• Home
  • Shopping
    • Boat Seats
    • Chartplotters
    • Dock & Boat Cleats
    • Dock Lines
    • Dry Bags
    • Fenders
    • Fender Cleats & Holders
    • Fender Covers
    • Fishfinders
    • Handheld GPS Units
    • Inflatable Dinghies
    • Kayaks
    • Kayak Paddles
    • KeelGuard Keel Protectors
    • Pelican Waterproof Marine Boxes
    • PFDs — Adult
    • PFDs — Children’s
    • PFDs — Dogs
    • PFDs — Infant
    • Propellers
      • Left-Hand Propellers
      • Right-Hand Propellers
      • Stainless Steel Propellers
  • Archives
  • About Tom
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Favorite Links

Tropical Boating

Stories about Boats and Boating

  • Sailing
    • Races & Regattas
    • Sailboat Cruising
    • Sailboat Reviews
  • Powerboating
  • Kayaking
  • Fishing
  • Boat Handling
  • Repairs & Upgrades
  • Equipment & Gear
    • Dinghies
  • Boat Building
  • Boating Fun
  • Boating Safety
  • General
    • Trail Camera Pictures
You are here: Home / Sailing / Races & Regattas / Charlotte Harbor Regatta 2011: Multihull Fleet Racing

Charlotte Harbor Regatta 2011: Multihull Fleet Racing

March 16, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

Dawdling through swarms of multihull sailboats in a slow catboat

Multihull FleetsFleets of multihulls in the race starting area

Went out with a friend on his Com-Pac Sun Cat to watch Friday's sailing action in the 2011 Charlotte Harbor regatta, and typical of catboat folks, we showed up a bit late and racing was already in progress. Here the fleets are reassembling for the second start of the day as we approach the race committee boats outside the Port Charlotte Beach park.

Sun Cat SpectatorSun Cat Catnip sails with the spectator fleet

Our friend Butch also came out in his Sun Cat. Since our boats are so slow, I did not want to leave the multihull fleets to go and take pictures of the S2 7.9 sailboats racing in a different part of the harbor. It would take too long, so I asked Butch to sail his boat down there and take some photos. Here is a brief video of the Sun Cat Spectator fleet in action (slow motion action though it may be!)

Chamber of Commerce Sailing DayA Chamber of Commerce Sailing Day

We really could not have asked for a nicer sailing day. Temperature was in the upper 70s and there was just enough wind to keep the sailing action interesting. My speculation is that the Chamber of Commerce sacrificed many virgins. That is a barbaric practice, but I can't argue with the results.

Vipers and WetasWeta trimarans beat as Vipers reach

Trying to get close to the fast multihulls in a pokey Sun Cat was a bit of a challenge. Different fleets of beach cats and Weta trimarans were all zipping up and down the harbor, and all of them tack and jibe at pretty wide angles. In this photo, a couple of Vipers are reaching downwind as Weta trimarans in the background beat toward a windward mark. We could not catch any of them, but wanted to get close enough for pictures and video, so our goal was to get in their way, but not too in their way! Some racers come a long distance and dedicate a lot of time and money to the sport, and they get understandably irritated if some joker in a slow catboat ruins their race.

Beach Cats RaceViper catamarans reaching downwind

This photo shows the challenge of tracking the Viper F16 and F18 beach cats as they raced downwind. The picture was taken looking more or less downwind toward their destination, and look at the angles the boats are sailing to get there! For those unfamiliar with these boats, they can go much faster if they do not try to steer the boat directly downwind, and the speed difference more than makes up for the extra distance they must travel.

Viper Cats UpwindViper F16 and F18 beating upwind

The boats were racing in different fleets, starting in groups staggered at 5 minute intervals, but they can still wind up close together out on the course. In this photo, Viper F16 32993 is sailing near Viper F18 1025, but the crew is looking back to see what the competition in their own fleet is doing. You can view all the race results for all classes across the three days of racing by visiting the Regatta Tech results page for the 2011 Charlotte Harbor Regatta.

