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Roleof theUSYRU Multihull Council

I n the past, multihull sailors were homogeneouswith the rest of the sailing I community within USYRU. Their representationwas mainly throughvarious one- I designclass associations, not multihull sailorsas a whole. With the formation of I the Multihull Council, multihull sailors as a group now have a more visible position within USYRU. The Multihull Council has a seaton the USYRU Board of Directors,and even though it is only one vote, we can be heard. The Council is madeup of multihull organizationsand other interestedgroups; the direction the Council takes is largely determined by the input of the member organi- zations. The Council is not an arm of USYRU telling sailorshow things are going to be; instead,it is their forum to determinethe multihull position on all USYRU affairs and conveythat positionto the Board of Directors. So,now that multihull sailorshave a voice in the Union. use it! r AMERICANSAILOR o JULY1991 17 Cot ConYerts FourHot MonohullSqilors Turned Mulfihull Soilors ShoreSome Insights on theChqllenge, Excitement ond Compeiilionof SpeedSoiling

BY TODD SMITH sailing much like his Olympic-class Tornado sprinting off the starting line. In 1988,Pete, along with his crew, Pat il t is well understoodthat one of rhe Muglia, won the Tornado trials and t.V objectivesol sailboatracing is I representedthe U.S. in Korea. Since to get aroundthe courseas fast as I that time. Pete has won the Tornado I possible.And whatbetterway to go Nationals,the 1989 ProSail circuit on fast than to sail a high-aspectratio, Hobie 21s, and competedin the Little lightweight multihull. Many of the America's Cup on perhapsthe highest PeteMelvin finest sailorsfrom monohull rankshave technology catamaran afloat, the C- recentlyrecognized that they can com- Pete: After racing the 470 for so class Catamaran. bine thechallenges of yachtracing with many years,I wantedto try something During AmericanSailor' s interview, that added excitement of adrenalin- new and exciting. I had always liked Peteexpanded on his involvementwith pumping speed. the Tomado; she looked fast and fun. multihulls. This recent trend of accomplished What also turned me on to multihulls monohullers turned multihullers has AS: What attracted you to the were the people sailing the boats. taken place in the land well known for Tornado versus the other Olympic- Everybody seemed to have a good trendsetting,Southem Califomia. Per- classboats? attitude. hapsthe most recognizedname to start racingcats is DennisConner, who made the switch in the world's most presti- USYRUMultihull Council gious yacht race.the America'i Cup. I99l Officersond Areo Representotives Many otherpopular names in theracing community have also started racing Chairman Gordonlsco 1602 Eddings (618)457-8702 multihulls to quench that "need for Carbondale,lL 62901 speed," including Pete Melvin, Pease ViceChairman HenryWaite P.O.Box 1328 (201) 349-2388 Glaser, Steve Rosenberg and Craig TomsRiver, NJ 08754 Leweck. Secretary ToddSmith 10965Rochester Ave. #303 (213)473-4004 Westwood,CA 90024 Pete Melvin AreaA TonyVandenoever P.O.Box 660 (508)866-7559 SouthCarver, MA 02366 PeteMelvin has masteredmany dif- Area B RogerMunz P.O.Box 236 (516)298-4672 ferent classesduring his sailing career. Laurel,NY 11948 In his younger years growing up in AreaC HenryWaite P.O.Box 1328 (201) 349-2388 Florida, Petewon the Optimist Nation- TomsRiver, NJ 08754 als on numerous occasions. He then Area D TomHllls 114 Alden Dr. (904)862-3880 moved into the 420 classwhere he won Ft.Walton Beach, FL 32548 the USYRU Youth DoublehandedCham- Area E TomTannert 178Wichita Place (216) 836-01 11 pionshipsin consecutiveyears. Then, Akron,OH 44313 at the ripe old age of 14, Peteraced in Area F J.D.Smith P.O.Box 841 (903)872-561 1 the 19'T6International470 Trials. It Corsicana,TX 75151 was here that Pete starteda long cam- Area G WayneMooneyham 3859Suncrest Dr. (408)272-2097 paign to representthe U.S. in an Olym- SanJose, CA 95132 pic class. Area H PaulUlibarri 10559Evanston N. (206)364-9938 Seattle,WA 98133 Despitetwo very successfulU.S. Trials in 1980(second place) and 1984(third AreaJ RichardBlount 191IStrand (213) 379-6345 HermosaBeach, CA 90253 place) in the 410 class,Pete continued Area K GeorgeGerhardt '1913 Fairview (404) on his quest to reach the Olympics. 