Ed,
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<br>After logging onto this forum following several days away, I was pleasantly surprised by how much great discussion your original post has generated. I decided to take a moment and recall the way in which I was drawn to the sport. I think that by pondering the question, “What worked for me?”, we may gain some insight that will help turn others on to catamaran sailing.
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<br>I’ve been active in the outdoors all my life. I am an avid bicyclist, backpacker, paddler, adventure seeker, environmental advocate, and owner of a sea kayak touring company. I’m 44 years old, married, and have three kids. I live near the shores of Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. My wife is from New Jersey and my in-laws live at the “shore” with a couple of powerboats at the dock. They know that their “environmentalist” son-in-law doesn’t like the powerboat scene, so they bought a Hobie 16 for a few hundred dollars to give us something to play with when we visit.
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<br>While I'm not stranger to the sea, I knew nothing about sailing, having only taken one ride on a 24-foot mono-slug years before. Fortunately, the Hobie came with a couple of books on sailing beach cats. I didn’t have time to read them before my first outing, though. My father-in-law and I rigged the boat as best as we could figure, and headed out onto Barnegat Bay. We were absolutely clueless, but we were able to make it go. Soon there was spray flying and the windward hull was lifting. We fumbled our way to the trapeze wires. Yee Haw! We didn’t know enough to watch the leeward bow, though. It dropped below the surface on a reach and we were both airborne – our first trip around the forestay following a violent pitchpole. I was hooked!
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<br>It was only a matter of time before my wife and I bought our own boat. I stumbled across the catsailor.com web site and linked to news about the Worrell 1000. The N6.0’s were dominating. I didn’t look any further. The race up the east coast appealed to my sense of adventure and I was going to buy the boat that Randy Smyth was sailing. I found a used ’96 6.0 in the Spring of ’99 when everyone was trading up to the Inter boats.
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<br>For the first few months of sailing on Lake Champlain, my wife and I trailered and rigged. Be both felt like we were spending too much time doing things other than sailing. Then we found a spot on the beach at a local sailing school. One hundred seventy-five dollars for the season. We’re there. The rest of the beach is occupied by 5.8’s and a few old Hobies. Wednesday night regattas at 6 pm draw four to six boats for some fun around the buoys. Michele and I were intimidated at first by the thought of competition. I had this “guy thing” going. I knew that I owned a fast boat but I didn’t want to admit to the others on the beach that I knew nothing about racing. The other sailors were very friendly, supportive, and encouraging, though. This summer we joined in with the Wednesday night regattas. On our first race, we had a terrible start (I wasn’t wearing a watch and hadn’t figured out the countdown sequence yet), but we wound up finishing in the middle of the fleet. We looked forward to Wednesdays for the rest of the summer, and now that the snows have begun to fly, we can’t wait to wet the hulls again next summer.
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<br>So, what can I conclude from my own experience?
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<br>Is cat sailing more appealing to the younger sailor?
<br>Maybe, but I’d be willing to guess that cat sailing has an appeal to a much broader range than the 20-30 group.
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<br>What is the best starter boat?
<br>If my in-laws hadn’t picked up that used Hobie for $300, I may have been doing something entirely different with my free time these days. The abundance of cheap used boats provides a great way for novice sailors to test the water without breaking the bank. No doubt that there may be a niche for the $3000 starter boat, but my initiation was served quite well by that $300 H16 (trailer included).
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<br>How does media coverage influence our buying?
<br>For me, it was the Worrell 1000 that was getting the most press in the cat world when I was ready to buy. Those images of N6.0’s airborne off the wave crests while rounding Cape Hatteras didn’t frighten me off. I wanted to be there, and I wanted the boat that they had.
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<br>How about access?
<br>If trailering were the only option, I’d probably still sail, but not nearly as often. As it is now, I have a 15 minute drive to the beach. I pull off the cover, drop in the boards, raise the sails, and back the boat a few feet to the water. Once we found the cheap beach space at the local sailing school, we were sailing at least twice a week.
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<br>How much does the presence of a local fleet enhance the sailing experience?
<br>We were having great fun ripping it up on the lake by ourselves. I never would have guessed that fleet outings or racing would have added so much to our enjoyment. My wife worried that my competitiveness would take the fun out of things if we joined the local regattas. Not so. Every time the countdown sequence begins, we both get a rush of adrenaline. It’s competitive, yes. Fun? You bet! The more boats the better. Bringing others into the sport is not just about turning others on to something that we enjoy. With more sailors in the regattas we all have more fun.
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<br>How about support and encouragement from the cat sailing community?
<br>The group of folks whose boats share the beach with mine have been invaluable in building my enthusiasm for the sport. This forum has been equally supportive. (BTW, I’ve found the discussions on the “New” forum to be much friendlier than some of those in the “Old” venue.)
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<br>How do we get kids excited about sailing cats?
<br>My kids are very athletic, but they were initially frightened by the speed and constant dousings they experienced while hanging on to the hiking straps on our 6.0. Things happen a bit too quickly and there are too many lines to stay clear of on that boat. Granted, Michele and I were guilty of taking them out when conditions were right for double-trapped, hull-flying fun. Our kids didn’t see it that way, though. Fortunately, our local community sailing center has a fleet of plastic Escapes and the kids love them. They now want their own boat, but one that goes faster than the floating bathtubs. The key to their enjoyment, I think, is not going out for a wild ride while mommy and daddy sail the boat. They want to get their hands on the tiller and sheets. (Do I see a search for a used Wave or similar boat coming in the near future?)
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<br>One final thought:
<br>Every year my wife and I take the kids to the Banff Film Festival. It is a collection of the “Best Of” outdoor films for the year. The films go on “tour” to venues across the US and Canada, including a stop here in Burlington, Vermont. The cinematography is first rate and the films include a lot of great footage that typically features mountain biking, alpine skiing, boarding, paragliding, climbing, etc. My kids come home after each year’s event and grab their gear to try and emulate what they’ve seen. (I come home juiced up, too, ready to try something new.) I’m not sure how to make it happen, but cat sailing needs to attract the same kind of filmmaking. While Rick’s series of instructional films are good learning tools, but we need to figure out how to get some real eye-popping action in front of those that haven’t seen what cat sailing is about. My hat is off to those who’ve succeeded in bringing increased media attention to the Worrell. I hope it grows. It was a big part of what got me hooked (and dictated my choice of boats).
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<br>I’m encouraged by the thought that has gone into this discussion. I hope we can keep the momentum going and bring the sport to a level that exceeds the popularity that was enjoyed in the 70’s and early 80’s.
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<br>Cheers,<br><br> Kevin Rose
<br>N6.0na #215
<br>kevin@paddleways.com
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