2011 Ronstan A-Cat Worlds

The 2011 Ronstan A-Cat Worlds begins 8-13-2011 and runs through 8-20-2011 in Aarhus, Denmark. There are 100 entrants with a waiting list of 10-12 other sailors. The information for the regatta is posted on the A-Cat Worlds website http://2011ronstanacatworlds.sailing-aarhus.dk/. This should be a great regatta featuring some of the top sailors around the world. While at the moment current World Champion Glenn Ashby is not planning to attend, the field is full of great competitors. This will additionally be a showcase of design, with some new platforms, sails and masts attending. Once everyone is registered there should be a list of who is sailing on what design. Of note will be the newer mast designs in which the mast is stiffer laterally and allows greater fore and aft bend. The WingFoX Nano http://wingfox.pl/ is pushing new boudries in the lifting foil interpretations, The DNA has shown some great speed and consistency, Lars Guck is believed to be sailing a modified Guck-A3 and these are just a few of the field. There are supposed to be 2-4 new platforms showing there as well. On the water though, it will be more the best and most consistent sailor who wins this regatta. Stay tuned to the website for updates. I will try to post them as I see them posted.

Four US sailors are racing: Lars Guck, Ben Hall, Matt Struble, and Ben Moon. I believe Lars, Ben, and Matt will be racing the new Peter Cogan EVO II and Ben Moon will be racing a 2006 Nikita that he purchased. Matt and Lars have been working closely with Ben Hall and Jay Glaser on a new mast and sail combination that optimizes the curved daggerboards and broadens the window for trapezing downwind.

Is the EVO II the same as the Barracuda? If not are there any pics and info anywhere?

Who needs a spin when you can trap downwind. Hell, if Brett Moss can do it it's gotta be easy.

Has he broke out his elevator shoes w/ the goldfish in the heels yet?

Is the EVO 2 for sale? I see no mention of it on the BSBW website, and am also wondering if it is the same as the Barracuda?

The Barracuda is Ben Hall's new boat. It is a custom build designed by Peter Cogan. There is a photo here. http://www.sailinganarchy.com/article.php?get=6772

Thanks for clearing this up!

I have heard that the EVO II is being built in England. I have not seen a picture yet or know this as a fact.

Here are some posts from Bob Hodges about what is going on in the A-Class as far as development. It details the work that Ben Hall and Peter Cogan are doing with the Barracuda and how that effects the developmentof the EVO II.
http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=118809

There are 3 barracudas ,each a progression of the last. I guess my question was is the last rendition of the Barracuda (The black beauty) going to be what the Evo II is?

Just saw pictures of the Mayfly at http://acatsailing.blogspot.com/. This is Martin Fisher's new project. Hot looking ride and very interesting foils.

Trackers and coverage,sort of.

http://2011ronstanacatworlds.sailing-aarhus.dk/live-mashup/

Tried to follow the race tracker, just gave up after a while.
Can't get the results to expand either.

Fred

Yeah it's kind of got a mind of it's own.
You going to be at Hopatcong?

Thinking about it. Have a few family issue at present and I am
planning on going to the N,A,s so it's going to touch and go.

Fred

The big difference in Ben's boat is that he's autoclaved the hulls and used a high temp epoxy, like he uses in his mast layups. Thats how he can get a away with clear coating the carbon.

Most other layups are done with room temp epoxy, and if you clear coated room temp epoxy hulls, the epoxy would get soft in the sun, and that would be bad. Thats why they are most often white, it keeps the hull surface cool.

The evo2 layup is more traditional, so its going to be gelcoated finish as opposed to a clear coat.

Ben and Peter worked closely on the EVO and EVO2 shapes, so I bet that the Baracuda is a close relative in terms of shape.

Unfortunately, it seems to be struggling.

Moon is having a hot regatta and I'm a little surprised to see Struble that far down the leaderboard (but, he hasn't been putting in killer a-cat time like some of the other guys recently though)...that BCD hurts Ben though - hopefully he can overcome it and stay on the podium.

How much a-cat experience does Mischa Heemskerk have? I would think that he could be a real threat if he continues racing a's in the future. His result is getting better and better in this regatta.

The timelapse thing on the website is pretty cool, unless you're the poor dude who put up the L-flag, upside down, at 1:44...

Mike

I'm psyched for Ben too. On the last Tybee I understood MIscha and Bastian hadn't sailed a-cats. I think he's just getting it figured it out and like most on the boat - is moving fast upwind and finding it harder to get the groove downwind.

This is Mischa's first A cat regatta ,I believe. Ben Hall, Matt, and Lars are on the untested EVO2. All 3 would be doing way better on their own platforms(Barracuda,evo ht and a3 respectively.Matt has been getting in alot of A seat time, by US standards, but I don't think any Americans are getting in the top quality racing time that the Aussies have. Interview here with Benson, Brewin and Ben Moon.
http://2011ronstanacatworlds.sailin...s-catamaran-world-championship-acat2011/
Tomorrow is gonna be close.

