the horse's mouth

Happy Cat! Dinghy of the Year.

Ride em cowpoke. That is one Happy Cat.

Dinghy of the Year, bam! Wait, I'm confused. The Boat of the Year is a monohull dinghy and the dinghy of the year is a catamaran but it's not the Multihull of the Year. Shouldn't the folks at Sailing World have a category called Beach Cat of the Year? Okay, so I'm yanking their chain. I'm pleased to see inflatables coming into the mainstream. 

Yes, little Alfred, boats in bags can be a lot of fun. 

Links: Go to Sailing World to read more | Go to Grabner to see all their inflatables (they make great kayaks) | Mosey on over to Red Beard if you live in the US and want to buy one.

Want To Save Sailing? Sail A Cat.

Multi-hulls rock!

Boat In A Bag.

The Happy Cat Evolution from Grabner.

 A fast inflatable catamaran that fits in the closet of your apartment. How cool is that?

Sailing From Nordkapp To Stockholm On An Inflatable Catamaran.

Project Scandinavia 2012-Sailing from Nordkapp to Stockholm by Igor Stropnik from igor Stropnik on Vimeo.

Igor Stropnik sailed solo from Nordkapp (Norway) to Stockholm (Sweden) via Torne river on 3,9m inflatable catamaran. 45 days and 2500 km.

"Janie's Got A Gun" Not Your Dad's Hobie!

Dum, dum, dum, honey what have you done?
Dum, dum, dum it's the sound of my gun.
Dum, dum, dum, honey what have you done?
Dum, dum, dum it's the sound

Janie's got a gun
Janie's got a gun
Her dog day's just begun
Now everybody is on the run
Tell me now it's untrue.
What did her daddy do?
He jacked a little bitty baby
The man has got to be insane
They say the spell that he was under the lightning and the 
thunder knew that someone had to stop the rain

Run away, run away from the pain yeah, yeah yeah yeah
Run away run away from the pain yeah yeah 
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Run away, run away, run, run away

From The Gunboat G4 Marketing Department:
"Stomp on maxis, superyachts, and any grand prix race-boat in sight. The GUNBOAT G4 offers Formula 40 speeds in an easy to handle and forgiving weekender. Unless your fleet includes an AC72, an ORMA 60 or a MOD70, your competition will only see your transoms, which is why your G4 comes clearly marked. You’ll be the envy of everyone on the ICW, with the fastest boat that will fit under the bridges."  

Wow, STOMP! Now that's a heck of a descriptive word. It doesn't conjure up the idea of sportsmanship.  But hey, that's why they pay the advertising gurus to entice you to spend your hard earned cash on a new toy. Gosh, I want to be the envy of everyone on the ICW. How much does it cost?

How Many Dagger Boards Do You Need?

4! I must say, this is a brilliant photo. Keep up the good work!

Via Dutch A-division Catamarans Association.
Hat Tip: David Wells from 101 Surf Sports.

Another Light Passes From The World. RIP Hobie Alter! (Moving Pictures)

Surfer!

Inventor!

Sailor!

The Grand Master of Water, Wind and Waves, has passed away. Aloha `oe, aloha `oe!

Hobart "Hobie" Alter, born October 31, 1933, was a surfer, sailor and inventor. He was the man behind the development of the foam-and-fiberglass surfboard, creator of the Hobie Cat, and founder of the Hobie company. The company that he founded remains one of the top-selling surfboard brands of all time. Hobie was also the creator of the Hobie 33 ultralight-displacement sailboat and a mass-produced radio-controlled glider, the Hobie Hawk.

Ha`aheo ka ua i nâ pali
Ke nihi a`ela i ka nahele
E hahai (uhai) ana paha i ka liko
Pua `âhihi lehua o uka

Hui: 
Aloha `oe, aloha `oe
E ke onaona noho i ka lipo
One fond embrace,
A ho`i a`e au
Until we meet again

`O ka hali`a aloha i hiki mai
Ke hone a`e nei i
Ku`u manawa
`O `oe nô ka`u ipo aloha
A loko e hana nei

Maopopo ku`u `ike i ka nani
Nâ pua rose o Maunawili
I laila hia`ia nâ manu
Miki`ala i ka nani o ka lipok

Yippee Ki-Yay! Multihull Madness Desde España.

