Yes it’s a little late but at least here is a little sample of what is going on up in the PNW. We had our first showing at the S.O.C.K.S. Regatta, Care of Seattle Yacht Club. They put on a great regatta, and were very impressed by the boat. 9 A’s showed up (not bad for a first time event). We had light to light/medium winds and were still showing off the boats speed.

The skiff guys were really impressed and it was the point of discussion at the Saturday dinner. With 3 different A’s out on the water (Aussie Flyers, WaterRat, Bimare) it was a great opportunity for us all to get together and “tune” and see how our rigging looked compared to the other.

Saturday after the first day of racing, a gentleman approached us with excitement and proclaimed that he was unaware of other A’s in the area, as he just picked up a new Mk V from Australia. (which means Seattle now has 5 A’s, Bellingham has 3, and Portland has 5).

Last weekend, care of the Vancouver Lake Sailing Club, was our 2nd regatta, and unlike the first showing, we were fewer in numbers, BUT we had wind! Mid teens to mid 20’s gusts. WOW…what a ride. All of us at one point or another was able to see our boat on its side and try out the righting system. Again, the laser sailors and dinghies were quite impressed, especially at the downwind speed and point!

Our learning curve is great, but the sailing is getting competitive, leader changes, tuning theory, and beer drinking! With lots of sailors in this area really excited about our presence, we are getting invited to future events, and lots of people are thinking about purchasing A’s in the coming year.

Anyway,…I just wanted to announce that we are alive and well…and the Pacific Northwest is now a region that can proudly say has an active A cat fleet!

Thank you,

Michael

USA#187