Sailing a small catamaran

[Kermit]

My First Mate and I bought our first sailboat in 2005. It's an older AquaCat 12.5. Just a single sail. The mast is supported by an A-frame. Very simple boat. Great logo on the sail, too.

I wanted to sell it since we hadn't used it in at least 2 years. Boy am I glad we still have it! I took it out yesterday and had a fantastic time. Didn't fly a hull but I must have been going 125 knots. No wait. That's an exaggeration. It was only 125 MPH. Well, it seemed like it anyway.

Before the heavy wind started, I picked up an 11 year old passenger from another club members H23.5. She's been sailing all her life. You would have thought this was her first time on a sailboat. She grinned from ear to ear the whole time. It was cool seeing her jump in the water to swim to my boat and then back into the water to go back when her parents were ready to have her back again. Her parents promised to send pictures soon.

If you have a small fast boat, take it out and enjoy it. Seriously, it's good for the soul.

 

[cephius (Dave)]

A Sunfish on a very small pond is still better than not sailing at all! Messing about in small boats is a kick (to miss quote)

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Dave, Aqua Cat is built by American Sail in Charleston, S.C. as I use to be a dealer for them and I am personal friends of the builders/owners. They are not affiliated with Hobie.

The first small catamarans were built by an outfit in the Raliegh/Durham area years before many of the catamaran companies to include Hobie/.

 

[rgranger]

I have a Hobie 16 that I got last fall. Only had it out 4 times but I know exactly what you are talking about. They really move and feel great ....

 

[Brian S]

When I was a kid growing up, it was right in the late 70's early 80's beach cat boom. There was a sand beach opposite our place across the lagoon. I'd always see all the crazy colored Hobie 16 sails, and of course, I wanted one.

A few years later when I was well into high school, some folks bought the place across from ours. They were probably early 30's, and she was a hottie. Ahh, the high school dreams of an older woman… but I digress. Apparently, they were one of the people with the Hobie 16's across the way, and they had started out with an Aqua Cat.

According to them, the Aqua Cat would go as well backwards as forwards, and sometimes seemed to prefer going backwards.

 

[Kermit]

The parents just sent this picture to me. The major wind hit about 5 minutes after she swam back to her own boat.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Kermit;

Can you actually sail that wee little one boat? If not, how can you on your boat? Me thinks, oh heck forget about it.

 

[Kermit]

Kermit;

Can you actually sail that wee little one boat? If not, how can you on your boat? Me thinks, oh heck forget about it.

You thinks? When did that start?

 

[Brian S]

Hay, hey, guys! Careful with that thinking stuff, don't hurt yourselves trying to think!