The answers above are just what I needed to hear. Jeremy is right though, I will be single-handing a lot (or taking small children along), which is even 'worse' :-)
I don't intend to race seriously because I could never be at enough regattas to pick up significant points. That means I will be pleasure sailing, the pleasure primarily coming from running rings around other boats, just for the heck of it.
I'm looking at a trailerable cat for the fun and versatility. I don't know how compatible a cat is to what my wife enjoys though... It may still be a hard sell.
We both have a background sailing 6 Meter (21Ft?) keel boats, slow, more or less stable and heavy 500Kgs (+/-1000lbs?). She's a good sailer although she doesn't know it herself... I'm a pretty decent sailor, and have skippered for summer camps and such.
We have 2 small children and we discovered that that means one of two options: Get a huge yacht (Huge yachts bore my socks off in everything below 7Bft) Or a tiny fun boat. So my idea is: What could be more fun than a small cat? Taking the kids out would be below 5 Bft (the first years), and I think I can handle something like a Hobie 16 single handed under those conditions. Above 4 Bft I could go out with a friend, or just reef the main and get a smaller jib.
Am I crazy?