Kevin,
I've heard that story also, and driving around this dry place you would be amazed at how many boats there are! I don't know if it is just a novelty to own a boat with no water around or maybe it's because so many people from other parts of the country live here and have brought their boats here or at least the desire to continue in their boating traditions. I do wish there were more cat or sailing shops here. We have only one sailboat shop that I know about in the state.
But as you can tell from our fleet, the love of sailing does strange things to people, even desert rats!
Heinz Smith
1 P-cat and 2 Supercats

Kevin do you actually own a P-Cat or a Prindle Cat as I know some people put P-Cat down when they are talking about a Prindle. So do you actually own a Pacific Cat and if so what is the year of this cat and would you be interested in being part of an effort to get a P-Cat group together?

Surf,
I don't think Kevin has a P-cat, but I sure do!
It's a 1982 Pacific Cat 2-18. It has the 31 ft. mast and the high aspect ratio sail plan. I just recently sold my 1973 standard P-cat with the original spinaker to a friend in the fleet. They are the only two P-cats I've seen on the water and usually raise quite a crowd when I bring them to fleet events.
Heinz Smith
Pacific Cat 2-18 sail #10

Sail an A Class on the west end of Lake Ontario.I only have one rule when it comes to racing,10 hours is the max driving time for a weekend regatta.Right now I'm sat at home waiting for a good cold snap so we can ice boating and go really fast. Fred Smith CAN51

Live in Galveston. Sail at the Texas City Dike mostly. Great sailing. Great folks. Race a couple of local regattas a year but will probably do more.

P-19 #1115
w/new/used yet to be installed hooter

Just moved to Boise from Oregon. I sail a Hobie 18 with my wife as crew .

I enjoy racing immensely, but any day on the boat is a good day.
Just got back into cat sailing about a year ago after a 10 year hiatus. I sail solo quite often on the 18 and love showing people what the boat can do. Any Idaho sailors out there???

Kip Taylor

Hi,
I sail an H-16 and an H-18 Magnum w/Hooter on Lake Spokane, and a Reynolds 21 on Flathead Lake, south of Kalispell, MT. All recreational, as I seem to be the only multi sailor around (though I just read here of a new club nearby). Flathead is an awesome lake, 35 miles long, nestled in the moutains, big enough to generate wind even when the summer high pressure knocks down the wind. Just got crew this summer that has allowed me to push harder. Experienced racing on a J-27 this summer, seems intriguing. I make it to the Gorge 2 or 3 time a summer for boardsailing, and am just completing a simple iceboat based loosely on the Iceflyer. Then I've got to find some ice. Love to hear from other sailors in the Inland NW. Dave 509 276 6355.

Kip there are some active Hobie 16 & 18 sailors in the Boise area and they belong to the local Southern Idaho Sailing Association ( http://www.idahosailing.com/ ). There is a Hobie Dealer in Boise at Boise Marine.

Dave I live in Hayden Idaho and yes there is a sailing club right next to you. Actually we are having a meeting this Jan 3rd in Spokane. We also just filed our application to become a Hobie Fleet. Check our website out at http://www.sail-s.com/main/sail/Sailing_Group/Sailing_Group_MAIN.htm
. Also a new Hobie dealership is opening in the area in May. As for our club we are not a big boat sailing club as our club boats range in size from 8 ft to 16 ft. No 18 ft + boats in our club yet. Our club boat length limit is 22 ft. There are two big boat clubs on Lake Pend Oreille and one on Lake Coeur d' Alene, so there are clubs and regattas for your big tri as well even though they are not very receptive to multihulls. I have a friend that sails a F24 on Lake Coeur d' Alene. As for Ice Sailing most of the small lakes will freeze over. The lake were our club is freezes over and you can drive on it - Hauser Lake, that is if it gets cold enough this year. Call me if you would like at 208-762-2382

I live and sail in Oregon, Ohio just outside Toledo on Maumee Bay - Lake Erie. I am just getting back into sailing since this last summer. Recieved an old ( '77 ) hobie 18 in July. It needed (needs) alot of attention.

Sabine Lake Texas, I fly a hobie 18. We have about 6 boats
that sail regularly. out of Port Author Yacht club. We do a few local regattas and we make Slip 2 Ship in mississippi.

Hi!

I live in Adelaide, South Australia, so I won't help much in your aim of getting North American demographics. I used to sail a lot, mostly off Brighton-Seacliff, but haven't had a bot for a while. I just got one again, so I'm hoping to go back to it this season, if I can finish restoring it in time.

I've always sailed OTB cats, normally 14-18 foot, but although I've been in a few races I have never sailed competitivly. I have high hopes for this new boat, though, so luck holding I'll get back into racing next season.

Adam.

I've contacted SISA and am looking forward to sailing with them in the spring. Sailing is done here for the season and will start up again in March, although I may get out sooner. I've also been to Boise Marine, made it there on day 3 after moving here. They have a few things, will likely get more in the spring. It appears SISA has about 80 members and according to race results, have H16, TheMightyHobie18, H17, Nacra and some Prindles. Looking forward to sailing, racing and exploring the lakes around here.

