It's possible everyone's posting here is correct, but not the complete explanation. Nor will I claim to have the answer, but another piece of the puzzle. One may be that these days with many new and different recreational options available, sailing's slice of the pie has grown smaller with the competition from other activities.

Another piece may be that sailing takes a special kind of person, and catamarans take a special kind of sailor. Not everyone sees the risk of a ferocious pitchpole worth the benefit of speed.

Another piece may be what my inexperienced impression of sailing was - boring. Boring compared to PWCs, wakeboarding, windsurfing, and now kitesurfing (which is replacing windsurfing). Boring until someone took me out for my first time on a sailboat, which happened to be a Hobie 16, and got me hooked within 15 minutes. My in-laws are all sailors on monohulls, and didn't understand my need to get a cat until I bought one and took them for a ride. Now they get it.

Too complicated. An inexperienced eye looking at a sailboat is put off by all the lines and wires, not to mention having to know how to get the boat to move while being at the mercy of the wind.

And lastly, it may just be our need for confirmation or affirmation of our love of cats that make us want more people to join us - much like a new religious convert wants to spread the word of his new religion to get more people to join because he believes what is good for him must be good for everyone.

Somehow it all balances out, and the ones who truely enjoy cats will stay that way, while the dilettantes naturally weed themselves out.