Hobie 16 Fleet Pictures

Hobie 16 Rainbow SailHobie 16 Rainbow Sail

The modern racing beach cats are very impressive performers, but are any of them really as cool as a Hobie 16 with a rainbow sail? Not to my eye! Sailors have been enjoying this design since 1969 and they are still in commercial production today. Not a bad run, and the end of the story is nowhere in sight!

Hobie 16 sailingBeautiful day for Hobie Cat sailing!

I do not understand why the Port Charlotte Beach Complex shoreline is not packed with Hobie Cats all winter. Beautiful sailing days like this one are common. For those who prefer sailing in strong winds, we have those too, as the Charlotte Harbor Regatta report from last year shows.

Hobie 16 Morris 29Hobie 16 and Morris 29

When the wind is light, the Hobie 16 crew moves to the downwind side of the boat to help lift one hull out of the water, reducing drag. In the background is a Morris 29 daysailer named Grace, a frequent sight out on the harbor.

Morris 29 DaysailerMorris 29 Daysailer

Gratuituous shot of Grace taken during Sunday's racing, just because she is so pretty.

Hobie 16 TrapezeHobie 16 with crew on the trapeze

As the wind came up a bit, the Hobie 16 crew moved out to hang from the trapeze wire. Here regatta winner number 67 is beating upwind with crew on the wire.

Hobie 16s UpwindHobie 16s beating upwind

Here a pair of Hobie 16s fight for position as they work their way upwind.

Weta Trimaran Fleet

Weta Trimaran FleetWeta Trimaran Fleet

Here comes a group of Weta trimarans working their way up the race course.

Wetas upwindWeta trimarans racing upwind

When the wind came up a bit, the Weta fleet moved along nicely with each boat leaving a frothy wake behind the submerged ama.

Weta 504 spin reachWeta Trimaran Spin Reach

Wetas roll out asymmetric spinnakers to go downwind.

Weta 362 reachWeta Tri Spinnaker Reach

Weta closeupWeta Trimaran Sailing Upwind

Wetas roll up the asymmetric spinnakers to go upwind.

Weta 358 upwindWeta Tri Racing Upwind

Weta Reach AnglesWeta Trimarans Reach Downwind

The two Weta trimarans at right show pretty well the reaching angles these boats work with when racing to a downwind mark. Both need to go more or less straight toward the Etincelle 60 fast cruising catamaran, but the fastest way to go in that direction is to zigzag.

Wetas reachingPair of Wetas Reaching

F18 Catamaran Racing Fleet

F18 246F18 #246

Most of our sailing effort was directed toward trying to get near the high performance Viper catamaran fleets, but they are difficult to catch with a little catboat! We did manage to get near a few as they flew by. Here is #246 on their way to a second place overall finish in the class. I searched hard for a picture of first place winner John Casey's boat after he wrote a nice article on the regatta for Sailing Anarchy, but he must have been too fast and I got no pictures of his boat.

F18 number 246 Power reachF18 Spin Reach

Another nice shot of #246 flying a hull as they sped by us. We were like a little moving island out there to those guys.

F18 Hull flyingF18 Catamaran Hull Flying

The crew of this F18 is using their weight to help the boat fly a hull and to try to keep the stern of the hull that is in the water from dragging.

F18 ReachF18 Slow Reach

In this shot they have the windward hull back down in the water during a lull in the wind.

F18 Trapeze UpwindF18 Trapeze Flying

This F18 crew has the boat moving along upwind nicely as they ride out on the trapeze wires.

This guy was swinging himself out forward. I'm not sure why. The hull seems pretty well planted in the water.

Viper F16 Catamaran Fleet

Viper F16s FlyingViper F16s Flying Upwind

These two Viper F16s were really moving upwind and we were not able to get very close to take a picture. The one on the right is Karl Brogger, who eventually won the class in this regatta, racing his boat alone. The boat on the left is being raced by a crew of two, and can fly the jib under class rules. I would imagine that the extra sail area and extra crew weight would be advantageous in stronger winds, but Karl's boat seems to have plenty of power in moderate winds with just the mainsail judging by this picture.