Competitor's equipment list:
http://2011ronstanacatworlds.sailin...s/2011/08/2011_A-cat_Worlds_Data_Inf.pdf

Very interesting mix with not alot of Flyers(Geltech) or Marstroms. Thanks for the linky thingy there Febrile Kitty

What happened to Ben!? He was sitting in 4th with two races to go and scores a "did not contend"!?

Looks like you'll need a DNA, Nikita, or Vision to be competitive in this field...guess I better find a second job and/or buy a cheaper platform to get my feet wet.

That DNC is crap as is Anderson's DNF. Mischa looks to have done well today with two 3rd place finishes. Looks like he'll be a force to be reckoned with in this class as well in the future

According to the commentary of the final race... he flipped.. wrapped the main sheet around the rudder and had other equip issues. The fleet went back to the beach after the big wind and obviously he was back on the water for the last race in 15 k. Sadly he will have to eat the black flag.

Get a life.

The only thing you can purchase that will make you "competitve" in this fleet would be an outboard motor.

You cannot buy speed. If you think there is some piece of miracle equipment or rig setting that will make you win, you are in for a long time at the back of the fleet.

DNA's and Nikita's littered the results all the way to the last place boats too. They're the greatest, latest boats - of course the top sailors will be sailing them. The boat just hasn't made THAT much of a difference.

I do not think a DNA would make me more competitive than a Flyer etc. right now, given my zero class experience getting up to speed in any platform will be better than no platform. That being said it is very clear that you cannot be in the top anymore on a non-curved board, low stiffness platform.

Where is the Evo II in the lineup? There are some very good sailors on that platform that are very capable of a top 10 finish and were out of the hunt...

Good summary on SA:
http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/in...cc610c37e&showtopic=125366&st=50

The best platforms here were the Nikita, Scheurer and DNA as has been the case for a while now. However, rig design and time on the water in quality fleets are the two most important factors. The Australian results are no fluke. The best equipment is purchased, the local competition is second to none and many attend world and European events. The US fleet is yet to get the best platforms and the rigs are still old school. A little too flat with not enough grunt in mid range breeze. They'll be better for the exposure to this competition and will be more competitive by Florida.

The platfroms are not the story and buying a DNA isnt going to make you competitive. The platform was not the reason that Ben, Matt and Lars didnt finish in the top 10, it was the masts. Ben, Matt and Lars all sailed with a untested, new Hall layup that ended up being too soft for and aft. It was finished days before the container went to Europe and once they tested it they all went out looking to buy a fiberfoam mast. Take a look at Lars' sail upwind, no downhaul and the sail is full of wrinkles. All three of these guys were sailing with the same experimental Hall section that wasnt tested.

Ben's been showing up a major events with new layups for a long time, he showed up in FL with a paper thin section, lost his trap line and snapped the mast. The same thing happened here, Ben showed up with a new mast. The proof is that Lars and Matt were counting on the same mast section, and it didnt work.

Ben Moon was using a proven fiberform mast thats why he was fast.

The hull shapes are all pretty close, I think you'll see that the next major race will prove that out and the EVO2 platform will be back in the top 5 again, assuming its got a good mast section tuned to a good sail.

Peter Cogan is a very talented sail designer and hull designer, these results are not a fair representation of his design.

The sail/mast combination is the engine, thats what you should all be talking about. The class is still shaking out the effects from the huge heads on the sails, add that to the new mast stiffness profile, more stiff sideways, soft for and aft. Add these two together and I think its going to be while before all these variables are sorted out and the equipment stops being the story.

If all the sailors had the same mast section then you could start comparing the plaforms, but they dont, so its not a fair comparison.

Matt and Lars are two of the best US sailors and to have them finish so far out of contention is an obvious sign that something was terribly wrong, and what was wrong was the masts. The EVO platform has done well prior, the probability that it effected Lars, Ben and Matt all at the same time is very low. The variable that changed, and was untested, was the new mast.

The US guys have been testing the bend charactoristics on the current mast sections and they are all over the place, even with a small set of manufacturers.

Buying a specific platform isnt going to make you competitive unless you have the right mast and sail.

The story here isnt the platforms, its the masts.

Bill, let me see if I have this right...its the mast? Jk I believe you, after a little rig tuning down at Ben's house a few years ago he opened my eyes up to what really goes in to uying a rig(mast and sails) There is no way I can spend enough time and money to get that right to the point I could ever be competitve because of my rig.
Guess I will drink beer and watch from the beach for awhile longer and get me a hand-me-down somewhere that is tested and true for someone my size, who sails in my conditions, and maybe then I can get enough "saddle time" in to be back in the game.

It foolish to not buy the best equipment you can if you take it serious. This attitude that there is something wrong with doing so is dumber than hell.

Bill, You seem to have some good info on there platforms and rigs.
What are the differences between the Evo HT and the Evo II?
How about comparisons between the Evo II and the barracuda?

