Insurance4dinghies endorsed sailors buy UK’s first ‘Wildcat’

2nd July 2009

Luke Yeates an ex-instructor of the Hobie Cat Centre who has been sailing cats since he was 15, has bought the first Wildcat in the UK. Luke, now 24, made the decision together with his crew, serial National Skiff Champion, Matt Humphries, 27, after they met last year while competing in Farr 52 Racing Yachts. The pair managed to secure sponsorship from companies like Towergate Mardon ‘insurance 4 dinghies’, who have proudly provided their flagship ‘Gold Cover’ for the pair’s intensive 2009 race programme.

It won’t be the first time Luke has undertaken a gruelling sailing experience. In 2006, alongside then crew, Mark Angell, he planned and executed an ambitious sail around Britain, dubbed ‘The Britcat Challenge’, in his Hobie Tiger. Not only did the pair successfully complete the trip, but they set an unbeaten record of 28 days, 5 hours, 5 minutes and 11 seconds. Even better, they also raised £13k for children’s charity Childline.

Luke and Matt certainly intend to get full use out of their new vessel. Having already competed in the JP Morgan Round the Island Race, they will follow in Dame Ellen Macarthur’s wake by confronting the famously gruelling Archipelago Raid, before facing the rigours of both the Whitstable Forts and the East Coast Piers races.

Speaking to Yachts and Yachting magazine, Luke gave this report of the Fastcat Round the Island Race:

Good first race for Wildcat. We were off the line first and first to the windward mark by a country mile. The boat was faster on a twin trapeze 3 sail reach. We had a decent lead on the F18s at Lepe Spit, then made some bad tactical decisions being too cautious with the tide, down to Hurst. We couldn’t push hard enough downwind because we still haven’t fitted toe straps or ‘chicken lines’ (big mistake).

Very rough at Hurst so we cruised round the corner. Then overtook four F18s upwind on the way to St. Cats including a decent Nacra mk II and the fastest UK Capricorn. It was extremely fast to windward thanks in part to its high ratio long daggerboards.

The boat felt very fast and capable of winning the race, we just need to sort a couple of things with the boat and then go the right way, but it is as fast as the mark II Nacra on all points of sail, it shows moments of much higher speed so we are trying to learn how to make that more consistent. Every time we sail the boat gets slightly faster which is great.

They will also be contending as many of the opens as possible and squeezing Wildcat demo days in to their busy schedules. These will take place at various south coast clubs this summer.