2013 USSA Alter Cup Announced

Congratulations Laura!

The Multihull championship has arranged for the Alter cup to run in proximity with the Red Bull portion of the America's Cup in San Fransico. Many thanks to the Sausilito YC and the Hobie Sailors on the west coast who committed to supporting the event.

The committee continued the new direction of championships and will use the Hobie 16 this year representing the sloop portion of the catamaran world.

September 4 -7, 2013
Sausalito Yacht Club
Sauslalito, CA
Hobie 16

Look here US Sailing Championships for details as they come available.


(FYI, I am no longer on this comittee)

Cool! Two suggestions:

1) start thinking about a limit for the total number of entries.

2) offer a trophy for the oldest boat that completes the regatta.

If there was a "B" fleet I'd probably do it.

Bravo! Tying it in with Red Bull and the AC is the real winner here.

It is an awesome venue and great bay sailing. Yacht Club is very nice to cat sailors and runs a good regatta.

Bummed they didn't go with the F18 idea. Hope it turns out to be a really great event!

Next year?

Stereotypes run really deep on this site.

Just because there are a lot of old Hobie 16s out there doesn't mean they're racing competitively. At the Hobie 16 North Americans last year (at this same venue), there was 1 boat older than a 2007, and they didn't do very well. The vast majority of boats were less than 3 years old.

Particularly yours.

This announcement should come as neither a surprise nor disappointment to any cat sailor who values the future of the championship as a continued benefit of US Sailing.

As cat sailors, you are represented by the Multihull Racing Committee (formerly the Multihull Council). As you may recall, the Council held an open survey last year on the future of this event (post-provided boats). While most items resulted in statistical ties, two jumped off the page as priorities:

(1) Rotate through our primary disciplines (Singlehanded Unirig, Doublehanded Sloop, Doublehanded Spinnaker)
(2) Move the event around the country more than in the past.

The Council formally voted to recommended these items to the Alter committee, who in turn voted to accept and adopt this recommendation.

So, we are working with US Sailing to deliver exactly what our sailors want.

Bert helped secure Sausalito as the site, and Laura has worked closely with HCA and HCC to select the Hobie 16 as the boat (as you know, the event has been held on DH Spins every year since 2005).

I would personally like to thank Bert, Laura, and the members of both committees over the past year for helping us move this forward. In addition, Jack, Liz, Shannon and others have been great resources on the US Sailing side of the equation. As for the America's Cup side, Liz has taken a lead to help us integrate, and I've had some discussions with John Craig (US Sailing board member and AC PRO), and he is very happy to work with us. More details will follow as this is finalized.

My suggestion would be to immediately join US Sailing, start to save some pennies and vacation time, and get a Hobie 16 ready to race, so you don't miss out on what will likely be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

The Alter committee is already working hard to plan for 2014 and beyond, as it is a shared goal to have a long-term plan in place and announced so that we can get back to being able to plan on attending this event several years out.

Please join me in thanking all of these folks. None of this work is easy, and we know that no decisions will please everyone. But, we're all volunteers, who truly try to balance the desires of a wide variety of members, and get paid only by your appreciation of our service.

Hope this helps.

Mike

As I said before, "cool"!

There's a beach in Sausalito?

They added a sand area at one of the spits so we could race and launch off there. Has been used several times for local and national Hobie races.

Which spit?

Dunphy Park

Good location. You'll get great coverage from Latitude 38.

Hmm, I have family in Sausalito so a place to stay, but have never been on a Hobie 16. Any idea on availability of charter boats? I know it is early, but could be a fun event to sail with the wife.

Faster than you might think on a reach, dw, not so much.

Its gonna blow 20 every day... Speed will not be your issue! Skill to race in those conditions is needed!

Hi Jeff,

There will be charter boats available. Details are still being ironed out, this initial announcement was made so people can start planning for the date and logistics.

Lots of good competition in the H16 fleet in the northeast. I know you'll probably be racing with the F18s at Madcatter, but if not, they have been known to find boats for people. Lots of good Hobie regattas in NJ, with enough notice I'm sure you could arrange to borrow a boat.