233-5153 Oshkosh,Wl 54901 After graduatingfrom Boston Univer- IYRUMultihull Rep. PeaseGlaser 258Glendora Ave. (213) 433-9930 sity, Petemoved to Long Beach,CA, to LongBeach, CA 90803 begin his professionalengineering ca- Offshore BillDoelger 34 WhitePine Rd. (617)964-2670 reer. And it was also at this time that NewtonUpper Falls, MA 02164 Pete made the switch from high per- PortsmouthCte. MarkHarris 2027ValenciaWay (702)355-7035 formance dinghy sailing to master a Sparks,NV 89434 - new breedof cat multihulls. PortsmouthCte. DarlineHobock 5373E. 27thSt. (918) 744-8803 In less than two years,Pete acceler- Chairman Tulsa,OK 74114 ated on the leaming curve of multihull AMERICANSAILOR o JULY1991 19 After moving to California, I startedsailing the Tomado S with my crew PatMuglia. We both hadthe opportunityto sail the boat threeto four times a week. often after work during the 3 6 summer. We went to the pre-trialsin Newport, RI, and came in secondbehind Gary Knapp (anothermonohuller turned multihuller). We were very encouragedafter that regatta.At E the 1987Tornado Worlds in Kiel, we were the top American finisher. We had come this far, so we decidedto go for it and boat hard the next six months in preparation campaignedthe 6 for the U.S. Trials. We peakedat the right time and won the c 1988 Trials, representingthe U.S. in the Tornado class. AS.. What advice would you give to other multihull sailors? Pete: Most peopleswitching from monohullsto multihulls havelittle problem gettingthe boat to do well upwind. What really separatesthe cat sailorsfrom the monohull sailors is downwind vang. In dinghies, you usually vang the main closed like a bamdoor. In multihulls, you have to induce the proper twist This is where the experiencedmul- along the entire sail. w.:-w sail- tihuller hasthe advantageover newcomers.Downwind Peaseand Jay Glaser jam on board a Prindle19. ing is totally differentin catswith the way you sheetthe main, thetwist of the sailsand the angleson which you sail theboat. crewing experienceon the multihulls (world championTor- The bestway to becomeproficient in multihulls is to spend nado crew and multi-time Tornado national champion and a lot of time on the boat. And one of the best things about Prindlecrew) havepropelled this teamto the #l U.S. ranking multihulls is that other cat sailors are very open about in the Tomado class. Along the way havebeen two Tomado sharing advice on boatspeed techniques, tuning tips, North American titles, a Tornado Nationals title, a second- rigging ideas,etc. placefinish at the 1990USYRU Alter Cup on Prindle l8-2s, and many firsts on the SouthemCalifornia Prindle circuit. PeaseGlaser Peaseshared some thoughts regarding women rn In 1988, women sailors sailing and multihull sailing. becamethe hot topic of dis- AS.' You have shown that women can competeon cussionamong sailboatrac- a level playing field with men in multihull sailing. ers when Allison Jolly and Not only are you the #1 U.S. Tornado skipper, but Lynne Jewell brought home you are also the first woman to be a top-ranked U.S. the gold in the Women's skipper in an open Olympic class. Do you think that 470 Olympic class. Women this will help entice other women into multihull have long been excellent sailing? sailors,but the stellar suc- Pease: Women have beencompeting successfully cessof Allison and Lynne for awhile; I'm hardly the first. But yes, women can brought women sailors to compete equally with men in multihulls (and many the limelight in the yacht- other classesfor that matter). I think that the recent ing community. And in successand positive responseof dinghy sailors who this booming era of more have begun sailing catamaranshas encouragedother women competitors, yet dinghy sailors to branch out. I would hope that my another woman has made a successwould similarly encourageother women. mark for herselfby becom- If anyonehad told me three years ago that I would be ing the first woman from PeaseGlaser helming a catamaran,I would have laughed. But the the U.S. to be ranked#1 in boats are really fun to sail - not frightening. Women an open (co-ed)Olympic class:Pease Glaser. can be effective skipperingor crewing. For us, it works well The boat that Peasehas masteredjust happens to be to have Jay, who is stronger, stand on the side and trim the anothertrendsetter, the hot-rod Tomado. But just how did main. On the other hand, one of the top-ranked Tornado Peasego from a high-performancedinghy sailor to a high- crews in the U.S. in the pastfew yearsis a mother of teenage performancemultihull sailor? As Peaserecalls, "After the children,and shetrims the main from the wire. The issueisn't 1988Trials, I wanted to start racing a Snipe,which sportsa necessarilystrength, but technique. strongfleet in SouthemCalifornia. My boyfriendat the time, Jay Glaser, didn't want to hike and bought us a Tornado AS.' You have experiencedthe best of both worlds: the instead. formality and tradition of yacht club organized sailing Peaseand Jay have since married and have been tearing through the Olympic