I moved from the Gorge and sailed there extensively. Windsurfing is epic there, but just got boring after a while. I needed a mental challenge and cat sailing provides it. Any other NW sailors out there that want to meet sometime, just email me!

Kip

Port Arthur Yacht Club, Sabine Lake, Texas. We have a mix of different types of boats (Hobie Getaway/16/18/20, Prindle 18, Nacra 5.7, Inter 20). I race as many regattas as I can, with a yearly trip to Slip to Ship in Gulfport, MS....

Between the e-mails, posts and phone calls, I've gotten a ton of info in a very short period of time. If I haven't heard from YOU yet, please don't be bashful - drop me an e-mail or post your reply. Again - just trying to get fleet size and location data together, but any additional info is welcome.

Merry Holiday everyone -

Hay Kip come up my way to the Coeur d' Alene and Spokane area and I will take you out on our great lakes. In just the Spokane and Kootenai county (Coeur d' Alene) areas alone we have 24 great sailing lakes, from just 300 acre lakes all the way up to very largest lakes (50 miles long and 14 miles wide). Just outside these two counties are another 28 sailable lakes with many more little Hobie Bravo size desert lakes outside. There is lots of water up here!

May 31st is going to be our first Hobie regatta in 20 years in this area on Lake Pend Oreille (the biggest of the lakes). It will mostly be H16's at this regatta but will also have a few other cats designs in the regatta. I am hoping I can get all kinds of multihulls to this event. This will also be the first multihull only regatta in who knows how many years. What is exciting is people are already contacting our club about the event, I just hope we can run a great regatta.

Hi John,
Rick White here and am a member of CABB (Cat Assn of Biscayne Bay) and also is NAMSA Chapter #1. We sail in Biscayne Bay and nearby Atlantic Ocean, with some sailing in the Florida Keys.
We get anywhere from about 8 to 21 boats out for events we hold each month, mixed with fun events. Distance races seem to be the most popular, with buoy racing 2nd and fun events are sparsely attended. Go figure
Got some really hot sailors in the area as well. Won't name a few because I might overlook someone.
Rick

I live in Maryland. I sail in the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay. I mostly sail recreationally but race in a local weekly series and a few times a year in local Chesapeake Bay regattas (with CRAC). I sail a Nacra 5.5 SL with Spi.

As a comment, even if everyone who is registered on this forum replied, you would be getting only a very small sample of cat sailors. There are over a dozen other boats on the beach where I keep mine. One travels all over the East Coast to race, but never posts here. The others are just recreationally sailed. Some often, many rarely. And the local racing fleet, CRAC, has many more members and only a handfull would post here. But you should be able to get a demographic distribution you were seeking (for what purpose?)

Racing Fleet: Catamaran Racing Assoc of the Chesapeake (CRAC)
Recreational Home Fleet: Southern Maryland Catamaran Club

Hi John...

I live in Frederick County, Maryland, and I sail recreationally only. Almost every summer since the 60's my family has rented a cottage for a couple of weeks on Holden Beach at the southern tip of North Carolina, where I sail the Atlantic. This is one of several "sandbar-type" islands in the area, situated about 50-100 feet off the mainland. I think it is 16 miles long and 300- 500 feet wide. We usually meet and sail with any other Hobie 16 owners we find down there each year, along with the occasional Wave or Prindle owner. The wind and surf conditions vary from smooth water and calm breezes to 6-8 foot waves and gusty winds up to 30 knots. It is usually 3-4 foot waves and a steady on-shore breeze of 10-15 knots. But there have been many times that my cat has been picked up by rogue waves and tossed up on the beach like a toy. Once, while we adults were standing in the surf positioning the cat for a launch, it was picked up by a quick series of waves, ending up with it's bows almost vertical before it was slammed down on the shore on its rear end, tearing off portions of both hull decks aft of where the rudder pins (used to) go through, and bending or snapping the upper gudgeons. Needless-to-say, my daughter and her cousin (both 6 years old at the time), who had been clinging to the center tramp line during all this, both decided that they didn't want to go sailing that day after all.

In the Fall, my In-Laws (better known as "the Out-Laws") rent a cottage for 3-4 weeks on Deep Creek lake in the panhandle of Maryland. The lake was man-made for a hydro-electric plant in the 1920's. It is 13 miles long at its widest point, with about 3900 acres of surface area (when full). I like sailing there on windy days as you can really pick up some speed without waves to worry about. The only drawbacks are erratic wind conditions, a mostly stone/rock shoreline, and numerous motorboats. But at least any course will eventually land you on shore!

Mark Owens
1976 H16 sail #19857

John,
I'm From Michigan, Female, Been Racing for 12 years in CRAM and various other parts of the country, Own a Formula 18

Toronto. Mostly sail on Lake Ontario - north shore. Fantastic sailing. Water gets to over 70 in summer, but season is too short, only about 5-6 months.
Dave
http://www.westlakesailingclub.com