I really don't want to talk about myself, but maybe this is relevant to this thread and will encourage new sailors to cat sailing.
In my opinion <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />, I have always raced the most suitable cat for my ability (and age). I started sailing at 33 in a single-handed Catapult. I raced it in a mainly Condor fleet and, when my eldest son, Neil, was 12, he became my full time crew on a Dart 18. When Neil moved on to his own Dart 18, my younger son Gary took over as my crew. When the Dart Hawk was introduced, we moved on to that, before I got too old <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. Then the lighter Spitfire appeared on the scene, and Neil bought one, and I followed a year later. Gary went off working as a sailing instructor and I found that the juniors in the Club (mainly girls in their early 20s) could not afford their own boats, but were very enthusiastic about sailing on cats. I have had 2 sisters racing with me for the past few years (one at a time) and we won the 2006 Irish Nationals as I entered my 60th year in 2006. This will probably be my last year on the Spitfire. At my age, I don’t want to be dependant on a crew, or have a crew dependant on me, so it looks like a Shadow beckons – It’s all about sailing the most suitable cat for your circumstances.
When I say Spitfire here, I really do not differentiate between it and a Formula 16.