Cat scratch fever!

Every spring, over a thousand sailors from 53 countries come to Mallorca to participate in a unique event where the best crews of Olympic sailing compete in the hope of victory and receive from H.R.H.Queen Sofia, the trophy that bears her name. A legendary trophy on which are inscribed the winners of the 43 editions held to date.

The “Sofía MAPFRE” Trophy, also popularly known as the TROFEO SOFIA MAPFRE ISAF SWC MALLORCA, has become over the years a tradition that is part of social and sporting calendar of Mallorca, that feels it as their own and inalienable. A fact that was reinforced with the participation of members of the Royal Family is a fact of their bond with the race.

It is a unique race, almost magical. The Bay of Palma perfect conditions for sailing, together with the warm welcome of the inhabitants of Mallorca, make a competition especially appreciated by those who have ever participated. A race that nobody wants to miss and we all dream to win some day. “The sailors’ event”.

That boys and girls is what a sailing event should look like.

You Never Know What You'll See On The Bay.

Spotted over in Berkeley. It's great to see people who experiment.

Let's Get Back To Sailing!

A blast from the past - Sailing in the surf.
Inspired by Harry.

Extreme Windsurfing!

Okay, so I exaggerated a bit...okay, a lot.

You'll be happy to know that it comes with a cup holder.
You won't confuse the Serenity Cat with Bunty's new Evo.

Hubba Hubba...Cat Attack!

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New Nacra Formula 16.
Via Catamaran Racing, News & Design (boy, is that a mouth full.)

Los Kitty Cats De Larry.

Meow!

Dos gatos zooming across the water.

Hey, how come you guys didn't pitchpole? I had my camera for crying out loud. It's no fun watching you tear up the bay without a little mayhem. Come on, what's a Wednesday without a wipeout or two?

note: They had a fleet of Mommy boats and a couple of accursed waverunners following them. Those idiots on the PWCs zipped at full throttle right through the kids sailing their Optis.

Ouch!

From the Extreme Sailing Series in Qingdao, China.
I hope they had their shots. Fushan Bay is not what I would call clean.

Bye, Bye Brasil. Hello Australia.

Travessia do Pacífico - Parte 10- Austrália from Eduardo Teiman on Vimeo.

Beto Pandiani and Igor Bely sailed across the Pacific on a Clairefontaine 25 foot beach cat from South America to Australia. The journey started in September 2007 from Vina del Mar, Chile and ended at Bundaberg, Australia in November 2008. This is one of many videos chronicling their journey. Mais videos.
It's funny, I didn't know that I could understand Portuguese.

Via the Fatu-Hiva Team

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.

Sometimes new school is cool.

Fuego!

Break out the dogs and marshmallows.

The Belgium-flagged Privilege 495 catamaran Ker-Tidou exploded shortly after sunrise last weekend on the coast of Baja California Sur, in a fishing village called Bahia de Tortugas. The cat burned to the waterline and sank within 40 minutes.

Thierry Bonnefille escaped the inferno by scrambling aboard his dinghy. According to Enrique Castro of El Gordo's fuel dock the boat had been experiencing electrical issues, which may have interacted with cooking gas to cause the explosion.

I guess the boat is not for sale anymore.

Via North American Sailor and Latitude 38.

Wednesday Wipeout 2. Multi-hull Mayhem. [Video]

Extreme 40 capsizes.
I bet you that it's a lot of fun trying to right a one of those cats.

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again. Oops! [Sailing Video]

A hapless sailor named 'Captain Calamity' has destroyed his catamaran after flipping it for the 13th time while attempting to ride Britain's biggest wave. Read all about the hapless sailor at the Telegraph. Via Tim "Wetass" Zimmermann.

Look What The Cat Dragged Into Port.

Anna!
She's enjoying herself in Tonga. Read more at 'Lectronic Latitude.
More about the poor old cat here, here and here.



Anna, before her encounter with a squall.

Rescued From The Middle Of The Sea. [Video]

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Anna, an Atlantic 57 catamaran, capsized while sailiing from Tonga to Niue. Her crew was recued by the MV Forum Pacific with the assistance of New Zealand Search and Rescue and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.