With the European 'A' Cat season getting underway, Pier Faccin sends us this report. 

Cesenatico - Italy: Matteo Fiorini wins the 43rd edition of A-Class Vele di Pasqua 

Serge Pelissier, FRA 51, has passed away recently.

You may have met Serge and his wife Alice in France and the nearby countries racing Hobie Cats and his A-Cat.  Serge was a very good person to be around. Our thoughts go to his wife Alice and their family.

Fair winds Serge and keep sailing up there.

Charles Bueche

IACA president

A couple of years ago, the British ‘A’ Class Catamaran Association had a new membership application from a Weymouth based sailor.  This man was known to be a competent sailor and has, in the past, shown to have had a fair turn of speed.

At the 2016 WGM in Medemblik, the Technical Committee was given the task to rewrite our current Class Rules, to clean them up and make them fit current World Sailing standard. This is now in place.

The Technical Committee, lead by Thomas Paasch, has done an impressive work during the last months. I would like to express my thanks to them.

It is going to be a great event! Poland will host Catamaran World Championships for the first time in their history. However, the organizers are sure that A-Class sailors, a sailing spot with beautiful sandy beaches and the vibrant atmosphere of Sopot, will help to make the event truly successful. 4 weeks after start of registration, there are already 60 competetors registered and we know this is not final number. We have also had verbal commitment from many top sailors, including some America's Cup participants.

This is the time of year for a few European boat shows, and some offer an opportunity for national associations to promote the class, and show off to prospective new recruits ready for the start of the season just around the corner.

For the last 2 weekends, the Danish A Class Association had a booth at the Danish boat show in Fredericia. They showed the DNA F1 and it was, without any competition, the coolest boat on the show, drawing a lot of attention from the visitors.

A-CLASS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 19-26 August 2017, Sopot - Poland  

The Notice of Race is available to download here 

Registration is now open here

Click here for the official event website

The St Pete NOODs run by Sailing World publications has grown for the A-Class over the years, reports USACA head Bailey White.  The NOODs stands for National Offshore One Design series and has now become a nine city series across the USA that has shifted towards smaller boats as has much of competitive sailboat racing.

The World Sailing Board reviewed the Class fees payable to World Sailing and determined that, from 1st January 2017, the Class fee payable to World Sailing for each International A- Catamaran Association plaque issued shall be £47.38.

This information is directed to A-Cat boat builders exclusively. Individual sailors are not subject to this fee (only indirectly when buying a boat).

Please do not hesitate to contact IACA should you require any further information about this subject.

As the European fleets shiver by the fire and wonder if their boat is thinking about them as much too, in Florida, the Bluster on the Bay Regatta took place last weekend.   Matt Keenan and Craig Yandow sent us this report.