Class History
"Talk about fun, at 75 kg (165 lb) with a 9 m (30 ft) mast, the A Cat is one of the most amazing boats on this planet. This is the result of a very simple box rule that only measures four things; length, width, weight and sail area. They are so slippery; you fly up wind silently and can tack through 70 degrees. Downwind they are fast, lively, and loose. Above 9 knots downwind you sit on centerline, fly a hull and send it.
The A Cat may be easy to sail, but very hard to sail well. It is an apparent wind game. Being so light it accelerates/decelerates quickly. The good guys are trimmed right and going; make one mistake and they are gone. I have a very high regard for the cat sailors here and foster no false illusions of how challenging this regatta will be. It will make me a better sailor, I know that much. This reminds me of learning how to sail and race 18-footers ten years ago; we thought we'd never learn. It is going to be fun watching all the cat legends perform: Pete Melvin, Glenn Ashby, Randy Smyth, Lars Guck, Scott Anderson, Mike Drummond, Luc du Bois, Mitch Booth, Charlie Ogletree, Jay Glaser, Pease Glaser and more."
—Howie Hamlin
Boat Specifications
Minimum weight: 75 kg (165 lb)
Maximum boat length: 5.49 m (18 ft)
Maximum width: 2.30 m (7.5 ft)
Maximum sail area including mast: 13.94 sq. m (150 sq ft)
