For those who didnt read the article on SA, I thought it might be worth posting it here as well:
http://teaminvictusblog.blogspot.com/

Checkout the difference in upwind angles of the wing vs the softsails, it almost looks like the rest of the fleet is on a reach:

It certainly was an impressive selection of boats at the event

It would be good to mix beachcats with MOCRA type big boats more often

That is the type of event I'd be willing to travel to. As much to see the different boats as to compete. It would make a nice social event, different sailor types checking out each others boats.

I was recently on the start line with bigger boats. It isn't something I'd care to do often. The bigger boats don't manuver as well as we do and sometimes they can't see you. The smaller boats just get lost in the background clutter of rigging and masts.

very interesting indeed!

why is the C cat heeling so much less than the tornado and the tri?

ps what kind of tri is that?

the tri is a seacart 30

Efficiency.
High speed /low drag.

On top of a great article Paul Larsen is an extremely nice guy. His sailrocket exploits are some really amazing stories to hear.
The nice guy theme runs through the whole C-Class.

The airplane builders figured it out many years ago, we are still operating with 1903 vintage "Wright Brother's Technology" in our (thin) soft sails, vs. the (fat) hard wings, but obviously it would be expensive to transition every beach cat to hard wings, to say nothing of the extra time and effort to trailer them to regattas every weekend.

Still, I do love to see them go like that! I saw Ben Hall's A cat wing up close when he had it at GYC a while back, it was very impressive, but I don't see myself building one in my garage any time soon. Soft sails roll up quicly and don't fold up when you fall on them...usually, I mean we have all broken a batten or two when we landed on the sail but it's usually a quick and easy fix vs. a complete re-do on the wing after you land on it.


And is that a Sea Cart tri?

Miss Nylex the original "wing" .. did not go into "irons".. even when the wing was head to wind the minor fluctuations still gave her head way..

Originally Posted By: MN3very interesting indeed!

why is the C cat heeling so much less than the tornado and the tri?

ps what kind of tri is that?

Efficiency.
High speed /low drag.

On top of a great article Paul Larsen is an extremely nice guy. His sailrocket exploits are some really amazing stories to hear.
The nice guy theme runs through the whole C-Class."

perhaps as he says in his blogg they were playing relatively safely and depowered a shade in those photos , they aren't flying a hull in photos and I expect even with a c class one hull out will be fastest , other solution may be its the windier day when he had broken a board and needed other hull in water too. tri has to heel pretty far to break out centre hull and reduce drag,dats my guess's

dats my guess's

piccy of lifting hull

Pictures like that should be outlawed. I'm starting to feel like a monohull sailor (just don't look at that cat [hard wing] blasting past us)...

Mike

The C's will do that to you, No matter how cutting edge you "think" your boat is.

I read the article quickly.. but it seemed like they said for the most part the spin boats were faster downwind? Even in lighter stuff? I thought the C would be faster but about the same angle in light and as fast but higher in breeze.
I know that's what I felt, despite sailing halfass next to these boats in Newport... at the bar later that night Spithill agreed with me and said that the extra sail makes a huge difference.

I was about to say the same thing - we'll all be acting that way (monohullers) when wings start to show up on our race courses.

You have to remember that it is a completely different formula class...like the A-cat sail area is limited to a specific figure regardless of the number and type of sails employed. The A's and C's have determined that it is faster to incorporate all of that sail area in to the lone mainsail.

You guys are being WAY too kind to me. Either that, or it really has been too many years since we raced together...

Where's Barry? I remember him rolling me in 4.5 knots like he was a freight train and I was standing still. Well, I basically was standing still, he was "blasting" by me on my H16, with the chute up on his I20. His comment was something along the lines of, "Don't you want one of these now???"

Mike

I just can't get over how they are pointing 25-30 degrees higher!!
Must be the center boards.