The downwind angle that paid
The track says what angle and what speed each boat sailed, and who reached the leeward mark first while sailing further. It is the same old argument, with the numbers in front of it.
Hobie Cat and beach catamaran
Downwind is not dead downwind
On a catamaran apparent wind rules: you do not run square, you heat it up and gybe angles. Which angle pays changes with the day, and that is exactly what a track shows.
The class
Launched off the sand, no harbour and no crane. The Hobie 16 is sailed two-up on trapeze; the smaller models single-handed. It is fast: the fleet stretches out far more than a dinghy fleet and disappears from the beach sooner.
- Crew
- One or two, on trapeze
- Rig
- Main and jib; spinnaker on some models
- Where it sails
- Off the beach, straight from the sand
- Race length
- Short, and the fleet spreads fast
What the replay shows
Where the fleet stretches
At that speed the gap opens in seconds and on one particular leg. Put two cats side by side and you can see which one.
Gybes, counted
Every change of tack is marked. On a catamaran they cost more than on a dinghy: you see the speed lost on each one and how long it takes to come back.
Fitting it
Strapped aboard, clear of the trapeze. It needs no power and no electronics, so it works the same on a Hobie 16 as on a club training cat.
We have not tracked a Hobie Cat race yet. The device is the same and does not depend on the boat, so it works just as well; what changes is what is worth looking at afterwards. If your club sails the class, we will set the first one up with you.
Your club’s next race
Devices are handed out before launching and collected on the way back in: nothing changes about how you run the race. If you would rather see it before deciding, write to us and we will set it up on one of your own races.
Other classes