HOW we started to sail and learned? This thread might really become long.


I think it must be the genes. I grew up by and on the north sea in small motor boats. Sailing was not something I considered a worthy pursuit however, but I did all kind of other sports. One day I just got the virus, found an old derelict Tornado really, really, cheap, which I rebuildt. Went sailing with a friend who had sailed a dinghy two seasons 15 years ago. Friend had the helm, while I crewed. Both totally novices to cats and did not really know what we were at. Sails was as old as the boat, early 80s. No other cats for 400kms around to learn from, learnt by trial and error and by reading everything we found about cat sailing and sailing. Local sailing club was down for the time, so no dinghy environment to piggyback on either. "Catamaran racing for the 90s" was a treasure trove when we found it. Later, when we got the basics under control we started hunting down older scandinavian Tornado sailors, phoned them or visited them to get feedback and ideas. Everything became much easier when the internet "took off" and forums like this gathered catsailors who dont mind sharing their experiences and ideas. Today, you can find most tuning information, technique descriptions and "go fast" information with a web search..
Presently, we still sail and compete together, but the boat is new, a Marstrøm Tornado. It's just as fun to go for a cruise or blasting around today, but working as a team to make the boat go fast and learning something new all the time is what makes the sport rewarding. The difference between a good team who play the boat together and two individuals on the same but is just immense.
There are so many different aspects to the sport that I dont think I'll tire from it for a long time yet..

Like a friend said "sailing is like AIDS, once you get the virus you will never be free from it".


We have introduced some friends (and others who wanted to try) to cat sailing, but very few catch the virus bad enough to get their own boat. Local monohullers want a ride, just to have done it, and are impressed by the speed we can get up to, but none have seen the light and come over from the dark side yet.