For any Sun Cat sailors who are interested in a serious one design regatta: please go away, sell your Sun Cat, and buy an appropriate boat!
OK, the rest of you want to have some fun? Carrying a silly joke too far, we are planning to host the first annual Sun Cat National Championship Regatta (http://suncatnationals.com/) on the weekend of November 13-14, 2010.
We're going to call it the Sun Cat Nationals because no one can really stop us. We hope that a lot of Sun Cat sailors show up, but we are willing to sail unopposed and claim the National Championship if the joke really needs to be carried that far.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions on this fun race, and hope to see you here!
Sailors who are not blessed with a Sun Cat may participate in any boat they desire, but will not be eligible for the soon-to-be-coveted Sun Cat Nationals Cup. Also, most will have a problem getting under the two low bridges on Sunday...
I've already cleared a space on my book case for the "SCNR" cup.
Wish I could be there. ....but if someone wants to be there and has no boat.....I still have one for sale. I'm just sayin......sorry for the hijack. You guys sound like you'll have a good time. I wish you fine weather. Al
That's great, Paul!
And Aldog, I hope your boat makes it even if you can't! Wouldn't it make you proud to see her go on to become a National Champion? ;)
November 12, 13, and 14. Marked on my calendar, as if I have anything better to do! This sounds like a great time to be had by all!!! Your sailing instructions are awesome! Are water cannons allowed? I will contact fellow Suncatters that I know. Will have to go to work to earn the entry fee, which I will send to you soon.
Quote from: Aldog on July 23, 2010, 07:29:48 PM
Wish I could be there. ....but if someone wants to be there and has no boat.....I still have one for sale. I'm just sayin......sorry for the hijack. You guys sound like you'll have a good time. I wish you fine weather. Al
That's fine how do you do. I'm here with no boat. You got the boat but your not here.
Quote from: Suncat a Lula on July 23, 2010, 08:30:07 PM
November 12, 13, and 14. Marked on my calendar, as if I have anything better to do! This sounds like a great time to be had by all!!! Your sailing instructions are awesome! Are water cannons allowed? I will contact fellow Suncatters that I know. Will have to go to work to earn the entry fee, which I will send to you soon.
We're counting on you to bring fellow Sun Cat owners! Should be a lot of fun!
Water cannons are only funny when the water temperature is above 80, so we'll probably be out of luck by mid November.
Tom-You are the man for setting this up fun event. Being a CP19 owner and 1,000 miles away, I won't be there.
We tried a race at the Midwest rendezvous earlier this month. Didn't quite work out.
It morphed from a 3 tack organized race to a scavenger hunt to an informal sail to a raft up with plenty of rum and beer (and yes the water cannons were cocked, locked and loaded!). I'm still trying to figure out who won the race or drank the most beer, which would claim the "prize".
But we had a blast so that's what really matters in the end.
Quote from: Salty19 on July 28, 2010, 04:38:20 PM
We tried a race at the Midwest rendezvous earlier this month. Didn't quite work out.
It morphed from a 3 tack organized race to a scavenger hunt to an informal sail to a raft up with plenty of rum and beer (and yes the water cannons were cocked, locked and loaded!). I'm still trying to figure out who won the race or drank the most beer, which would claim the "prize".
But we had a blast so that's what really matters in the end.
I think you have the right stuff to become the Fleet Captain for this race. That's just the kind of competition we're looking for! If you can't make it, just keep a cellphone and some rum handy, in case you are needed to sort out any problems.
Momentum is building! Today Com-Pac Yachts featured our little event on their news page (http://www.com-pacyachts.com/news/), and Gerry Hutchins told me he would try to bring a boat down to race, and would at least come to the BBQ on Saturday night. I also dropped by my former workplace, Gulf Island Sails (http://www.gisails.com), and they have a black Sunday Cat on order, and plan to race that boat in the regatta.
We're still working on the special rules that will govern these races, and the courses we will run, but I'm really entertained by the idea of running a sailboat race under two low bridges so the masts have to come down twice during the race, so we'll almost certainly be doing that one!
