Sounds like there are currently three A cats and five Capricorns being loaded onto the container. Three of the Caps are staying here in Florida and as I understand two are headed north of the border.

Now, there is still room for two more Capricorns if there is interest. They are giving a great deal for this first shipment and if we fill up the container we all save on shipping. The boats should be arriving here end of April or the first week of May.

Congratulations, sure you will enjoy the boat. My advice would be to replace the downhaul, tack line and spinnaker halyards with decent rope as well as the lines running from the tip of the kite pole to the bows.... Also make sure the boats have a Harken spinnaker halyard cleat fitted.

This will tidy up the few problems myself and others have found with the current set up. Apart from these little things, it is a fantastic and fast boat.

Also check out here for some usefull tuning tips

Capricorn Tuning Guide
http://www.ahpc.com.au/pdf/Capricorn%20Tuning%20Guide.pdf

Wing Mast Tuning Guide
http://www.ahpc.com.au/pdf/Sailing%20With%20Wing%20Mast%20Rig.pdf

Where is "home" for the new Caps'?

Mr. "Master of the obvious":

Hey Ollie, How many boats are you going to have? Maybe you can lend Diane and I one of those things and we can come race with you guys again. We won't see much of you and Kelly on the course the way you guys have been sailing ,but it might be fun anyways. See you at xXx

Hey Stephen -

Do you have a 2005 boat? I understand that some of the Holt and Ronstan blocks and cleats have been replaced with Harken on the '06 boat, but not sure on specific locations where changes were made.

What line (diameter and make) are you using where you've replaced it? You seem to say that the forward spin bridles are line instead of wire.

Are you racing with the spin halyard cleated on the mast or on the beam?

Is there a Cap owners' forum or site?

Lastly, are you going to Jervis Bay next February?

John,
How come your so interested? Are you the owner of one of the boats staying in FL?
-Todd

Hey Todd.

Yep. Busy this summer?

[/quote]

Florida is a big state with multiple race circuits (racers tending to gravitate to regattas in the northern or southern portion dependent upon where home port is). Just wondering what part of FL.

John,
I thought you were getting an Infusion?

I'm getting both.

Kidding - in truth, I'm waaaaaay down the list for an Infusion since they were not able to ship for Alter Cup. I've been looking to buy a boat since last July. With no hard date on Infusion production for non-Worlds teams and us mere mortals, it looks like I'll be able to actually lay hands on a Cap long before I could get an Infusion on the beautiful new trailer that's parked, empty in my driveway.

FWIW, the Infusion is making a very strong showing in Europe against all comers. Fact is, tho, neither of these boats is going to put me in the front of the fleet until I can learn some of that magic skipper stuff. In the end, it became an issue of when I could get started, not which one's sprinkled with fairy dust. And the deal that is being offered is very attractive, too. More $ than the Infusion, of course, but worth it if I can be sailing it in a month rather than three - building a boat a week or two before Nationals in Carlyle isn't worth the stress. Those were the things that tipped the scale ever so slightly in my mind.

<**** alert on this one




There is only 1 infusion in Europe and it has NOT raced yet. This infusion is the demo boat of the importer and it has been on display at boat shows. It has seen water but without any other catamarans about. Therefor it is impossible to judge relative performance.

The first batch of boats is only coming in THIS week; I think they are at the customs office being cleared right now. I think it is safe to guess that this batch was initially intended for the Alter Cup event, but it has to be diverted to Europe in order to come through on the commitments made to the European buyers.

Whoever made up the comment "... very strong showing in Europe against all comers ..." is seriously delusional. There are simply no race results at this time and the infusion has only raced against, what ?, 5 other boats in a single California event. With Melvin on the stick being by far the most skilled sailor in the race. Hardly a proper shake-down.

I sorry everybody, while the first private evaluations are promising, this boat still very much needs to encounter the first REAL competition from the serious Tiger, Cirrus and Capricorn crews.

Carnac will be the first REAL event where the infusions will mix it up with the European F18 class sailors. Carnac is in april.

Wouter

Wouter, how the hell do you know what you are talking about?

<**** detector. Seems the high background reading may have given you a false positive.

Yeah, I back what JW says, my sources say otherwise from what you say, and they are people that matter...so back to your f16!

Thanks for the tips T_Alive. I plan on changing some lines anyway as I like to follow a color (currently red) scheme.

Pat, Rob Jerry has a nice 2002 Tiger for sale. You should get it and race it this summer. Then you can bring it down in the fall with the other Tigers and leave it with us. This way you can come do regattas and training camps here with us all throughout the winter months.

I think next winter we could have 10 F18s just here in Clearwater and organize some great training camps.

One of the first 2006 batch...... Fittings were a bit of a mix with these.


3mm Dyneema


Mast


There is an AUS F-18 forum - http://www.f18.org.au/bb/index.php?sid=aa945479daa83aca7fbc4007d0add73c

and a Yahoo Taipan group.... Will get you details on this tonight.


Bit of controversy re Worlds location...... Vintentia not looking good now. 2 other VERY solid proposals have been put forward to the Worlds committee being Port Phillip Bay (Sail Melbourne) and Yeppoon which is in Queensland at the start of the Great Barrier Reef..... Tropical Paradise.

We are having dinner with the Secretary General of the International F-18 Association on Friday night and should have some news on the new venue soon...... Where ever it is, I believe it will be a far superiour venue.

WOW - that is big news. Thanks for the info and please keep us updated. I asked the wife if I could go to Worlds and she actually said she thought it was a good idea. So I'm interested in any developments.

Thanks also on the specs - good to know. As Olli said, pretty much assumed some minor stuff would need to be touched up as with any production boat.

off the subject, but...
Regarding the tiger that was mentioned- how come I hear so little about it? Is it mainly because it is a european boat? Just curious because it seems like a strong boat in the f18 class.

Hey Patrick -

Tiger has been a VERY strong boat in the F18 class. Nothing wrong with them, and frankly, that is the beauty of F18 - pick one. Personally, I wanted a wing mast. Tiger doesn't have one... yet. Class racing in several parts of the US? Tiger, hands down. Tiger racing where you and I live? Slim pickins. I raced Tiger Worlds last year - killer event. I never heard anyone say "18.2" for THAT one!