Viper F16 catamarans ReachingViper F16s Spin Reaching

And here they come back down the course.

Viper F16 CapsizedViper F16 Capsized

A couple of the F16 catamarans capsized on Friday. One reported snagging a crab trap with his daggerboard on a jibe, but I did not see it happen. It is generally wise to do those kinds of things far from my camera. I also did not see how this boat capsized, but there was enough wind that a simple mistake could quickly send you swimming in one of these powered-up racing cats. It looked like the powerboat had a tow line on the upper (starboard) crossbeam or ama and the crew was helping it pull the boat upright.

Viper Crew RecoveryViper F16 Crew Recovery

They seemed to have a little difficulty getting the crew back aboard. It can be hard to scramble up on a boat when you are cold and tired. They were sailing again soon enough, and there were several powerboats on hand to help out if they had had a real problem with hypothermia and/or exhaustion in the chilly water.

Viper F16 ProfileViper F16 Profile

When a Viper F16 is coming straight toward you, you can see just how little boat is actually under that huge sail. If you're watching from a slow catboat, it is time to get out of the way as fast as you can!

Viper Racing Cat and Etincelle Cruising CatamaranViper F16 Reaching

Here's F16 #808 reaching by us with an Etincelle 60 catamaran in the background. The big cat is home base to a couple of Hobie Wave racers who won their class in this year's races. I saw it setting sail later in the weekend, and it looked like a mountain had sprung up on the far side of the harbor.

Hobie Wave Catamaran Fleet

Ten Hobie WavesTen Hobie Waves

The Hobie Waves were the only fleet that really stayed close enough to one another to capture in one picture out on the race course. If you look closely, you can see ten Wave masts in this picture.

Hobie Wave FleetWave Fleet with Interlopers

In this one a Hobie 16 and a Weta trimaran are making their way through the Hobie Wave fleet.

Waves reach vipers beatHobie Waves

It was fun chasing and dodging the different sailboat fleets. I think that if we allowed a Viper fleet to bear down on us like this, we would have at least one Viper-bow-shaped dent in the catboat, but we were able to sail out of the way of the slower Hobie Waves.

Hobie Wave CloseupHobie Wave Closeup

We did not sail so far out of the way that I could not get a decent closeup picture of a Wave racing! In this one you can see that they leave the rigging on these boats beyond loose - it is actually floppy! Look how much he is able to deflect that shroud!

Waves near markHobie Waves Approaching Mark

The Waves may not be the fastest boats, but it looked to me like they had the best fleet racing action, with all the boats staying pretty close together throughout the races. The husband and wife who took first and second place are serious sailors and they had some very skilled competitors out there sailing against them.

Etincelle 60 CatamaranEtincelle 60 Cat

For world cruising fans, here is a picture I took as we sailed by their other ride, the Etincelle 60 catamaran.

Some video of our day at the 2011 Charlotte Harbor Regatta:

Filed Under: Races & Regattas Tagged With: Hobie, Charlotte Harbor, regatta, multihull, racing, catamaran

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Newer: Buy the Right Kayak Paddle
Older: Useppa Catboat Rendezvous Regatta 2010: Sailing on Island Time

This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Recent Posts

  • BOTE Aero Rover Inflatable SUP MicroSkiffs!
  • ePropulsion Electric Outboard On A Picnic Cat
  • Com-Pac Picnic Cat Fun!
  • Selling the Stray Goat
  • June 2021 Stray Goat Projects

