Spitfire Sail Tests: BeachCats.com, Yachts and Yachting

The small footprint and low all-up weight combine to provide the Spitfire with dinghy - like responsiveness yet maintain the sparkling performance of a Formula 18 catamaran. Performance at your fingertips Rapid appreciation of Spitfire's abilities results in immediate response - no more fussing for extra speed. One Design Designed to meet the performance needs of even the most demanding of sailors, the Spitfire still breaks the link between trophies and cheque book.

Ready to Race The Spitfire brings much in the way of improvements that puts it beyond the compass of other catamarans. This is not a reduced Formula 18. It is fully equipped with good spars, beams, quality fittings and needs no further equipment purchases.

Fully battened jib, doubles the competitive life of the sail by reducing the wear. It also reduces the force required on the jib sheet in order to maintain control. Mast rotation control is on the fore-side of the mast, thereby removing a potentially dangerous object from the trampoline area. The light rig is high enough for performance but light enough to make righting after a capsize easy. High quality fittings are standard specification. Ball-bearing traveller, cleats and blocks, and powerful purchases for mast rotation and tuning. Dagger-boards are long enough for high upwind performance but short enough to be forgotten. A 180o rudder blade system makes for Dinghy Park comfort. Unique hull shape makes tacking and gybing simple, making other catamarans slow in comparison. The Design The spitfire is a one design, two person catamaran which offers the performance level, excitement and spectacular sailing previously only found in larger 18ft - 20ft hi-tech racing catamarans. The Gold Medal Winning partnership of Reg White and Yves Loday has created a thoroughbred which offers excitement, tactical asymmetric racing for top sailors, whilst retaining an ease of handling which makes the Spitfire the ultimate choice for the transition from monohull to cat The Spitefire offers performance at your fingertips with handling normally only found in a modern monohull. With a low all up weight and responsive rig the Spitfire responds to finesse rather than physical strength, so enabling youngsters and couples to also share in the delight of modern catamaran sailing

By Yves Loday and Reg White The slender lines and hulls provide instant acceleration and high speeds with the voluminous bow sections ensuring a fast and forgiving ride downwind. The unique hull shape and short daggerboards ensure tacking is simple and stall free.

The sail controls are all-simple and use the highest quality fittings from Ronstan and Harken and the patented three position kick up rudder system makes launching and recovery easy. A unique mast rotation system that faces forward rather than conventionally aft ensures the trampoline is clear and easy to move around on. The strong build quality is second to none, with other Loday and White designs 20 years on still proving testament to their "build it to last" and trouble free sailing policy.

The rig by Hyde sails and sailspar is a master piece of modern development. The Kevlar mainsail and Mylar fully battened jib provide a light and stable shape that can be easily adjusted to suit a wide variety of crew weights. The full-length battens in both sails reduce flogging and extend their competitive life. The asymmetric spinnaker is easy to use, fast and fun. The fixed bowsprit and launch system make spinnaker sailing a breeze. The sheet loads are very low, so even the lightest of sailors can enjoy the ride.

Specifications Hull Length 5m Platform Width 2.52m Mast Height 8.5m Sail Area 20m2 Main 15.5m2 Jib 4.5m2 Kite 18m2 Total Boat Weight 139kg SCHRS Number 1.04

Irish Spitfire Results 2001 1st Irish Multihull Traveller's Trophy 1st Western Championships 1st Blessington S.C. Club Championships 1st Lough Erne Regatta 1st Blessington Lake Raid 1st Blessington S.C. Sunday Series 1st Blessington S.C. Wednesday Series 1st Blessington S.C. Frostbite Series 2nd Inland Championships