So far we have Joe, Craig, Paul, SunCat a Lula, and me. Craig's boat may not arrive in time, so really only 4 boats for sure, but if the factory brings a boat and gisails brings a boat and Craig's boat gets here, we already have 7! I hope it gets really out of hand and we wind up with a couple of dozen!
We held the Sun Cat Nationals time trials (http://www.suncatnationals.com/sun-cat-nationals-time-trials) last weekend here on Charlotte Harbor. Great fun! ;)
Quote from: Tom Ray on August 30, 2010, 11:13:03 AM
We held the Sun Cat Nationals time trials (http://www.suncatnationals.com/sun-cat-nationals-time-trials) last weekend here on Charlotte Harbor. Great fun! ;)
Great article! Of course it gives credence to what I've always believed. You catboat people ain't quite right.:)
However, I get more tired of that Jib every trip. Maybe I should join you.........
It's nice when "ready about" means "look to see if anyone is where you are about to turn" and doesn't involve preparing jib sheets (probably stuck under dogs) for a tack, but the really great part of Sun Cat sailing is when we get back to the ramp. I drop the rig while she straps the boat to the trailer and plugs the lights back in, and we're gone before the powerboat who pulled out of the water in front of us. ;)
I hope we didn't have to attend the "time trials" to qualify for the Suncat National Championships. Oh well, what do I care. We're coming anyway!!
Quote from: Suncat a Lula on August 30, 2010, 07:57:31 PM
I hope we didn't have to attend the "time trials" to qualify for the Suncat National Championships. Oh well, what do I care. We're coming anyway!!
Nah, because then somebody would have to keep track of who came and all that stuff. I'm sure not going to do that! ;)
In a trial of the special racing rules established to race Sun Cats down Shell Creek at the Nationals, we gave it a shot on Sunday. Almost stayed within the rules too! ;)
Sailing Shell Creek to Punta Gorda (http://www.suncatnationals.com/sailing-shell-creek-to-punta-gorda)
(http://www.suncatnationals.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/sailingkayakwaters-lg.jpg)
Tom Ray, The comment about marine patrol you made in your trials page is right on with what I have experienced from most so called marine safety patroles, however you look at it they should be responsible for any damage caused by their wake. In my opinion they should have been reported as unsafe boat operators. Only my opinion. Next time it may be Mom and Pop in their small fishing dinky.
Nice write up and photos, Thanks mrb
They were kind of close, but I thought it was more rude than unsafe.
With less than two weeks to go, I have posted my thoughts on how the Sun Cat Nationals will go:
Sun Cat Nationals Agenda (http://www.suncatnationals.com/sun-cat-nationals-agenda)
This is going to be a lot of fun! In addition to a small herd of Sun Cats, we will be joined by a Horizon Cat and a Sanderling for a weekend of racing, pack cruising, and whatever else sailors want to do. :D
Quote from: Tom Ray on November 03, 2010, 08:20:28 AM
With less than two weeks to go, I have posted my thoughts on how the Sun Cat Nationals will go:
Sun Cat Nationals Agenda (http://www.suncatnationals.com/sun-cat-nationals-agenda)
This is going to be a lot of fun! In addition to a small herd of Sun Cats, we will be joined by a Horizon Cat and a Sanderling for a weekend of racing, pack cruising, and whatever else sailors want to do. :D
After reading your update I only have a couple of comments. I was going to mention that this Tom Scott fellow might not be fully trustworthy in a position of responsibility such as that, however, in the spirit of full disclosure you did mention how the winner may be chosen.:)
Are Charlie and Isy going to be there? If so, you have to consider the possibility that the lofty weekend agenda might be relegated to a sailing search for the perfect bloody Mary and creme brulee. :)
Sounds like a blast, have a great time, wish I could be there. On a personal quest for a Boston qualifying time that weekend. Hamstring, don't fail me now! :)
Tom Scott is completely trustworthy. I think he has worked for the government his whole life!
Charlie and Isy are coming with the Horizon Cat, and I plan to try to impress them with my Bloody Mary. I could be in for major public humiliation, but it will be funny. The best local restaurant, The Perfect Caper, does an awesome creme brulee. If you're going to enjoy a place like that, plan on $100 a head. It's really great, but not something to do every day!