Topics

  • Boat Building (5)
  • Boat Handling (10)
  • Boat Repairs & Upgrades (50)
  • Boating Equipment (27)
    • Dinghies (4)
  • Boating Fun (30)
  • Boating Safety (7)
  • Buying & Selling Boats (5)
  • Classic Boating Tales (25)
  • Fishing (16)
  • General (37)
    • Drone Stuff (3)
    • Trail Camera Pictures (18)
    • Tropical Fruiting (1)
  • Kayaking (22)
  • Powerboating (18)
  • Sailing (71)
    • Races & Regattas (14)
    • Sailboat Cruising (15)
    • Sailboat Reviews (7)

Most Popular

  • The Perfect Solo Mast-Raising System for Small Sailboats
  • How to Dock an Outboard or Sterndrive Powerboat in 3 Easy Pictures
  • Small Outboard Engine Tilt and Trim: Theory and Practice
  • Tying Boats to Docks Using Springlines
  • Deep V, Shallow V, or Variable Deadrise Hull Performance

Shopping

  • Anchors
  • Boat Paddles
  • Boat Seats
  • Cam Cleats
  • Dock & Boat Cleats
  • Dock Lines
  • Dry Bags
  • Fenders
  • Fender Cleats & Holders
  • Fender Covers
  • Fishing
    • Fishing Reels
      • Spinning Reels
        • Abu Garcia Spinning Reels
        • Daiwa Spinning Reels
        • KastKing Spinning Reels
        • Okuma Spinning Reels
        • Penn Spinning Reels
        • Pflueger Spinning Reels
        • Quantum Spinning Reels
        • Shakespeare Spinning Reels
        • Shimano Spinning Reels
        • Zebco Spinning Reels
      • Baitcasting Reels
      • Spincast Reels
    • Rod & Reel Combos
      • Abu Garcia Rod & Reel Combos
      • Baitcast Rod & Reel Combos
      • Okuma Rod & Reel Combos
      • Quantum Rod & Reel Combos
      • Shakespeare Rod & Reel Combos
      • Spinning Rod & Reel Combos
      • Ugly Stik Rod & Reel Combos
    • Tackle Boxes & Bags
      • Tackle Bags
      • Tackle Boxes
      • Fly Boxes
      • Fishing Backpacks
  • Inflatable Dinghies
  • Inflatable Kayaks
  • Inflatable SUPs
  • Kayaks
  • Kayak Paddles
  • KeelGuard Keel Protectors
  • Marine Electronics
    • Autopilots
    • Chartplotters
    • EPIRBs
    • Fishfinders
    • Fixed-Mount VHF Radios
    • Handheld GPS Units
    • Handheld VHF Radios
  • Pelican Waterproof Marine Boxes
  • PFDs
    • Fishing PFDs
    • Inflatable PFDs
    • Kayaking PFDs
    • Survival PFDs
    • Survival Suits & Immersion Suits
    • PFDs for Infants
    • PFDs for Children
    • PFDs for Adults
    • PFDs for Dogs
    • Throwable (Type IV) PFDs
  • Propellers
    • Right-Hand Propellers
    • Left-Hand Propellers
    • Aluminum Propellers
    • Stainless Steel Propellers
    • Three-Blade Propellers
    • Four-Blade Propellers

Recent

  • BOTE Aero Rover Inflatable SUP MicroSkiffs!
  • ePropulsion Electric Outboard On A Picnic Cat
  • Com-Pac Picnic Cat Fun!
  • Selling the Stray Goat
  • June 2021 Stray Goat Projects

Popular

  • The Perfect Solo Mast-Raising System for Small Sailboats
  • How to Dock an Outboard or Sterndrive Powerboat in 3 Easy Pictures
  • Small Outboard Engine Tilt and Trim: Theory and Practice
  • Tying Boats to Docks Using Springlines
  • Deep V, Shallow V, or Variable Deadrise Hull Performance
  • The Com-Pac Sun Cat: A Review
  • Building a Live Bait Well For A Small Boat
  • Choosing the Right Propeller For Your Boat
  • Rebuilding Whaleboat Tenders Part 5: Boat Parts Shopping Day
  • More Boston Whaler Modifications

