Curtis 59.3 (6.0) 5.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 23.0 17.0 6th Portsmouth A Formula 16 spi USA USA712 Tom Shannon 63 5.0 6.0 5.0 (7.0 DNF) 5.0 28.0 21.0 1st Portsmouth B Hobie 17 (1-up) USA 5887 Jim Brown 74 (1.0) 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 5.0 4.0 2nd Portsmouth B Hobie 16 USA 77765 Shane Gaston Connor Gaston 76 (2.0) 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 10.0 8.0 3rd Portsmouth B Hobie 18 & 18 Magnum USA 8487 Damon Linkous 71 (3.0) 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 15.0 12.0 Square top main 4th Portsmouth B Prindle 19 USA 567 Stan Muse 66.4 4.0 (6.0 DNS) 4.0 4.0 6.0 DNS 24.0 18.0 5th Portsmouth B Hobie 16 USA 110523 Michael Aregood 76 5.0 (6.0 DNS) 6.0 DNF 6.0 DNS 6.0 DNS 29.0 23.0 Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:42:51 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article314.html Pensacola Beach, FL - October 17, 2008 Last Day of racing cancelled due to no wind in the morning. Racing was scheduled to start at 9:00 and this is what the water looked like. Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:32:12 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article313.html October 16, 2008 - Key Sailing - Pensacola Beach See Day Four Pictures by Damon See Philip Mumm's Day four pictures Now reporting from on the water (A Mark), arrived Wednesday and found a gung ho group of high performance catamaran sailors swapping stories from the first three days of big air sailing. I was amazed how full of energy they were, as demonstrated after the deep fried turkey dinner hosted at the Pensacola Beach Yacht Club across the street from Key Sailing. A turkey dinner didn't put these hardy sailors to sleep, instead a large group was seen enjoying the live music and dance floor well into the night. Today's conditions were much lighter than the first three days but the racing was just as close. Robbie Daniels is still in command, stretching his overall lead to an amazing 29 points after 15 races with 21 points. Greg Goodall and John Williams look to have nailed down 2nd with 50 points and a 19 point lead over John Casey and Kenny Pierce in third. But only 10 points seperate that third from the next three boats, so medals will still be out their to be won on the final day. It was announced just a little while ago that Friday's start would be a 9:00am (to a few groans) and two races would be run to be finished as early as possible and avoid some predicted weather. Additional report and full results on full story. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:59:31 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article312.html Pensacola Beach Florida, Key Sailing - October 15, 2008Photo by Philip Mumm, pictures from the event are available for purchase. For picture information contact Philip at 205-870-8800 Day three continued the awesome conditions and close racing. Robbie Daniels continues to dominate and now holds a 24 point lead over the second place, but then only 11 points separate the next four teams, so it's still a battle for the medal positions. Day Three Pictures by Philip Mumm are posted (195 of them!). Click Day Three Title or read full article to view results through day three. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:19:36 -0500 http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article311.html October 14, 23008 - Pensacola Beach, FL - Day 2 Photos by Philip MummBig sailing for the big boys! Four races today for 7 total. Extremely close sailing with many position changes, is the cream rising to the top? Robbie is still on top, Tomko made a strong move, Nigel and Kirk both moved up and are still neck and neck. What's this? Enrique on a Nacra! Don't tell his Hobie 16. See full results through day two by reading rest of story. Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:20:34 -0500