If all else fails and you just want to sail around for practice, the local fleet in RI has lots of fun days, and boat swapping is very common.

I currently have a Wave and no 16, but will probably rectify that problem in the spring, and would be willing to help you out over the summer.

Mike

Jeff - try Tom Korz. His posse can hang with the Puerto Ricans, and they put on great parties.

The jib halyard system controls the rake and balance of the boat. I remember that from my days with Billy Whitehurst.

The turnout will be famous! Some of the Olympic hopefuls might use this for a vacation. Johnny Lovell and I recommended a forty boat cap in 2012, and we only had six. I bet they raise the cap for 2013.

Do I hear you blowin the dust off the ole banana boat, Bob??

Spinnakers? Jus' teasin'.

No you're not.
I almost asked too.....

Oh no you Dint!

If we are going down that road, then I think the Single Handed boat should be a spin boat as well!

Go UNI Racers!

I am not on the committe... BUT... this is a bottom up process.... This is about motivating a class... find a club, partner with US sailing and have the US chamionship.

If the single handed spin class can get organized, talk with the committee about what they are looking for (standards), make a proposal, partner with a club and make it happen... so YES a single handed spin championship could serve as the alter cup championship.

What am I missing here? I had thought you qualified in your region, and then there was a boat supplied to you at THE alter cup event. ? Sorry for the bewilderment

They couldn't find any manufacturers to supply new boats, so it became run your own.

Not sure about how that will impact the gualification regattas to get into the Alter Cup however.

Let's say you win the qualifier on your F18, and the AC is on a Hobie 16...but Who's Hobie 16? Or will they be supplied?

Or will it from now on always be a 'BYOB" event?

Qualifier? I thought that went away?

BYOB or charter, no provided boats. No qualifiers.

I'm not going to rehash the background on this, it's all been discussed here before.

Mike

Rip van Winkle in da house....

Come on guys....rehash it again...what else have ya got to do??

(hope you know I'm just KIDDING!)

Naw, I'm done trying to put a spin on the H16.

But I would dearly love to see a "B" fleet for Alter Cup, any Alter Cup.

I like "B" fleets, but why would they be at the Alter Cup, which would be like racing go-carts at the F-1 finals..?

Explain how you'd like to see the B fleet at Alter Pete? Would there be a "B Fleet Alter Cup" winner or something? Would it run the same course/start as the "A" fleet?

I think I know some of the answers, but would like your vision explained in a little more detail...

As far as I know "B" fleet was always on a separate course and mostly for the party goers rather than serious racers.

Imo, Alter Cup should come to celebrate the sport and culture of beach cat sailing. To do so it should provide a venue for the best racers who care to compete while providing a celebratory atmosphere for the rest of us.

Now I DO like that concept....

Celebrate the sport, watch the top-tier competition and the rest of us can wander about in boats outside of the course area?

Yeh, I guess. I'd like a big party that financially unerwrites the top tier competition without interferring with that competition.

Personally, I'd be willing to buy a seat on a spectator boat but you'd probably need to provide a "B" fleet course as well.

Great idea but this is not the venue to do it in. Last year during a F-18 race in the same venue at one point there were 5 boats over at the same time. All but 2 boats flipped in the same race. When the wind and tide get together it tests you pretty well.

Want to be there and watch? Volunteer to be on a boat to help out. Jumpers, scorekeepers, ect are needed.

Sounds like work...

Cheaper than buying a seat on a spectator boat.

And MUCH better view!

Mike

Clearly you have all the money you need, wonderful.

Can you identify a single competition in sport that holds a championship with a seperate party competition?

I think this is a ridiculous idea... but I would love to know of a sport and event that runs such a thing.

You don't need a formal B fleet. Everyone is welcome, just get a boat and show up. If we get 100 boats, there would probably need to be a split fleet. Even without that, the cream rises to the top and by Day 2, it's obvious which of us are just there for the party...

Mike

Yeah, but I wouldn't want to be that twerp who flips at the line in front of the rock stars...

Is it just me, or the more rock stars there are in the que, the earlier everyone creeps up to the line at the prep flag?

Which leaves the hot-shots hunting each other through a veritable parking lot of boats all flogging and bobbing up the line...