classesand the casual off-the-beach around the courseon multihulls ever since. In fact, at their sailing through the Prindle classes. How do these two first major regatta,the 1988 Tomado Nationals, Peaseand types of sailing compare? Jay came in second. The combination of Pease'sdriving Pease: Once you get on the water to go racing, it really skills (honed by 470 competition) coupled with Jay's vast doesn'tmatter if you're sailing out of a yacht club in Europe 20 AMERICANSAILOR o JULY1991 or off the beachin SouthernCalifomia. It all looks and feels boats,one being a Hobie l4 Turbo - main,jib andtrapeze for the same. Off the water,though, it is different. I've enjoyed one guy. I won the cat division and had a ton of fun. both. We are fortunatein that we belong to yacht clubs that I didn't really sail a catamaranuntil Pete Melvin and Pat are very supportiveof our Tomado sailing. We also belong Muglia, two very close friends, won the Tornado Olympic to a very active and organizedPrindle fleet. Trials in 1988. I begancoaching them before the Olympics Each group is focusedon racing - in the yacht club that and was able to sail the Tornado a bit then. focus is a little more varied. Severalweeks ago we were on After the 1988 Olympics, Pete and I hooked up and the racecommittee for a 70-footerregatta. In productioncat campaignedthe Hobie 21 on the ProSail circuit. After the sailing,the focus is directedat only a few classes,and there's rigors of an Olympic campaign,cat sailing (especiallyfor more energy directed at making events fun and including money) kept me in sailing and gaveme a renewedinterest in eventsfor new sailors. The off-the-beachgrouos don't have the sport. Now I have a very hard time sailing "slow boats." facilitiesto attractnew members. so they ha-ve to work a little I'm now a speedfreak harderon growth. Both organizationsoffer a chanceto get andonly gravitateto- involved and give somethingback to the sport- the basic wardsmultihulls and tasks of race management,social activities, etc., are the speedmachines. And same. The main thing is to get involved. I am a multihull owner! Steve Rosenberg AS; You have Steve Rosenberghas made a mark for himself in the crewed extensively sailing community as a hot crew. Whether crewing to first on many different place at the 1990 505 North Americans,winning the 1990 types of boats: Ho- CongressionalCup as Chris Dickson's tactician, or cam- bie 21s, Flying paigning in the Flying Dutchman Olympic class with his Dutchmans, Inter- brother Ron, Stevehas proven himself a top-notchcrew on national 14s,C-class any type of sailboat. Catamarans, etc. Steve has also demonstratedhis prowessfor crewing on Which do you find someof the most exciting boatsto raceon - multihulls. In the most exciting 1989,Steve crewed for PeteMelvin on the Hobie 2l ProSail and why? circuit and dominatedthe series.taking first place and win- Steve: I havesailed ning thousandsof dollars! And in Januarythis year, Steve many of today's great- crewedagain for Peteon Freedom's Wing, the Little Amer- est "speed" boats ica's Cup C-classCatamaran, against the Australiandefend- SteveRosenberg except Aussie l8s. ers. Even thoughthe American syndicatedid not wrestlethe My favorite boats are Cup away from the Aussies,Steve and Petepushed the de- FDs, l4s, 505s,Open 30s,sport cats and largemultihulls, but fendersharder than any other challengersof recentyears. all for different reasons. The most exhilarating,intriguing We askedSteve to sharehis thoughtson multihull sailing andfastest boat is the C-classCatamaran that Peteand I raced from the crew's perspective. in the Little America's Cup. The technicalaspects and intri- AS.' How did you become a multihull addict? caciesof the C-classare what makesit so special. It was the Steve: I first got hookedon catsin 1984when I was invited fastestboat I'd ever sailedand by far the most complex. But to the Inter-Class Solo Championshipsin Barrington, RI. what makes it special is the experienceI gained during the Competitorswere required to sail threetypes of singlehanded campaign. As frustratingand difficult as it was, it was also extremely satisfying. The thrill of competition during that event was high and emotional. ,;;t":1,:."',;;,,' ;111 AS; What advice can you give other sailors as to how to get involved with multihull sailing? Steve: Multihull sailorsas a group tendto be a lot more laid back and relaxedabout their racing and recreational outlook. While multihull sailorsare competitive racers, there is more of a relaxed,"have fun" attitude found at tr beach cat regattas. I can't remember ever being in a protest or even a hassleat a cat regatta. I have always found multihullers to be verv friendlv and heloful.

