Pat: You gotta get one of these things! They are absolutely amazing!

This has been by far the most expensive race I have ever been to. LOL after the casualties obviously.

GREAT! venue, awesome group (as usual) good times.

YES PAT, you need to get a blade, no questions asked. Ill post my pictures in the next couple of days, or later when I get home.

So how many Blades were there? Any other F16's? Taipans, etc? Was it a line of thunderstorms that came through on Sunday? Saturday? Both?

We had five blades show up. No Taipans. Thunderstorms were present sunday afternoon. We got seriously rained on.

Order of places were:
1. Matt and Gina
2. Chuck and Paul
3. Robi and Mary
4. Terry - uni
5. Pete - uni

I need some crash and burn stories to make me feel better about my own abilities...I heard ATRS was used by at least one competitor.

uhhhh ..... that would be me. Winds on Saturday weren't as high as Friday and I'm just a weeee bit light on getting it over. Used the ATRS each race (like a charm -- until the bag developed a hole). I had to seek outside assistance (DSQ) to right the Blade; although it didn't matter since I fell on the boom and broke it neatly in two. No injuries, just a deflated ego as I was not far behind Matt and Chuck.

Borrowed a boom from Chuck (who used his old Taipan boom from Paul -- sailors are so gracious to keep their competitors on the water) <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Also stored my gear in Robi's trailor box...thanks.

Taped a small rip in the spi .... note to self ... once capsized do everything S L O W. I think I tore a small section of the clew snuffing it once capsized. Thanks to Chuck, again, for providing sail tape.

Sundays race started with light wind (ABCAC) that got shortened to ABCF. Several holes caught most boats. I finished 3rd behind Matt and Chuck followed, I think, by Robi and Pete.

Race 4 the winds shifted and picked up considerably. Buoys were moved. The line was heavily port favored. The previous Class had everyone on port start ..... except .... one lonely 16'. I guess everyone thought ALL boats were doing a port start.....we could hear the collision from afar. The starboard boat broke a jib shackle and abondoned. The port boat didn't think any damage was done and did his penalty turns ... sailed ABC .... and SUNK rounding C mark <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Anyway ... after that ... all spi boats started on starboard and the leeward pin!

Course 4 again. Good start by all, I was in 3rd round C when my traveller knot came untied as I was sheeting in for the weather mark. ... ugggg....all boats passed me and I finished last (actually where I expected to finish each race). Note to self ... do a quick inspection between races of lines and rigging.

It started raining just as we finished and made way for the beach.

Great fun. Looking forward to Daytona Summer Sizzler.

You guys are hurting me. The Blade I ordered in January seems to be having difficulties leaving the factory. Matt is too busy racing to return my calls so I'm stuck sitting on the beach looking at the wind on the water. Didn't sail on the weekend but still managed to get just a little too much sun on my nose.
I will just have to dream that I was on/in the water with the rest of the F16 swim team.

Hoping Matt gets into work today full of energy.

Must have been something you said <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

A bit of advice. Find yourself an anodising tube of 50x1.6 mm to use as a boom. I think the VWM boom is 40x2 mm, however the 50x1.6 is just as heavy and 60 % stronger. You can hit that one or even stand on it during a capsize and it will survive. I can say that from person experience as I have a 50x1.6 boom myself.

If you can only get non-anodised tubes like that then still get it the boom will turn grey in a short while but after that survice for many years anyway.

note that 25.4 mm = 1 inch. Now you can calculate yourself how many 1/16th or 1/32s ; 50 by 2 mm is because I sure don't know.

Wouter

Ain't that the truth. I've capsized this boat more in the last 3 weeks (6), than I did in 12 years with a 5.5sl. Shows you what great skills I have. I'm afraid that number may go up, since I am installing footstraps this week and will be trying to push it harder downwind.

Still, I wouldn't trade it. One day, I'll figure it out.

Sounds like a good time in the ocean.

Just make sure, that when you do capsize you do NOT land on your mainsail. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Most of the carnage was on Friday afternoon. Sustained winds, directly on shore, around 15 with a vicious chop. Short, steep little bastards with very short interval. I finally gave up, didn't even get off the beach. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Even Chuck and Paul had some difficulty. And the wind had shifted to the South a little by the time they were rigged. The interval was so short, it was very hard to get enough speed to punch through.

I don't think you landed ON your mainsail, it looks like you went THROUGH it! At first, I thought you guys had been run over by a power boat! I've never seen a sail so totally destroyed. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Blade 714? You scoundrel! That was my sail!
Oh well, I'm told that I will have to settle for the "new and improved" or is it the "latest and greatest".

Well, I heard that these new sails are the latest and greatest.

Sorry Bruce! Matt still has your jib though! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Hey Robi,

I don't know how things are organised by the US association, but you can only have 1 sailnumber assigned to yourself. So if you were Blade 701 then you still are Blade 701 and have to replace 714 with 701 !

This means that Bob still gets boat (and sailnumber) 714 !

Wouter

Okay, we all expect a full race report of you JPOR guys !

How many races, the conditions, the individual winner, the dueling matches, the crashes, the final results, everything !

Wouter

Hi Tom,

my favourite saying is, if you don't crash you don't know where the limit is <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />. Keep going for it,I have been sailing F16 for a couple of years and still crash regularly, it's what keeps me interested the challenge <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />. Remember a BLADE goes best on the edge <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.

Don't listen to all those other cat sailors that can't remember the last time they tipped over, they don't know what it's like to live on the BLADES edge.

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

I am adding PUR to my number. There is already a US-714, I believe it is Jaime.

Who do I need to get in touch with about this?

My report goes as follows.

Got there friday afternoon around 1:30pm EST and started setting up. The wind was howling and there was a three foot sweell breaking on the shore.

I got all setup and decided to go out, at first I was going out uni. Thank goodness that did not happen. So I invited Terry out with me and he said sure. We made it out threw the surf only after probably 20 mins of trying. The boat did not suffer any damage in the process. We started powering up the boat on port tack. She was flying threw the waves. When we tacked and were on starboard, the boat was way overpowered. She was flying to high, and I was releasin too much mainsheet. Terry went to pull on some downhaul and that is when [censored] hit the fan. He slid foward causing a massive pitch pole. I was strapped in and I could not go anywhere else except fall onto my mainsail. That is when I fell THROUGH the sail and she exploded. After that, called it a day and returned to shore. We were both unharmed and in good spirits. I was mad, but oh well, there was nothing I could do at that point.

Saturday started out beautifully. We couldnt have asked for better weather. Winds were around 8kts in the morning and gradually built to 12kts. Me and my crew were double trapped and everything was under control. Seing how my crew NEVER ever set foot on a beach cat before, I made a point to myself, were I was going to be extra carefull and extremely patient. I did not expect anything from her. So I took my time in explaining everything and pointed each line out for her. I made sure I made it very easy for her to understand. Our markings were nice and slow and everything was performed with extreme caution. This in the long run paid off great. We did not capsize once, and held our own.

Sunday the weather was lighter. By today my crew had the hang of the boat, and I was telling her what line to pull by the name of the line and she performed flauless. We sailed a great race, with no major breakdowns or crashes. Minor errors on my behalf caused us to be somewhat slower than what I would have liked, but this is a learning process.

We had three or four races on saturday and two races on sunday. The courses were SABCACF on sunday the first race was shortened to SABCF.

Sunday when we all started making our way into the beach it started down pooring. It was raining so hard there was barely any visibility. Good thing about the rain it rinsed out everything really good.