To do so it should provide a venue for the best racers who care to compete while providing a celebratory atmosphere for the rest of us.

Sounds strangely like The Madcatter!!!! (Shameless Plug"

Spring Fever has that feel too!

Well, if you're showcasing your boat, your fleet and you want the rest of the sailing world to know, why give up a proven formula?

I say if any class is hosting the Alter Cup they should be given as much latitude as possible to put their boat in the best possible light.

Don't they all have that feel? It's just some are better at executing it than others.

Great idea, I have already volunteered.
Caleb

what is a jumper?

The Coast Guard refers to them as Rescue Swimmers. At a cat regatta, their job is to get off of the rescue boat and assist a distressed boat as needed. Duties may include righting a boat, sailing it, etc. Worst case, you may be cutting someone out from under a tramp or out of rigging. Knowledge of cats, first aid and CPR are essential.

Sounds like this should be an important element of our MHRC safety guidelines...

Mike

Rescue jumper in action (at the same venue)

Photo by Ellie Martin
Jumper: Brett Peterson

thats kinda what i thought..

Thanks

nice pic. almost looks like the "jumper" is going to get impaled by the rudder...

I'm not sure why that's a situation that a jumper is needed (unless there is someone trapped under the trampoline...which doesn't appear to be the case here).

he was bringing rum?

That's an award-worthy shot. Maybe we should come up with some fun awards for the US MHRC.

Mike

He is not a jumper - Red Bull gives you wings.

kinda looks like Jesus there walking over to the boat...

That Hobie 20 had been over for about an hour. The mast was full of water and they couldn't right it. The wind was peaking at 35 kts, the water temp was 52°. There was also a 3 to 5 kt flood current trying to take them up on the rocks on the south side of Angel Island. The rescue boats alternated between towing him away from the rocks and trying to right the boat with the motorboat, without success. Brett went in the water to help them, and I transferred from the signal boat to the rescue boat to assist with the righting process.(We had called racing for the day, the photo was taken from the signal boat. We were about a mile and a half from where they originally capsized.)

Despite our best efforts, we still couldn't right the boat.We eventually towed it (still inverted) upwind/upcurrent of a very small beach on the southwest side of Angel Island and let them drift into shore - they missed hitting rocks by about a foot on the way in. They managed to right the boat on shore, dropped the sails and we threw them a spare radio attached to a Type IV PDF (cushion) so we could talk to them to coordinate getting them off the beach. They walked the boat up the beach to get away from the rocks, and we got as close as we dared to the surfline while Brett swam out to connect towlines. It took us the better part of an hour to tow them back to the launching area.

The worst part of this was they tied up a significant portion of our rescue resources (two of six boats) when we had 50 other boats racing. A similar thing had happened to them two days prior (wasn't as windy) and they hadn't fixed it. (It was a charter boat and they had limited experience with a Hobie 20.) I wasn't going to let them sail the next day after this unless they fixed that mast. Fortunately, I didn't have to - they withdrew from the event after this incident - he knew he was over his head.

The best part? The guy's name was . . . John Williams.

And there was no damage to the boat, to people, we didn't get in the way of shipping or ferry traffic, and we didn't have to call the Coast Guard.

The two rescue boat drivers were ex-Vietnam war helicopter pilots. You never heard such professional radio comms in your life. Great guys to work with.

Now THAT is a great story...

It also points to the responsiblities involved in running a great regatta...

Nice job!!!

Yes, agree, running the races. MBounds wrote it well. Angel Island is low on my list of places to beach a multihull, however given the alternative, looks delightful.

My first Hobie (multihull) sail was rescuing a capsized boat in Richardson Bay off a lee shore, just North of the picture.

S-->

How's that job search going Matt? Got some time on yer hands do ya?

Not really - that took all of 5 minutes to write and less than 2 minutes in Google Earth / Photoshop.

I would have considered popping off a shroud pin if I couldn't get it righted and there was no place to land. Good to have pliers/multi-tool within reach. At least that way you could get the hulls righted and perhaps the sails and rig back on board?

Obviously only if the situation were pre-emergent (like the poop would hit the fan in ten minutes)... like drifting in to rocks, shipping traffic, etc

If that was Dub, how long ago was the incident?