About Tom

Starting with the little two-person inflatable raft I had as my very first boat, I have always loved the freedom and the feeling of being out on the water. With my father's help, I added a hard plywood floor to that little inflatable, and that was the beginning of a long chain of boats I have owned, loved, maintained, modified, fixed, enjoyed, and scared myself to death on over the past few decades. [Read More …]

Topics

  • Boat Building (5)
  • Boat Handling (10)
  • Boat Repairs & Upgrades (50)
  • Boating Equipment (27)
    • Dinghies (4)
  • Boating Fun (30)
  • Boating Safety (7)
  • Buying & Selling Boats (5)
  • Classic Boating Tales (25)
  • Fishing (16)
  • General (37)
    • Drone Stuff (3)
    • Trail Camera Pictures (18)
    • Tropical Fruiting (1)
  • Kayaking (22)
  • Powerboating (18)
  • Sailing (71)
    • Races & Regattas (14)
    • Sailboat Cruising (15)
    • Sailboat Reviews (7)

Links

  • Antique Fishing Tackle
  • Big Air Wakeboards
  • Binocular Bargains
  • Boat Parts Online
  • Boat Seats for Sale
  • Boat Wear Bargains
  • Boating Memorabilia
  • Discount Marine Electronics
  • Ice Fishing Shop
  • Maritime Antiques
  • Nautical Motif Gifts & Decor
  • Slingin' Steel Spearfishing Bargains
  • Sun Cat National Championship Regatta
  • Tropical Affiliate Marketing
  • Tropical Web Works
  • Tying Flies

Shopping

  • Anchors
  • Boat Paddles
  • Boat Seats
  • Cam Cleats
  • Dock & Boat Cleats
  • Dock Lines
  • Dry Bags
  • Fenders
  • Fender Cleats & Holders
  • Fender Covers
  • Fishing
    • Fishing Reels
      • Spinning Reels
        • Abu Garcia Spinning Reels
        • Daiwa Spinning Reels
        • KastKing Spinning Reels
        • Okuma Spinning Reels
        • Penn Spinning Reels
        • Pflueger Spinning Reels
        • Quantum Spinning Reels
        • Shakespeare Spinning Reels
        • Shimano Spinning Reels
        • Zebco Spinning Reels
      • Baitcasting Reels
      • Spincast Reels
    • Rod & Reel Combos
      • Abu Garcia Rod & Reel Combos
      • Baitcast Rod & Reel Combos
      • Okuma Rod & Reel Combos
      • Quantum Rod & Reel Combos
      • Shakespeare Rod & Reel Combos
      • Spinning Rod & Reel Combos
      • Ugly Stik Rod & Reel Combos
    • Tackle Boxes & Bags
      • Tackle Bags
      • Tackle Boxes
      • Fly Boxes
      • Fishing Backpacks
  • Inflatable Dinghies
  • Inflatable Kayaks
  • Inflatable SUPs
  • Kayaks
  • Kayak Paddles
  • KeelGuard Keel Protectors
  • Marine Electronics
    • Autopilots
    • Chartplotters
    • EPIRBs
    • Fishfinders
    • Fixed-Mount VHF Radios
    • Handheld GPS Units
    • Handheld VHF Radios
  • Pelican Waterproof Marine Boxes
  • PFDs
    • Fishing PFDs
    • Inflatable PFDs
    • Kayaking PFDs
    • Survival PFDs
    • Survival Suits & Immersion Suits
    • PFDs for Infants
    • PFDs for Children
    • PFDs for Adults
    • PFDs for Dogs
    • Throwable (Type IV) PFDs
  • Propellers
    • Right-Hand Propellers
    • Left-Hand Propellers
    • Aluminum Propellers
    • Stainless Steel Propellers
    • Three-Blade Propellers
    • Four-Blade Propellers

Back to Top
Contact Us · Privacy Policy & Disclosure

Copyright © 2007-2025 · Tropical Boating
Site managed by Tropical Web Works