Why We Beach Cat

[fjviola]

My buddy Ernie Kamp with his family and their Supercat 19 at Texas City Dike on 3rd Saturday of August 2015.
Great times even when her sails are quiet!

franklin Viola
ARC 21.01

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[Eric2101]

Living the life!

[fjviola]

Journey to Navarre Beach, FL for this weekend 's Jauna Good Times Regatta

Lift Off - Seabrook, TX

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Romantic Picnic Lunch - Biloxi, MS

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America's Oldest Settlement - Pensacola, FL

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franklin Viola
ARC 21.01

[SC15Av8or]

Good times man!!!!

[fjviola]

We woke Saturday morning to rain, and drizzle by time we left hotel. It finally stopped, but turned to Dark clouds on all horizons.

A good friend was also at Juana's Good Time Regatta (Navarre Beach, FL) and sailing solo on his Supercat 17. So we convinced him to crew with Donna and me for the day's 30 mile long distance race.

Had a good start (for non-racers) with wind beginning to freshen. About half way the wind built to over 12 knots (gusting to +15). Our ARC 21 (with old sails and my 235 lbs on the wire to drive the bows down) 'rocketed' past almost the entire open-spin fleet .. including an 'in disbelief' Nacra 20 who is a 'regular' racer from Texas.

Three of us cats made the turn together at Buoy 133, and once again our ARC 21 began pulling away. Then, wind let down and got squirrely. And all the lighter-than-shi-ite C2 and Nacra's blew by us ... But we finished ahead of at least 3 of the other spin-boats, as no one popped the chute until near race end as gusts were too unpredictable and unforgiving.

Had lots of comments "wow, what kind of boat is that?!", and of course, "neat 'green' paint job".
Was a GREAT Day!!

Franklin Viola
ARC 21.01

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[havliii]

Franklin, How about some more pics? and more stories from Juana's. any video?

[fjviola]

Our first 'on the road' regatta, Juana's Good Time was quite eye opening to how a popular venue can be engulfed in beach cats. First, all masts must be stepped in the asphalt parking lot, and boats then taken off their trailers where the sand meets the designated handicap space (no more than two boats at a time). From there, a good set of cat-trax is needed to traverse one's boat over soft sugar-white sand to a spot on the beach 20-50 yards away. Some cat sailors without wheels did launch their boats from the adjacent cement boat ramp, and then waded around over to the beach. Being rookies to Juana's, we (along with a handful of other sailors) arrived on Thursday for the Saturday event, and had plenty of space (and time) to learn and navigate the beach drill with our ARC 21.

With 120 boats registered and 98 actually present, by Saturday morning beach cats from Hobie Waves to C2's and Nacra 20's (our 'green' ARC 21 getting the most looks) were stacked on the small beach two and three deep, and often no more than 24-36 inches apart. It was definitely a fire drill when someone had to lay their cat over (stick up of course) to retrieve or de-tangle an errant halyard. However, every Juana's sailor we encountered was extremely courteous and was eager to lend a hand from the parking lot to beyond the water's edge!

Everyone helps each other launch their boats, and the races ('distance' on Saturday and 'buoys' on Sunday) are water start from a committee boat, so there is no worry of a hull dinging mad-dash pile-up from a beach start. Spin-class cats go to a buoy 15 miles down the intercoastal waterway, while non-spins turn around at a buoy a few miles shorter. There is plenty of room in the waterway, and I can see where sea conditions would be similar to those at TX City Dike when wind direction is coming off the Gulf. This was not the case during our inaugural Juana's, but the chop was never sloppy.

After a front blew through Sunday morning, the wind needle dropped so low that the buoy races concluded with many sailors paddling their cats back to the beach. We had opted out on Sunday (ARC 21 ain't much of a buoy rounder) and sailed under the causeway bridge to the other side of the intercoastal, and then back again while the wind was still good. It was an excellent piloting and exploration session.

Most sailors rented condo's there on Navarre Beach, while some brought their own bed (RV) and slept in the parking lot. Overnight camping and trailer storage is only permitted a day or two preceding and after Juana's Good Time Regatta. Being on the beach and water 'all' day, we opted for The Hampton Inn just past a mile back over the causeway bridge. Full included breakfast at the hotel (vs cooking) made it perfect for us. Though, Juana's does serve a continental breakfast Saturday and Sunday prior to the 10am captains' meeting. Registration in the regatta also includes a wonderful Juana's dinner and free beer Saturday night!

Most of the cats got off the beach Sunday afternoon, but a few of us stayed and enjoyed a wonderful evening leisure sail in the light air. A few fortunate others stayed into the week and had more good sailing Monday and Tuesday. A smart plan if you drove 10 hours or more to the event. Juana's Good Time Regatta will definitely be on our calendar for 2016!!

franklin VIOLA
ARC 21.01

[Bruiser]

Love that green paint job on your boat. Take note of the Around the Island Race this year. They are planning on 2 days. First day to Pensacola and the second day back to Ft Walton. This make this more of a nice weekend regatta and the race more manageable.

[J Drew]

I like the green, nice pictures

You look like your enjoying too much relaxation