At the 2016 Worlds, a boat turned up at Medemblik with a distinctly different look at its back end.  It was the Scheurer G7 of Sandro Cavizel, the Swiss Champion.  It had an empennage extending the tramp from the rear beam to the hull ends.  This was designed to smooth the airflow from underneath the tramp and remove any drag vortices caused when the airflow drops off the beam and meets the air falling off the hull ends.   It was sailed all last season, proving an efficient platform.

With the Southern Hemisphere going into the winter months, Bob Griffits sends this end of year report.

The 2016/17 sailing season has drawn to a close Down Under, following the completion of the Queensland State Titles on the first weekend in May.

The Qld titles had been delayed a few weeks due to the appearance of Cyclone Debbie, which ravaged North Queensland, and deluged South Queensland in April. Steve Brewin won the event in emphatic style, from Andrew Landenberger, with Mark Johnson third. 

It was a busy weekend for the European fleets - this report on the Dutch Hellecat TT is from Rutger Krijger on the A-Cat Class event Hellevoetsluis.

Competitors were welcomed on Saturday 13th of May at the popular A-cat location Hellecat, with lovely sunshine and a nice 8-12 kts of breeze. During briefing the race committee told their intention was to have at least 4 races per day, depending on the conditions. 14 boats were entered, with a few new faces and a few new foiling boats on the scene.

On a weekend of textbook catamaran sailing weather, the Rutland ‘A’ Class TT took place on the 13th – 14th May.   A stiff 13-16 knot breeze kept blowing pretty much the same each day and the broken cloud that developed certainly helped the feel good factor in the boat park.   14 boats raced, with 5 of them being visitors.  

A-Cat Class Rule rewrite - UPDATED

The Technical Committee has updated the rule rewrite, based on some of the questions and comments received since first published. There are a few minor changes, and a few with a little bigger impact. Here's a list of the changed rules:

• C5.1 (b) – parts of the rule have been deleted.
• C5.1 (c) – added.
• C5.1 (d) – added.

Our current rules does not limit the usage of compasses, GPS or other devices, so therefore the rewrite also shouldn’t do it.

A proposal for a Classic division at our World Championships

Jacek Noetzel reports - On May 2nd-3rd, 2017 the Sopot Catamaran Cup regatta was held at the venue of the this years World Championship in August. The regatta was organized by sailing club UKS Navigo under the auspices of the City of Sopot.

On the first day of the regatta, before the races, competitors on their cats took part in a live broadcast with a parade on the famous Sopot Pier. The fans could see everything on the water from the pier and the beach.

Giovanni Calabria wins the National A Class regatta organized by the Centro Velico Sunset. Lorenzo Bianchini and Vittorio Bissaro respectively on the second and third place on their debut in the 'A' Class - reports Pier Faccin.

During this weekend at Calambrone, near Livorno, the second stage of the Cat A Italia’s Calendar was held at Centro Vela Sunset. With 31 registered helmsmen, this event has somehow redeemed the quite slow start of the new ITA season seen at the Vele di Pasqua event. 

The 'Critérium National Classe A' will be held in Sète, South of France, from the 25th to the 28th of May. 

This new regatta on the AFCCA calendar replaces the French Nationals that were traditionally held on this Ascension week-end. Nationals that are for the first time move back to early November to enhance the sports interest throughout the season and conclude it in the best possible manner, crowing a French champion. 

Dear Presidents and Competitors,
The eligibility to participate to the Worlds championship in Sopot is governed by the IACA constitution and championship rules.

Championship Rules :
All helmsmen shall be fully paid up Members of their National Association, which in turn must be financial member of IACA or individual Members of the IACA. Evidence of current membership shall be produced.