Just a small heads-up. Frank Bethwaite have released "Higher performance sailing", the sequel to "High performance sailing".

I am not done with it yet so no review. So far it has been a nice read which have expanded on his first book, but also repeated some of it. The man dont seem to have much interest in catamarans, so the book have a purely monohull orientation, but there are things in there I really look forward to testing the coming season. He also gets into one of my pet peeves, the "sailing talent" myth..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Higher-Perf...mp;s=books&qid=1229245438&sr=8-1

So let's hear it! No matter how hard I try, I'll never be Robbie Daniel.

It was a long and hard thread some time ago on the open forum: http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=86037

This post was not inteded to rejuvenate that topic, just a heads-up on a book several others here might like to read, and which actually is on topic for a change

It was a long and hard thread some time ago on the open forum: http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=86037

This post was not inteded to rejuvenate that topic, just a heads-up on a book several others here might like to read, and which actually is on topic for a change

strange isn`t it? A man with such a talent (or should I say skill?) seems not to be interesed in multihulls. He putts all his energy in improving monos and was very succesfull in it. I wonder what happend, if he would have improved multis...
Maybe nothing, because there was more to improve on monos than on multis.

Cheers,

Klaus

Why do some like blondes while others like brunettes?

I guess because they don't know what they could miss =)

I was told that he did some work on an A class design a year or two back.
Not sure if it is true or an urban myth. I have post a pic of the suspected boat some time back. Or more accurately it was one boat in a pic that I posted.
TA may know more about this than I.

Rolf, since you have the book is it true Lindsay Cunningham made a contribution on cats?

There are four pages contributed by Cunningham about Yellow Pages, Macquarie Innovation and speedsailing. Nothing wildly interesting in my opinion.

Hi all,

I am afraid I gave up on Bethwaite years ago. Some of his claims of speeds that skiff hulls are capable of are pure propaganda and totaly unsubstantiated, while he ignores faster craft like cats and sailboards that have substantiated performance.

I am afraid I have seen just to much theory? from him and not enough practice from his craft over the years.

I will wait for the sequel: Higherer performance sailing

Julian and his Argy mate helped design an A cat for a Sydney guy last year. Ive seen it once on the water and it wasn't so quick...

Anyhow Frank is a really nice guy and has some good ideas but he refuses to credit multihull development in anyway.

For example he is still sprouting off about his automatic rigs, and even now with the 18's running big square tops (like we had on cats for 20 years..) he is still claiming it as an automatic rig.... funny thing is the original Auto rigs were really bendy and sails were alost pin head, now the rigs are really stiff with big square tops...sounds like a cat rig

I still rack up with the 18's on the harbour when I get home to Sydney, I easily blow them away with a production F18.... upwind and above 12kts downwind too.

Elvis' A Class.....

Designed by Julian and built by Elvis and Thorpey

Boat sails ok upwind but has massive problems downwind with keeping the bows out of the tide. You can not really sail wild on it. I believe Elvis plans to rebuild the bows because at the moment, it really is not usable.

It has a helm set up typical of Cunningham designs such as the Dolphin / Qiuckcat as well as Yellowpages C lass and current C Class. Rear beam is on the transome which allows the crew to get further back.

Holy crap!

Is that a Tornado my little eye spy in the background?

Yep, Sirs regatta on Sydney Harbour last Dec. Quiet a few Euros came over to play in Oz before heading over to New Zealand for the Worlds.