I've been following this thread and just checked out the Sun Cat Nationals website. Mugs? Tote bags? Truckers hats? Man, this is one event not to be missed. Kinda makes we want to trade my 23 in for a Suncat just so I could be there!
One question for Tom: Did you recieve your degree in jib trimming as a rusult of many hours of study or is it just natural intuition? I've never attempted such a daring feat; obviously this is meant for only advanced sailors!
Bob23...stranded in NJ
LOL! The Sun Cat Nationals Store is just a Cafe Press store. Take any design, like our cute little logo, and you can sell all that stuff with the design on it. They will make and ship 1 or 10,000 or any number you can sell, and we get a small cut of each one. That's why all the stuff is kind of expensive: they don't make us order any minimum number of anything.
So far, Butch bought a golf shirt and Sonja and I, not to be outdone, bought a pair for ourselves. I'm considering a hat. Guess I better order it soon if it is going to get here for the event!
Or maybe I won't get around to it. Which reminds me: to answer your second question, I'm a natural born catboat jib trimmer! :D
I am humbled to be in the company of such accomplished skippers! Try as I may, I've never been able to achieve much in the way of jib trimming on a catboat. I've also unsuccesfully attempted trimming the mizzen sail on my CP23...guess I have so much to learn!
I saw that picture of you trimming the jib: How do you get the stamina to perform such feats? you must be in great physical shape. Do you carbo-load before hand?
Bob23
Quote from: Tom Ray on November 03, 2010, 07:49:22 PM
Tom Scott is completely trustworthy. I think he has worked for the government his whole life!
For those wondering about this comment, just a joke about Tom's previous job as an Air Force navigator. See here (http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/trailersailor/index.cgi/noframes/read/764001) for example. He has since worked in state and county government jobs, and we're lucky to have such a smart, honest employee.
The Sun Cat Nationals Roster (http://www.suncatnationals.com/sun-cat-nationals-roster) is up! We will have from 6 to 8 Sun Cats plus a Horizon Cat on Charlotte Harbor this weekend! Check the list and let me know if I forgot anyone!
Have fun at the Nationals!
Thanks, Salty! Kickoff party is this evening at 4!
The Sun Cat Nationals were a lot of fun but we ran out of wind!
For those who missed out, hope you can make it next year, and meanwhile, here are pics and movies:
Sun Cat Nationals Pictures (http://www.suncatnationals.com/some-sun-cat-nationals-pictures)
Sun Cat Nationals Movies (http://www.suncatnationals.com/sun-cat-nationals-videos)
Quote from: Tom Ray on November 17, 2010, 06:26:25 AM
The Sun Cat Nationals were a lot of fun but we ran out of wind!
For those who missed out, hope you can make it next year, and meanwhile, here are pics and movies:
Sun Cat Nationals Pictures (http://www.suncatnationals.com/some-sun-cat-nationals-pictures)
Sun Cat Nationals Movies (http://www.suncatnationals.com/sun-cat-nationals-videos)
Great stuff, the video commentary is hilarious. It was good planning on someone's part to make sure there was enough battery life to get the entire race on video.:)
We still need an update on whether there was any progress on the quest for the perfect Bloody Mary and/or Creme Brulee.:)
As I remember, Charlie found one at the roof top bar at the Wayvern to be one of the the Top three he has found. Other two are in Key West and SC.
Congratulations to the winners and organizers (and the video commentator!) on a momentous historical regatta that even puts to rest the myth that SunCats do not perform well in light air... Well done!
PS.- If next year the winds again "gust at three knots", consider the following race course design: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFui44LdEAI&NR=1 :)
J.
I did not think we were doing all that well in the light air, but then, the other boat I race is a friend's Multi-23 trimaran, which weighs less than half what a Sun Cat does and has a whole lot more sail! :D
But at the very least we did prove that determined sailors can make the boats go upwind and up current in light air, albeit kind of slowly...
Just posted More Sun Cat Nationals Pictures (http://www.suncatnationals.com/more-sun-cat-nationals-pictures) on the SC Nats site. Enjoy! :)