As you may recall, I recently traveled down to Mexico to help a fellow who had recently bought a 27 foot Stiletto catamaran sailboat.

The new owner had no sailing experience and didn't know how to put the boat together.

If you over look the fact that I left Utah's four feet of snow in my yard and temperatures of "below zero"... and if you over look Mexico's great 70-75 degree temperatures and great sailing areas.... you can quickly see how benevolent and selfless I was to help out.... Anyway, we now have several converts to the thrill of catamaran sailing... One of those is a woman who is a very expereinced monohull sailor, who lives down there and who took the new Stiletto owner under her wing after I left for the trip home.

I thought you guys (especially tose waiting for warm weather to come) might enjoy a break from work to read a snippet of our emailed communiqués:

To: Maureen and Brad
From: Tom

I have it on good authority ...OK dubious authority...that you guys have almost made the conversion to the only true sailing.....catamaran sailing...??

Is it Whaahooo sailing or what....?

Though I try to act adult...OK...so I don't try to act adult...but there's certainly something to sailing circles around monos. Indeed, there is some great pleasure in doing it as I sit in my deck chair on a level deck, piloting the boat with the touch of a button on the remote unit of my autohelm, having breakfast on my on-deck stove and waving at them while I do it....

I wonder if enjoying that so much makes me a bad person...?

If one tricks the boat out with some great sails and a bit of this and that... I understand one can push the limits of that boat's hull design... and run at about 28 knots.

As a goof off sailor I have routinely run mine at about 18, without feeling like the end was near.

So, how's the boat and Brad doing????

He must be out sailing, 'cause I haven't heard much in the way of replies to my email...trying to make sure he's still got the pointy part up and the roundy parts of the boat down...and afloat.

Best regards from a snowbound sailor, sitting back in Utah, thinking warm thoughts of San Carlos,

Tom

To: Tom
From: Maureen and Brad

Well at the painful expense of being disloyal to monohull boats......I have to say that I have NEVER sailed on a boat that I feel performs to the degree that the Stiletto does!~!!!!!!

So there......... I AM a convert!!!!!!

Brad and I have been sailing everyday since last Saturday and we were in all kinds of weather. Last night the wind was blowing 30 knots in the harbor and Brad was tied up at the fuel docks.

We are the talk of the marina.....everyone can not believe how fast we go. Brad is a natural sailor.....we have had so much fun I hate to see him go.

I have this friend Alan who has sailed monohulls all his life.....He is 76 and we invited him to go out the other day. He was ecstatic!

I don't know that I can ever go back to a monohull again!!!

The boat is wonderful.....all we do is laugh with delight when we are out there!!! We are now becoming expert at stalking other boats and getting into a race with them.......and knowing, of course, that we are going to beat them hands down.

It is so bad that I want one of my very own!!!!!!

So a complete convert........you have made of me.....there is no going back.

Keep in touch!

Best regards,

Maureen

So.........after reading those emails....am I a peach and completely selfless.....or what..????

Tom,

Kudos to you and the new converts. But seriously, do you really expect us to feel sorry for you for having four feet of whipped dream in your yard?

Where else can you take less than 3.5 inches worth of water and whip it up into 4 feet deep of the greatest snow on earth. Then just jump on a city bus and for a measly four or five bucks, and a 50 minute bus ride, find yourself in some of the steepest skiing on the continent?

Most of my life, I would have thought that you were insane to have left those conditions to go find melted snow and boats. But in my old age and sailing experience I am starting to admit that cat sailing is somehow more rewarding than sking the steep and deep, fluffy powder that Utah has to offer.

Catamaran sailing was once the water sport that I would partake in, when the water wasn't frozen enough to ski. These days, as the body of a 25 year old is gone, I can sail better than I can ski.

And one more thing Tom: Don't forget that you can find wet water and sunny skies right here in the Western US, if you just come to So. CA for some winter sailing. Next Catalina trip is planned for March 19th.

There's a new Stiletto 27 owner here in MDR. That makes three 27' cats in my yard (two Vivas).

I'm going skiing now and I will be dreaming of Utah powder. By the way Tom, ... that stuff that Utah-uns call icy, hard-pack... that's what the rest of the world calls powder. You can ice skate on the stuff that we call hard-pack!

GARY