Faster downwind in the really light stuff without the spi? Either your spi is too heavy, or you are doing the monohull "barn door" thingy <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Seriously, if you can't get the spi to fill, you are usually better off without. But racing in those conditions is not much fun and should be called off in my opinion.

I'm not qualified to post racing advice. I'm one of those guys who is looking to learn. There is plenty of advice out there on the internet some good some bad. The best way to determine what advice is good is to look and see who is posting it. Don't take advice from someone who hasn't had any success.
So question to Wouter. What kind of results have you posted?

Who are you? Personally, I don't like talking to strangers. You need to introduce yourself. Then we can be friends.

LOL
That would make if too easy for my wife to figure out what I really do at work.

Well, have a nice life.

Wow, I've never seen Wouter so excited. Must be nice seeing top level competition in a class you did so much to build. Kudos to the F16 pioneers.

My money's on John Lovell, after seeing how he was able to adapt to the F18HT to win the international catamaran challenge with Ogletree. Plus, he and his wife have a child about the same age as mine, and I know how hard it is to juggling sailing and a young child. It makes me want him to win.

Not to change the subject...but changing the subject...

Boat setup continues...today, the we got the trampolines installed, masts rigged, and most of the blocks and lines rigged on the boats. Tomorrow, it's time to step the masts and start some fine tuning. Pics and more stories will be at http://www.teamseacats.com and the US Sailing site at http://www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/usmhc/

Thats an impressive set up.
How far do you go to make sure each boat is the same with the same set up? Do you measure spin pole height and rudder rake etc?
Although this is a different boat, did you ask for any extra rudders? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Bullseye on that one !

I think the Alter Cup is really something special, certainly a setup that I would love to see copied in Europe. The fact that this year it will be F16's makes it extra special.

But maybe even more exciting then that I find the crew make-ups this year. I really do dig the more family oriented composition + youths. That is so what the F16 project was about from the very beginning. This is not a big boy grunting boat. Elegance and careful trimming is key and that does favour other crew make-ups, giving smaller and less powerful crews a big shot at winning, without totally ignoring the big boys. If the latter can trim and "dance" right then they'll have a good shot at winning as well.

I am truly excited, but that is only to be expected after doing many years of hard work establishing this class.





Wouldn't that be cool !

Wouter

The F16 class allows for singlehanding right?
Are there any singhander unirigs sailing? Probably not, but that would be really cool though.

EVERYTHING is measured. We make every attempt to have one single person performing each task on all the boats so they are done in the same way. Yesterday, I had a team sub-assembling the spreaders while only I made the final adjustments to rake and positioning. We'll have one person setting diamond wire tension. A team will probably put the spin poles in place but one person will come down the rows of boats and finish tying the spin poles, one person will be signing off on the mast rake...etc. These boats will be identically tuned in every way we can possibly see.

I've also written some software this year to handle the boat rotations and scoring to try and keep people from repeating on boats into the latest rounds possible (I can reliably get up to the 9th round without a repeat now - and no more scribling trying different rotation schemes each round). I'll also be able to look at the boats statistically later too ;-

Jake,
Thanks for the info.

Please keep the pics coming. It would be good if someone could make comments just naming the people in the shots for the people out there who don't know either the support team members helping out or the competing teams.

Fair winds.

Regards,
Phill

I am going to have to go with Keith Christensen and Jeff Fortuna. They are sailors that I sail against a lot and are very good. Keith won the Alter Cup, with is brother Curtis, when it was on Hobie 20s in Long Beach. He had only sailed the boat for 1 1/2 hours before the event, with me. Jeff Fortuna is a crew that has sailed with lots of capable skippers and done well with all. I had the pleasure of winning a regatta with him on my boat last year.

Go So Cal! (yeah maybe bias...kind of like local sports teams)

Later,
Dan

I think they should do the Alter cup on a single handed boat sometime if they can get one donated by a manufacturer. Mono-a-mono, old school, monkey style! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I guess that's what the A cat class is about, but most of the skippers in the Alter Cup are Not A cat sailors.

Masts are up, and the boats are being tuned by the RC officials. All the boats are being set up with the same rake, diamond tension, spreader rake, etc. the competitors are not allowed to tune the boat or change the setup. Pulling strings is all that is allowed.

It would be nice to have a brief resume for each team.
I have to pull for the home teams(Korz&Siau) and then for the other H16 sailors. Montague,Hess,Nelson and at one time guys like Christensen and Jason.
Very thick fleet. Good luck to all.

204 Chant here.

Anybody know what is different on these Blades than on the previous Blades? I heard that some things are different on these boats than on previous versions.
I like setting things up on cats... wish I could be there to play too!

It seems to me they should have put the foam flotation on the inside of the hull. That sure looks slow. I guess they are trying to protect the boats for the new owners.

I doubt the boats come with 10 sets of beach wheels and stern chocks.. That would be a lot to expect!!

<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

New kind of anti-wave piercing bows... don't judge until you see how they sail <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />