Sun Cat Nationals Participants, please check the list to make sure your name appears.

Racing in the Sun Cat Class:

Dennis M (2 people)
Michael J (2)
Scott W (1)
Steve J (2)
Butch E (2)
Craig D (2)
Don N (1)
Dick K (2)
Jib T (1)

Honored Sun Cat Class Alumni Auditing the Race:

Paul S (1)
Charlie M (2)

We look forward to seeing you all this weekend! That makes 15 people racing on 8 boats in the Sun Cat Class, since Steve J is not bringing his boat this year and plans to trim the jib for someone instead. I am working to round up another Sun Cat or two by this weekend, but we are already one of the largest racing classes on Charlotte Harbor, so the Regatta is already achieving the primary goal of amusing me!

This is the announcement that Sun Cat Class racers have been awaiting with baited breath, or at least that’s what their breath smelled like to me. The 2011 Sun Cat National Championship Regatta will be held on Charlotte Harbor on November 5th and 6th this year. We’re hoping to get in more than one race this year, but I suppose it could turn out to be zero races if we have even less wind than last year.

Notice of Race
Sun Cat National Championship Regatta

November 5-6, 2011

On Charlotte Harbor

Sponsored By: Com-Pac Yachts, Gulf Island Sails, and Tropical Boating

This is a competition to decide the National Champion in the Sun Cat Class. As Head Jib Trimmer In Charge, I have decided that the Sun Cat Class will be an unlimited development class – you just have to have a hull that is arguably a Sun Cat hull to qualify. Choice of rig, sails and number of crew is entirely up to each skipper.

Rules: The 2011 SCNC Regatta will be governed by the current Racing Rules of Sailing as best the participants can remember them, as altered by future Sailing Instructions to be made up before (and possibly during) the races. The only really important rule is: do NOT hit Whimsy under any circumstances.

Fees: The Regatta fee is $20 per adult participant, and includes a steak dinner to be cooked by Scott, this time using both arms.

Sailing Instructions: Have fun! There will be others, but that’s the prime directive for now.

Regatta Site: On Charlotte Harbor wherever Tom anchors Whimsy.

Skipper’s Meeting: 5 pm Friday at the residence of the Head Jib Trimmer In Charge. Attendance is optional, as this is more about drinking and munching, but Tom S. will probably insist on passing along some instructions of some kind anyway.

Trophies: Last year, sponsors Com-Pac Yachts and Gulf Island Sails gave us some nice hats!

Schedule of Races

Saturday, November 5, 2011: First race to start at 11ish, or whenever Charlie feels like showing up. Racing until the wind dies, the race committee gets tired of it all, or both. Awards dinner to follow.
Sunday, November 6, 2011: Harbor tour day for those who did not get enough sailing the day before.

A few Sun Cat sailors and friends got together on 12/31/10 for a sail on Charlotte Harbor, and were blessed with a gorgeous SW Florida day, temperatures in the 70s and winds from the SE at about 10-15 knots. We launched at Ponce Park and set sail outside the channel, headed toward the Port Charlotte Beach Complex to meet the sailors launching at that boat ramp. We soon heard Whimsy calling us on the radio, and Tom told us he was coming out the Ponce Channel and would follow us up toward the beach to meet the other catboats.

Soon I spotted a small gaff-rigged sail over by the northern edge of the harbor, and when I looked over again I could see a tiny spot of orange beside the sail. That could only be Don in Frisky flying his new jib. The picture at right is zoomed in quite a bit, and we could not see the boat this clearly, but if you click to enlarge the picture it’s a pretty good view.

I noticed another catboat sail in that general area, and it started coming toward us. “That looks like an Alerion catboat sail,” I said. Who could it be? Then I remembered hearing that Paul was getting one of those, and this must be it! Looking very sharp with the blue hull, which we all now know is the fastest hull color. He sailed on by, then turned around to join Whimsy in overtaking us.

It was “Overtake Wily Conch Day” at the Sun Cat Regionals, and here comes Don with his jib. Showing quite a bit of hull in the air for a Sun Cat!

Tom Scott is not one to let that kind of activity go undocumented. A picture of Shutterbug Tom taking pictures of Don as Whimsy sails herself.

The jib definitely added some speed to the Sun Cat, and soon Frisky was on our stern.

About that time, I heard a somewhat familiar voice on the radio calling the Charlotte Harbor Sun Cat sailors. I answered the call and was surprised that it really was Charlie and Isy, and they were coming out to join us in their Horizon Cat, Good Juju!

This picture turned out to be the last one of Good Juju under sail for this trip. Shortly after I took that picture, the bobstay on the Horizon Cat broke! They were lucky the mast did not fall down, but there would be no more sailing until some repairs are made. Charlie and Isy drove all the way from South Carolina and only got in less than a half hour of sailing! Bad Juju!

I had sailed off upwind of the herd a bit, in part to get a good angle for sunlight on all the boats and to try to get them all in one shot. It’s like herding cats! If I could get them in one frame, it was going to be too distant, so I turned back toward them and started taking pictures. Got this nice one of Paul’s Alerion catboat under full sail, shortly before he exhibited the good sense to reef a bit. The gusts were probably a bit over 15 knots, which is managable if a bit sporting in a Sun Cat, but is too much for many other catboats to use the full sail.

Tom Scott was up to his usual tricks, showing us half the bottom of Whimsy as she sailed along under reefed main and jib. I was starting to think about reefing, and my wife, clearly having the same thought, asked me if I had not told her that when you start to think about reefing, it’s time to reef. I explained that I was having too much fun with the full sail, but I did notice the sail fully eased on Good Juju and thought to myself that Charlie was prudent to tuck in a reef at this point.

Charlie seemed to be having trouble reefing the sail on Good Juju as I turned to take this picture. They had been stalled there for a couple of minutes, and though the picture was taken with 3x zoom, I could see that Charlie was up on the bow. I figured something got fouled or jammed, and he was up there to work it out and they would soon be on their way under reefed sail.

Zooming in a bit closer on the picture reveals what really happened: the bobstay on the Horizon Cat had broken and the bowsprit cracked and lifted a bit. Charlie was not up there untangling a mess, he was assessing the damage. Moments later when I looked back, the sail was down, and we soon learned from Tom Scott that Charlie and Isy were heading back to the dock. The fleet escorted them as far as the US 41 bridge.

Whimsy took off for home to go and assist Charlie and Isy. We had spotted Paul’s tanbark sail on Sanura heading south out of the Beach Complex, and the herd went over to pick him up. Don took the opportunity to play with his jib some more. Here is a shot of Frisky off our stern just as the jib was launched and (almost) filled.

Yes, the jib seems to be working… that’s the transom of Frisky all right.

Paul came alongside and was matching our speed, probably around 4 knots, in the Alerion catboat under reefed sail. He hollered over to us, “Do you have a GPS?”

“Yes!” I replied.

“How fast are we going?” he asked.

I asked Sonja to have a look at the GPS, and she said, “It is turned off.”

“WE DON’T CARE!” I yelled back at Paul.

We collected the other Paul in Sanura into the herd around marker 3, and for a bit Don was sailing along with him using Frisky’s orange jib. Tanbark mainsail meets orange jib!

With Sanura in the fold, we all sailed around the upper harbor in a group for a while. I could not stop grinning. I do not know why a herd of Sun Cats (plus an Alerion) sailing around together is funny to me, but it is.

I got this shot of Frisky on a close pass for those who want to check out all of Don’s custom sail handling modifications and his jib.

That tanbark sail looks awesome on Sanura with the green hull. Makes me wonder how it would look with our blue hull…

This was the last shot I took at this round of the Sun Cat Regionals, and Wily Conch is plainly in the lead, so I declared victory and told Gerry Hutchins at Com-Pac Yachts that he owes me another hat. He’s a good sport and promised to send one, but I was just kidding and am still enjoying my green one that I won at the Sun Cat Nationals. I’ll make sure the new one gets into the hands of a deserving Com-Pac sailor in our local fleet!

With the wind dying out, the fleet headed for home, and soon we were all under power as the wind got too light for Sun Cat sailing. About that time we got a call on the radio from Whimsy just to inform me that Charlie was at the helm and steering the boat straight and true. I figured Charlie looks like the kind of guy who might have some experience handling fully loaded dumptrucks on ice, and this confirms it. At least they got in some more sailing! The Horizon Cat is going back to the Com-Pac factory for repairs.

I kept my camera handy in the cockpit throughout the day on Saturday. It’s a waterproof Canon PowerShot D-10 camera, and can handle bouncing around in a boat pretty well. As requested by Mark and Jack on the catboat forum, these pictures tell the story of the race from my perspective.

As I sailed across the harbor from Punta Gorda Isles to our racing area near the Port Charlotte Beach Complex, I was approached by a power catamaran bearing the orange sign of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. I figured they were just bored and wanted to look at the pretty catboat, but then they approached close enough to hail me. I was amused to find out that they knew I was heading to the Sun Cat Nationals, and they were wondering whether their friend Dick K, a recent Sun Cat buyer I know, would show up to play with us. My spies tell me that he was indeed on the water and did NOT come to play, so he’ll get an earful when I get hold of him.

My mesh ribbon telltale on the shroud was standing up nicely and it was a beautiful day for a sailboat race as I sailed across the harbor. There was enough wind to move the boat nicely, but not nearly as much as the previous weekend, when the Sunfish Regionals were held in 20-25 knot winds. I was thankful for the perfect breeze at that point in the day, and thankful we did not have the nasty cold wind and chop the Sunfish sailors experienced. Later, as I struggled endlessly for the finish line, I remember wishing for one of those gusts to come along!

As I approached, the other Sun Cats were also gathering around race committee boat Whimsy. I came across Sandpiper raising sail.

Meanwhile, Frisky and Odd Duck were already over by the committee boat, and an Endeavour 32 cruising sailboat was meandering through the race course on its way out from the channel.

As all the boats were checking in and getting the course description from race committee chairman Tom Scott, I sailed around to try to take a good picture of each competitor. First to cross my path was Frisky.

Next to come along was Odd Duck, sporting a custom stainless steel railing and bow pulpit and a custom bimini top.

Then I took a pass by Sanura, looking great with her dark green hull and tanbark sail.

Catnip on the prowl!

And Indy Anna on her way to the coveted “most relaxed” Sun Cat racer title.

And last but not least, Sandpiper, who would have won the race easily had they not had a bit of centerboard trouble at the end. I should really be more embarrassed than I am about this. Two good-sized men with a giant outboard hanging off the back should not be that much faster than one guy with a normal outboard.

Just so we have the whole Sun Cat class here, a shot of Wily Conch taken by Hans from the race committee boat. Maybe I could go faster without those speed wrinkles in my sail?

And we can’t forget the Horizon Cat Class, Good Juju! They showed up a bit late, and I snapped that picture shortly after I rounded the upwind mark. Better late than never!

Prior to the race starting sequence, there was still a bit of wind out on the harbor, and I took the opportunity to sail out toward the reach mark and get a shot of Sonja, who was standing by in the mark boat to help Sun Cat sailors find their way to the reach mark. Ominously, a dredging barge approaches in the background. (cue scary music)

I decided to try to start just a bit late, in the hopes of catching a dramatic picture of all the Sun Cats going across the line. That did not work out at all! As shown on the previous picture page and in the videos, the Sun Cats were all over the place when the starting horn sounded, few all that close to the line. This picture was not exactly what I had in mind, but here it is. You can see the starting line pin buoy, generously provided by Charlotte Harbor Community Sailing Center, if you look really close through Catnip’s boom gallows.

Sun Cat technicians should note that I am starting the race with the long pin in place, or at least only half fallen out of place. It remained like that for the duration of the race because my Jib Trimmer was too lazy to go up and remove it.

As I worked my way up the initial upwind leg, I went up into the mouth of Alligator Bay a ways before tacking back out. On that tack back out, I found myself on a collision course with the dredging barge making its way in the channel. Imagining the horrific scene of a barge moving at 5 knots colliding with a Sun Cat moving at 2.5 knots, I got out my camera. Saved by the dying wind and opposing current, I did not manage to come anywhere near the barge.

We were using “Marker A” (approximate location shown on this race mark chart from the Punta Gorda Sailing Club) as our upwind mark, and as you can see in the inset of this photo taken by Charlie as Good Juju rounded, there was a bit of current against us, really killing our tacking angles on that leg of the course. Sun Cats can’t move well in light wind, and it is necessary to fall off a long way and fatten up the sail to accelerate on a new tack, then trim up for a higher angle. The boat just does not have the power to accelerate when pointed high into the wind. For the same reason, it really punishes sailors with a tendency to pinch. You’ll quickly lose speed, and you can’t get it back without falling way off.

I reached the upwind mark a bit behind Sandpiper and I was chasing them without much progress as we made our way out to the reach mark.

I made little progress on the first reaching leg, but did manage to close the gap a bit on the leg down from the reach mark to the leeward mark. In this picture, they have rounded the leeward mark and the sail is luffing as both sailors stare at the cockpit sole. I did not know why at the time…

Still, when I got around the leeward mark and started to work my way back up toward the start/finish line, one of the first things that happened was Sandpiper crossing my bow. I had closed some ground, and they started to look like they were within striking distance. Next thing I knew, they sailed off into a hole with no wind and I was above them. I did not know at the time, but learned later over dinner, that they were having centerboard troubles, which would make it a lot more difficult to go upwind! That is why I was able to get past them.

In the light and dying winds, it was necessary to concentrate on remaining still and sailing the boat smoothly with maximum efficiency if I wanted to finish before dark, and the last thing I really wanted was a powerboat coming by. Thanks, Honey! Love You Too! (Using the zoom there; she really was not all that close.)

After the race, I sailed around a bit, but the wind was going very light and I just struck my sail and went to tie off to the stern of Whimsy as other boats rafted alongside. When Charlie and Isy showed up in the Horizon Cat, we were treated to the normal view of them, faces behind cameras. Isy was kind enough to share her pictures from the day with me, and there were around 160 of them! I took 65, which seemed like a lot to me!

When Don rafted alongside, we all got a good look at his many modifications to Frisky. In addition to luxurious extra-thick cockpit cushions, he has nice little touches like leather linings on the boom gallows notches, and a whole mess of non-standard sail controls. Don had to ruin my little “Jib Trimmer” joke by actually putting a jib on his Sun Cat, and in the picture you can see a custom jib lead mounted on top of the midship cleat, as well as a rope toggle on the handrail that I think he uses for another lead block. That green panel with the array of standard cleats and cam cleats is needed for all his many halyards and control lines.

For the curious, Tom Scott took this photo of Don sailing Frisky with one of her jibs a week or so after the Sun Cat Nationals. Some experts are predicting extended court battles and a nasty media war over what kinds of modifications will be legal for Sun Cat Class Racing, but this is not the America’s Cup and I just want to see Don’s jib in action!

I took a slow lap around the raft of boats in the 15 Whaler to get this picture. Whimsy looks like a ketch rig because Wily Conch is tied off astern. Soon after this photo was taken, even the most optimistic among us had to admit that the wind had completely and permanently died for the day, and we were not going to get off another race. I motored back across the harbor to tie my boat up at Joe’s dock, then brought the Whaler home and started getting ready for our big dinner. (By which I mean, finding people to do all the things necessary to put on a dinner while I looked over pictures of the day’s racing with the other sailors.)

Still to come: some more pictures taken by others and pictures from the lightly-attended second day of the Sun Cat Nationals.

Special thanks to Tom Scott, who agreed to give up his annual November cruise and use Whimsy to serve as our race committee and chief videographer. The color commentary is a riot! Here are the videos taken from the race committee boat at the 2010 Sun Cat National Championship Regatta:

The start of racing:

To the upwind mark, and beyond!

Around the reach and leeward marks, and the struggle in light air to make it back up to the finish:

The first three boats slowly clawing their way upwind to finish in dying winds: