I'm not sure of the origin of Cat Fest, but it probably started around 91-92. In the late 80's/ early 90's the Lake Norman regatta was in April (Spring Forward Regatta) and held at a couple different sites. I think a park one year and country club(which is now a neighborhood) a couple years. I remember freezing my butt off one day in freezing rain one April Saturday. When they moved it to the Lake Norman Yacht club, they have been locked in on the weekend they can hold it. So it would be doubtful that it would ever change from the weekend after Labor Day. I've asked before to see if they could make it later in the fall, so maybe there would be more wind.. but the club has so many other events scheduled that there are not any other dates available.
My friend Ceasar Cone just sent me this. Ceasar and Lee Holman (Holman & Moody) were the Hobie dealers in Charlotte in the day.
<<Jack, would you believe I didn't even go by the Catfest this year. Also this weekend, on Lake Norman, was the Charlotte Antique Boat Show. I displayed my recently acquired 1933, 21' triple **** Chris Craft, a boat my grandmother purchased new. I put at least five hours on it over three days. It's pretty much original. You need to come see it.
Through the '70's and '80's the local Hobie fleet (92?, 97?) hosted an annual points regatta each spring at Cowans Ford Country Club. The fleet championships were held each fall. When Duke Power decided to develop a residential subdivision at Cowans Ford, the multihull fleet relocated to Outrigger Harbor (now the Penninsula Yacht Club) and The Lake Norman Multihull butt'n was formed (to include the Nacra's, 18 squares, etc.). I think their invitational regatta was a fall event that became Catfest. I could reconstruct some of these dates by digging out old t-shirts and trophies.>>