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ThesePrindle 19 sailors enjoy a lastreaching leg on the trapeze AMERICANSAILOR o JULY1991 21 My adviceto someonelooking to get involved in cats would be to try a local cat regatta. Come with a relaxed attitude, ready to have fun. Let your hair down and enjoy somespeed bums. I have found cat dealersto be among the most service-orientedboat dealers in the country; they're always at local and regional regattas, ready to assistin any way. Take your time and try a lot of different boatsand find a sizeand make that fits your needs. There is one out therefor everyone.

Craig Leweck Well known among dinghy sailors,Craig Leweck is one of the latest to add another hull to his sailing Multihullsailors are known to bevery open about sharing information. Prindle National Champion program. hasenjoyed a successfulcareer in many Craig RandySmyth shares tuning tips with a largeand enthusiastic audience. dinghy classes,including two back-to-backNational and North American Craig has sincebeen racing his Tornado and sailing Prindle titlesin thehighly com- 19s thepopular Southern California circuit. His hardwork :""'dt33ir i,x*# xxss#' petitive Snipeclass, two on has paid off as he placed fifth (despite some equipment 4er ** National titles in the "'tu'r-- r at the TornadoOlympic Pre-Trialsheld at Cali- Lido 14,and a National breakdowns) fornia YC last April. title in the Capri 14.2. somethoughts on what it hasbeen like to go Craig earns his living Craig shares from one hull to two. making one-designsails at the San Diego AS; As one of the most recent converts to multihull sail- Sobstad loft and is ing, could you describe the biggest differences between mounting an Olympic dinghy and multihull sailing? campaign. Craig: The speedthat the multihulls generateaffects a few One would think that areas.More communicationwith my crew is neededas there with sucha strongback- is lesstime for me to look around. I must keepthe boat going ground in dinghy sail- fast, so I needconstant chatter about mark location,laylines, ing that Craig would opt E fleet position, etc. Initially, I had trouble planning for new to campaign an Olym- courselegs since so much would happenso quickly in ap- F pic dinghy. But Craig proachingmarks. Another problem is the adrenalinincrease electedto go for speed (due c in a big breeze to the high speed),which can be fatigu- and race the Tornado. ing. Mast rotation was another new concept, wherein we CraigLeweck And, if Craig continues Ieamedto basicallycontrol the mast to keep its leadingedge on his presentlearning into the wind on all points of sail. As fbr boat preparation. curve on multihulls, combining his proven tactical prowess there were now fwo hulls to fair, two sets of centerboard and potential warp drive multihull speed, other Tornado gasketsto install,and two setsof bladesto align, shim and Olympic hopefuls,including PeaseGlaser, Pete Melvin and fair--definitely more time consuming. Randy Smyth, had better watch out. your in addition to your Craig first startedsailing multihulls in mid-1990. With AS.. You still race Snipe you sailors would enjoy some expert coaching from Pete Melvin, Craig caught on Tornado; do think that other very quickly. Early accomplishmentsincluded a first at the sailing both monohulls and multihulls? 1990ABYC Labor Day Regattaon a Tornadoand a first at the Craig: Definitelyl I havefound that thereare a numberof USYRU Championshipof Champions on a Hobie 18-SX. multihull sailors who are very fast, but not strongtactically (boat positioning and windshifts). While boatspeedis top priority in cats,you still haveto know whenand where to turn. Sailing low-to-medium-performance,small, monohull one- (or"Cot Soiling l0l ") designswill help in thisarea. As for themonohull sailor who is confident tactically, cat racing will force him to study the elementsthat contributeto speed. When superiorspeed and his summer, with the help of a grant from the tactics meet, successis the result. The problem is not the U.S.Olympic Committee,the Multihull Council concept;it's the commitment. Cat sailors saii cats because hasa programfor youthsto enjoy the fun andex- they like the speedthrill, andthe thought of committingtime citement of multihull sailins. to a slow boat to understandits tacticalvit'tues may be tough. At one or more locationsin each of the ten USYRU Dinghy sailorsmay alsoget frustrated with catsby the stifling Areas,we areplanning a multihull day. Youths will have few tacticaloptions that exist. The importantpoint to realize an opportunityto seewhat multihulls areall about. With is that the fun will come from gaining new knowledge. the help of volunteerfleet and club members,we hopeto give thema hands-onexperience. Now thatyou haveseen what the world of multihullsailing It is our hope that some of the participantsin this is like throughthe eyesof thesecat converts,why not hitch a program will becomepart of the U.S. Olympic Sailing ride on a cat? Come and experiencethe thrills, fun and Team in the future. r friendlyworld of multihullsailing. Who knows?Maybe you, too, will becomeaddicted to speedsailing. Sheetin! r 22AMERICAN SAILOR o JULY 1991