The Catamaran Book: Catamaran Sailing From Start to Finish

by Tom Phipps, Brian Phipps

Overview

A well-rounded guide covering the techniques and skills needed to succeed in catamaran sailing, for those starting out through to those striving for championship wins. Whether you are a youngster choosing your first cat, a club sailor looking to improve your results, or a seasoned racer embarking on a higher performance model, expert advice from Tom & Brian Phipps will take your catamaran sailing to the next level. Beginning with key theory and seamanship skills, the Phipps take you through your early sailing experiences and caring for your catamaran. Developing your skills on all points of sailing, you will be introduced to trapezing, race tuning and racing itself. As your confidence grows you move onto advanced techniques and high performance catamarans. The final section gives you a glimpse of the cutting edge of catamaran sailing with foiling platforms and solid wings. 30 focussed chapters are packed with over 350 photographs showing you exactly how it's done, with diagrams illustrating key boat parts, the various points of sailing and complex on-the-water scenarios with clarity. Whatever your background, your current level or the extent of your ambition, this book gives you all the tools you need to get out on the water and improve your catamaran sailing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909911956
Publisher:	Fernhurst Books Limited
Publication date:	03/07/2017
Series:	Start to Finish , #4
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	156
File size:	75 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Tom Phipps is a successful professional UK sailor. Sailing since the age of ten, he dominated catamaran racing at a youth level, medalling three times at both the ISAF Youth World and RYA Youth National championships. Tom has gone on to succeed in a number of national (Dart, Formula 18, Hobie 16, Tornado), European (Hobie 16, Formula 16, Student Keelboat) and world (Dart) championships. He has competed in the C Class World Championships in a wing-sailed catamaran and races in the Flying Phantom professional catamaran series. Currenly campaigning a Nacra 17 Olympic catamaran, he is fully focussed on representing GBR in the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
Brian Phipps has been involved in the world of sports catamarans – manufacture, testing, development, racing, coaching and promotion – for over 30 years. An RYA National Youth catamaran coach for five years, he is now a personal coach for a number of national catamaran sailing teams worldwide; sports catamaran advisor to a number of developing national squads; and club coach / trainer to a number of sailing clubs and class associations. On top of this he has been a catamaran championship racer with a series of winning results. Brian runs the Windsport Cat Clinics, offering courses for all levels using a full range of boats.

Read an Excerpt

Why is sailing catamarans so very special? Is it their speed? Is it their power? Is it their shape? Is it their size? By the time you have finished using this book we hope that we will have contributed to your catamaran knowledge and your future enjoyment of this fast-moving and exciting discipline of sailing. The book is arranged into four parts providing support and knowledge from your first experience through to glimpses of the latest developments in cat sailing.

Your hosts, Tom Phipps, international catamaran racer, and Brian Phipps, specialist catamaran trainer / coach, have brought together all their training, coaching and catamaran racing techniques, skills and knowledge to provide something that every developing catamaran sailor can draw on.

To new cat sailors: welcome. Catamarans are fast and fun; we encourage you to aim high and enjoy your catamaran sailing as much as – and maybe even more than – we have, and still do. Catamaran sailing is a discipline just like sailing dinghies, windsurfers and keelboats; the earlier you start, and the more time you spend on the water, the better you become. So aim high and make your mark on the sport of sailing by sailing a catamaran.

Part One introduces the total novice to the very basics: the catamaran platform, rig and how to use the wind through to enjoying your first sail, explaining all aspects of catamaran sailing in wind forces 2 and 3. Experienced sailors from other sailing disciplines may wish to browse through this section, noting the subtle differences they should be aware of when moving to catamarans.

Part Two contains information for those who can already sail other types of craft and those who have successfully completed Part One, focussing on ‘standard’ catamarans like the Dart, Nacra and Hobie ranges. It covers light and strong wind techniques, trapezing, downwind sailing and sailing on the sea. You will gain an insight into handling your cat in adverse conditions so that, when you are out sailing in stronger winds, the potential speed will be thrilling not frightening, and light winds rewarding rather than frustrating.

An introduction to the main aspects of racing is also included, with the emphasis on how to get the best out of your cat and improve your position in a race – perfect as the introduction to club racing and local regattas. Catamarans are fast, situations change rapidly and advantages can be won and lost quickly, so you must try to stay on top of each situation in order to achieve your best result.

Part Three covers the more advanced – high performance – catamarans, and the challenges and knowledge required to master them over and above what has already been covered. Many cats are fitted with a gennaker (an asymmetric spinnaker), and we look in detail at how to handle these exciting downwind sails. To counteract the extra power generated there is the double trapezing option so helming from the wire and advanced techniques in the race environment are also covered.

Part Four introduces some of the exciting current developments in our sport. Foiling and wing sails are looked at through Tom’s personal experiences of both racing and being involved in their development.

Whatever your catamaran experience: welcome. We have three things in common:

Speed

Power

Two Hulls

We look forward to seeing you on the water!

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

PART ONE: GETTING STARTED: Which Catamaran?

Parts Of The Catamaran

Assembling The Catamaran

A Touch Of Theory

Your First Sail

Catamaran Care

PART TWO: SKILL DEVELOPMENT: Launching

Reaching

Beating

Tacking

Running / Downwind

Gybing

Trapezing

Man Overboard!

Capsizing

Landing

Race Tuning

The Race

PART THREE: HIGH PERFORMANCE CATS & ADVANCED TECHNIQUES: Your First Sail With A Gennaker

Helming From The Wire

Upwind

Tacking

The Bear Away

Downwind

Gybing

The Leeward Mark

Reaching

Tuning

PART FOUR: NEW DEVELOPMENTS: Foiling & Wing Sails

Acknowledgements

Editorial Reviews

An indispensable, solid foundation which takes you from your first trip on board a cat to competing at a serious level… This tremendous book presents both Tom and Brian’s enormous knowledge of catamaran sailing, and the industry as a whole, as well as conveying their passion for and dedication to the sport. If you want to enjoy catamaran sailing, and improve your skills, I thoroughly recommend this book.

Santiago Lange

An indispensable, solid foundation which takes you from your first trip on board a cat to competing at a serious level… This tremendous book presents both Tom and Brian’s enormous knowledge of catamaran sailing, and the industry as a whole, as well as conveying their passion for and dedication to the sport. If you want to enjoy catamaran sailing, and improve your skills, I thoroughly recommend this book.

catamaran gold medalist Santiago Lange