Jay, it was one of the other sailing John Williamses. I was watching that event from afar, and thankfully not swimming in it.

It is almost impossible to right a catamaran without the rig on it. The only one I've ever seen done is a Hobie 14, and it took two guys to do that.

Also, you can't just "pull a pin" on a rig that's got significant tension in it - like a Hobie 20 or an F18.

The only other alternative we had was to tow the boat - slowly - out of the wind, waves and current to where we could right it with the rescue boat. We came very close to doing it in the open water, but the boat would take off on us as soon as it came up and would go right over again.

Would have worked better if they had made sure the traveler was all the way out, but remember, the boat was completely upside down most of the time.

All good points from those who were on-site...

What about cutting a shroud?

It's hard to imagine that a mast full of water makes it easier to right than being dismasted.

I think that either way, you're going to need a power boat, or at least some extra guys.

Mike

I can testify to that one. De-masted a Hobie 14 in Hurricane Gultch (Long Beach Harbor) on my third attempt at rounding the weather mark. Lost the rig. Even with a power boat, it was nearly impossible to flip the hulls and tramp back over. Try it on dry land sometime. In water you sink and the boat slips away from you. A mast (and raised sail) is a giant lever arm and or kick stand.

At least on a 14 you can sink a corner and start the rotation. A Hobie 20 has too much volume far aft and far forward. As does the Hobie Wave. Back when we introduced the Wave, we took it to Club Med in Hualtuco Mexico (at the H16 Worlds). The club staff quickly tested something we had not... righting from Turtle. With both Doug and Myself standing on the transom... we could barely get it back over and righted. That is the day of conception for Baby Bob.

AND THAT IS THE REST OF THE STORY....

Wow... I always hated that thing on the Wave and thought you put it on there for the WAF marketing factor...

Thanks Matt

This thread and some brain storming sessions of the MHC convince me that our sport really could use a Safety manual of best practices and recommendations.

We have some things... PU's terrific Hobie Race manual.

But... were I to be on a mark boat for a Wave regatta and gone to help a turtled Wave... (bob fills with water or some such) I would have never known this fact.

A tip sheet for a non cat sailing volunteer on Mark Boat that matches up to the boats on the course could really help matters.

I really think the Area Reps could get their regions members to pitch in and get this collective wisdom together in a usable fashion.

You just can't know-it-all not having experienced it, so reading tips from others would be the next best for sure. That is for safety of the driver, jumper as well as sailors being assisted.

I totally forgot the time in San Felipe when I pulled the rig off my 16 when upside down. The mast was bouncing on the bottom (50 knots off-shore storm / Chubasco hit Midwinters West one year). We couldn't right due to water in the mast. Taking the sail down and pulling the rig off was the last straw. Even a passing Panga couldn't help us. They could have if the rig was still on. After about 6 hours, we were hoisted onto a shrimp trawler by a crane.

hmmm..


There has simply GOT to be a better way to deal with XXx hitting the fan.. ... I don't need personal stories like this if I can avoid by learning from others ....

getting some wisdom with a quick read.... priceless!

We should get something done!

that being said (you can't right a cat with no rig), is it better to just stay turtle with the rig intact (and possibly bouncing on the bottom), or just cut it loose and (if possible) retrieve/pack the stuff on the overturned trampoline for a tow back to land?

That was the decision I had made... Bad one (I think) now I think back. The rig hitting the bottom was damaging my boat, but losing the rig prevented me from righting... and acting as a sea anchor which increased my drift. That further endangered my life, so....

Further... I had to go to the mast head (on our side) to release the halyard. I almost lost hold of the boat and only had a 3/16" line to hang onto as the boat surged in the swells. Scary s---.

Safety issue, All sailors that check out a Wave or Hobie 16 at Sail Sand Point in Seattle must first demonstrate their ability to capsize and right the boat prior to going sailing. No exceptions. Once on the list, they can then check out the boats in the future. This is also the thing that students in our classes do the first day.

Back on subject, the plans for the Alter Cup are going well. Several of us local sailors will be there to help you out on the water as needed.