Karl, Im going to ignore that you said I was dumber than hell and help you understand what I did say. I dont think you really comprehend what it takes in time, testing, money, and knowledge to go buy a "rig", or mast and sail for your body type, sailing style, and normal conditions you sail in. When I was at Ben Halls house and he talked about these very small nuances in picking the rig, plus the time it would take to make that selection, the number of rigs you would actually have to test drive, well, then that is way more time and money than I have, or will probably ever have. It looks like you have a Viper, a pretty sweet boat, but its no A cat, and the mast and possibly sails came as a unit with the boat. Im just saying theres alot more to it in the A Cat class.
My thought is to find a bost and mast that is already proven for a sailor of my size and then I can select a sail(by trial and error) to make the best rig/boat that I can get.
Only a pro can do what needs to be done, the rest of us will have to do something similar to what I suggest that I will do.

So Dave is the wifey gonna let you get a boat and actually sail with us again? Say it ain't so.

p.s. I think Karl got you figured out over the intarweb.

At SA they say the next Worlds will be in Florida? Is that already determined?

Todd, close , very close... Im hoping to sail on cary's boat a little this fall, it will be a start.

1. The comment wasn't directed specifically at you, more of a generalization.

2. I didn't call anyone dumber than hell, I said the attitude is dumber than hell.

3. Just because I've got a plowing sail for dragging the boat downwind doesn't mean I don't understand how important sail and mast combinations are for the A Class. While I haven't ventured too far into having sails cut, I do use two different mains dependent on what configuration I'm sailing.


I just hate when people disguise their jealousy of someone else's spending habits as an excuse for trying to buy spots. The reality is that, that person is just doing everything in his power to get it down to just him.

Islamorada.Fl. Islander hotel.

Glad to hear it. I've gotten worse since you left, so ya didn't miss anything in our competitions.

Bill, I would also love to hear what your thoughts are on the mast set-ups.
Todd, do you remember Ben's mast lecture at Admiral's Cup? This is what Im referencing as an "eye opening" talk on what someone needs to do to pick a mast and sails.
Maybe I misinterepreted the talk, but basically you cannot go buy a mast and sails off the shelf. Some serious testing needs to be done when you are at the top level(not my level Karl) so what can the rest of us do to get the right combo?

Todd, did you get worse or your competition better? The boys around here are racing very regularly. Im relegated to Laser sailing every Thursday night, which aint a bad gig, but its no A cat!

Ive heard someone say, "if your competition is getting better than you, faster than you, then you are getting worse"
Maybe thats me and you Todd!

Karl, everyone chooses to play the game at the level they choose.... Not necessarily at the level of "every thing in his power"

This is why we have a pecking order in A, B and C fleets. Healthy classes manage all of these factors. The A fleet in the A class frequently have done Olympic campaigns and compete world wide. The B Fleet have won National Championships in other classes... and the C fleet are weekend warriors with modest aspirations in the class.

Healthy classes manage all levels of the sport. In a development class like the A Class, the judgement and experience to manage big jumps in technology are part of the game. This is what Dave is speaking about and he has set his personal standards.

A question for you A cat guys who have made the jump to curved boards; what I understand, they are only "faster" for going downwind, and then only if the skipper has the skills to make it work (ie. exceptional ballance), kind of like sailing a foiling Moth. Is that about right?

Thanks Mark, you are exactly right.

Not exactly. The boat doesn't ride up on the curved foils and they didn't provide the big downwind advantage at first until the guys started figuring out that they could trapeze downwind with them.

They do provide some lift and reduce the wetted surface area of the boat through the water. More importantly, they provide enough lift that the limited floatation available from the hull shape can support the additional leverage sailing downwind with a sailor on the wire.

On my older A-cat, if it's really breezy, wild thing downwind is for survival. I have to get my weight inboard and heel the boat to take pressure off the bow and keep it from wanting to pitchpole...it's a little backwards to have to power up the boat to survive - but that's how it works.

I'm at the end of the process right now. I'll let you know after I get to race it.

A LITTLE BACKWARDS.... I still have not reprogramed my reactions from spin sailing... See puff coming... prepare to accept puff and bear off and get depth while keeping hull flying..

In an A cat... that will kill you in big breeze... If you don't make the boat go faster in the puff ... you will bury the bow... the wind comes aft and you drive down the mine.

So...with the A cat/curved boards, downwind in a puff you...?

Head up, trap out, go fast then bear off?

Don't know... in race 9... the only one I watched... the leaders were not trapped out going down wind in 15 to 18 (reported) with a 2 foot chop.

They were standard wild thing...mode (and very smooth)

Like it matters? You're only going to confuse yourself on your Blade, Timbo...

Yeah...and BTW, I was in Naples looking for you last Sunday, I even went out on the peir at 12th street. There was only one kite out, and a couple of leaners, no cats. Which side of town are you on, North or South of 5th ave?