The Indian Summer Splash

Over 30 boats and approximately 90 sailors showed up for this year's three day race/cruise to Catalina Island in what has become the biggest offshore multihull sailboat event on the West Coast of the U.S.

The Indian Summer Splash has become popular because it mixes racing, fun, and education into a relaxing three-day event. The sailors race over to Catalina on a Friday, relax on Saturday with hikes, lectures, fun dinghy races, and barbeques, and then race back to the mainland on Sunday. Most of the boats are trailerable multihulls which can be transported by road to the harbor, launched and then raced, allowing sailors from far away to attend this event. For the second year, Pusser�s Rum was on hand to support and refresh the racers.

A big part of the event are the group barbeques on the island Friday and Saturday night. Here the entire group gets together to socialize and discuss the day's race and enjoy some reviving Pusser�s Painkillers. This chance to socialize with sailors that come from far and wide is important for keeping the multihull sailing community connected.

Though the emphasis of this event is fun and education, there are �winners� of the races and this year the two �top guns�, major winners of their respective classes, were Geoff Deutschmann, a local sailor and Ross Stein, a sailor from San Francisco. Geoff actually did double duty, winning the over-all trophy AND volunteering to play bar tender at the barbeques. In fact, he did such a good job that he was informally voted �permanent event bartender� for all future events.

Conditions could not have been better this year. Warm summer conditions prevailed with a nice 8 to 14 knot breeze greeting the fleet for the Friday race resulting in record time finishes. Saturday was hot with light winds as the group went on hikes and played in the water.

Sunday had light winds, which tested sailor patience, but the winds built up enough in the afternoon to bring all the sailors home in time for trophy presentations.