I like your analogy between cats/monos and cars/horses.

Cat sailing is just a different kind of tactical.

I call mono reaction sailing, "the wind has shifted, I'll tack" kinda sailing - reactive sailing.

Because Cats are so much faster and we can Sail TO the bit of water that has the wind (or where we expect it to be). We sail a more strategic race. "I need to be over there as there is more wind"; "I think the wind will shift, so I need to be over there".

I sail a more strategic race when cat sailing as tacks DO hurt more; I think ahead and plan my legs, sailing mono slugs, People (to a greater degree) just react to shifts. Yes, they will still think I want to go left / right; more left, more right. but they react more to the conditions; to be a successful cat (or fast boat sailor) you need to plan more.

Or be psychic, or a really good guesser, or a meteorologist, or just lucky. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Here's another argument I find interesting in the mono/multi debate. The mono guys are all about talking about speed and going faster, and which sport boat is the fastest, etc., until you point out a boat that is faster. Then it is all about "tactics" and "enjoying the ride". They are continually pushing the speed envelope on the sportboats, yet nobody complains of losing the "tactical" experience when doing so. It's only when you point out you don't need canting keels and 15 crew on the rail as ballast to go faster that the argument becomes "it's not all about speed, you multi-moron, it's about tactics". Crap, I say. Regardless of the speed of the boat you still have other boats on the course to deal with, you still have crossing situations, and you still have the need to read shifts. The big difference is now you have to do it quicker and keep the boat speed on boil. You don't have the time to think luxury that six knot boat speed gives you.

One year in the C-100 we were blasting down the Bay upwind on my H-20, double-trapped getting rained on in downpours, flying off waves. We came upon a bunch of monos racing down to Solomons as well. Pounding through the waves, many crew hanging on the windward rail. They were pointing higher than us for sure. But we got to Solomons first, and didn't a bunch of miserable seasick crew to show for it. At the bar later that night, the mono guys kept bugging me about our crazy tacking angles, when I had to remind him who got there first. Then it became about how many hotties he had on board to choose from. He was with male crew at the bar...

In the end it's all about VMG. The pointing angles may not as good, but who cares if you get to the bar first.

Before I crossed over to the dark side, I spent many a long, boaring day "racing" by hanging over the life lines of a J35, smashing through waves, tasting most of them, as a foredeck monkey/rail meat. I finally realized that only two people of the 8 on board were actually doing any "Sailing", the owner (helmsman) and the sail trimmer. The rest of us were only there to do the work. Free beer and a free educaion were my only incentive to give up a Saturday in summer. As soon as I could afford my own boat I was off the tub, but I did learn a few things for free.

Years later, I was racing a two person dinghy in 20 knots of wind, straight legg hiking all day, back was killing me, when I spotted two Tornados ripping across the bay. When the racing was over I found one of the T crews and they were not in pain, like I was. They talked me into crossing over and I've never regretted it.

To any Mono guys I would say, "Have you ever TRIED racing a multihull??" I have done both and I prefer multihulls. If he has tried both and prefers monos, so be it. But if he has never even raced a multihull in good wind, he really has no credible argument against them.

And the fact that you can go three times as fast with half the crew is a pretty good reason to race multihulls as well, especially if you are buying their beer!

The quality of the racing is surely more important than the speed of the boat.

I raced on two evenings last week. One evening sailing the Stealth in a cat class that consisted of two boats. And the other evening doing downwind trim on a J/80 in a fleet of 18 yachts. Yes, I went faster on the cat (according to the GPS vmax was 14.2kts on the cat and 14.1kts on the J!) but which was the most enjoyable race? Yesterday I sailed in a tuneup regatta on the J. Light winds and some brilliant racing against a J/92S, Delphia 24 and a Corby 29 at the front of the fast class (which we won:)).

So, enough of the mono/multi slagging. Get the best of both worlds and sail both!

I got in a discussion about leaners vs. cats with the owner of a 40 footer. His final augument was, "When I'm finished with racing for the day I go below for a nice cup of cocoa."

I replied, "I cruise along the beach and find a nice bar to pull into." He still wasn't impressed. I asked him, "When's the last time you took your boat to Tahoe?" That stopped him cold.

That is what I do. I learn a little more for each boat I sail. I was main sheet trimmer last season.

Doug

Hey all, I started the thread on SA re:C28's v M32's, which I think is a valid one. Both have essentially the same value prop ie - speed, OD, trailering, etc...

I also read the comment on lessening bigotry...unfortunately it is still alive and well.

Here's a blurb from a posting on NOYC.org where Strategery was referred to as a Catamoron. It's an interesting thread from an obviously idiotic source. What is interesting is that no one chimed in to tell him to shut up (which will normally happen).

Here's an excerpt from "JC"

" Catamorons do not belong in phrf regattas. They should only be raced against each other and only in Florida and only out of my sight. Listen, if you hippie catamoron freaks with your long hair, flip flops and flowery shirts want to race, that's fine but I don't want to know about it or hear about it. "
and then we were Trimorons (I had to correct him of course) with this gem...

"...I am curious about the 7 steps to becoming a trimoron sailor. Let me venture a guess:

step 1) remove half your brain
step 2) move to florida
step 3) buy flowery shirt and sandals
step 4) grow hair long and start calling everyone " Dude " as in , " Dude, like where's my tri ?"
step 5) start incessantly posting about the great upwind capabilites of trimorons
step 6) make fun of lead keeled phrf machines ( oops, I already do that...mmm, that's not good )
step 7) recognize that there is a higher power and it's Shaun Penn from "Fast times at ridgemont high."

Do you know this particular person? Is he being an butt just for the sake of being an butt or is he trying to poke fun at you/us?

Oh come on, tell me you didn't laugh at that!

Where do can I find one of those shirts?

Are those Berkinstocks or Tivas?

Tivas, is there really any other sandle?

BTW, it's a well know fact that tri's are a gateway boat to mono's, seen it happen. Google it if you don't believe me.

Yow. Good to know.

Just say no? Or as whatshername says "Crack is wack"

http://www.alohashirtshop.com/


Scotts http://www.surfwearhawaii.com/dropin/sandals/scott/guys_scott_main.shtml

"lead keeled phrf machines" is way too longwinded

Try using the term, "leaners." Like, way more hippiefied, man.

The irony in accusing Cliff of being a hippie is just too damn funny. for those who don't know, the back of the STRATEGERY (which right there is a Bushism) team shirts says something to the effect of 'global warming makes more water to sail in' or some such.

Steps to become a trimaran sailor:
1-try it.
2-like it.

Steps to become extinct:
1-never try anything different.
2-never like anything different.

That is why we have tiny torpedo launchers in our hulls <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> (LOL) <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> to sinks jerks like this right? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Doug

I sailed the Leukemia Cup Regatta hosted jointly by Southern Yacht Club and New Orleans Yacht Club on my Sprint 750 last month. We blew out our jib right before the start of the first race on Saturday unfortunately and missed the entire day. We got a replacement jib for Sunday and in that race (which had 12-18 knots of wind), the Corsairs had 3 out of the top five fastest corrected times (PHRF) and 4 out of the top five fastest elapsed times with only a customized Farr 36 getting in that group. "JC" did not have anything to say about it and I generally got favorable comments about the boats from others there.

Good advice - Let the ignorant monohull sailors make fun, insult, and call us names. Just wave and smile to them as you go past them upwind at the same angle but a lot faster.

Some just cannot accept what their eyes show them.

Bob Hodges