How To Sail A Windrush Catamaran?

The Windrush 14 is a competitive 14ft catamaran sailboat designed by Richard and Jay McFarlane and built by Windrush Yachts since 1976. It is easy to rig and sail, and can be sailed single handed or with a jibe. The Windrush 14 is Australia’s most popular one-design catamaran, suitable for off-the-beach or lake open water. Its hassle-free design is simple and strong, and it will grow.

The Windrush 700 is a 7.35m production catamaran designed for road trailering in the spirit of the Mannering Park ASC. It runs an annual 14 cat regatta using the Koonawarra ystick with time allowances for weight, off-the-beach rudders, and original multi-colored sails. Sail close but don’t pinch to have some momentum. Push rudder as best you can at top of wave and only 45 degrees.

Capsizing is part of sailing and being able to recover quickly is essential racing skill. The general idea is to use the back end of the original windward hull (ie, the one you are sitting on before the tack) as a pivot around which the boat turns. The Windrush 14 has no boards, mast rotation, likely little down haul purchase, and limited jib sheeting angle adjustment.

To sail a Windrush 14, you can make your own by setting up a trapeze, getting yourself a harness, and extending the tiller length. They are still a one-man boat, even with the jib.

Windrush catamarans are intended to be one design class yachts and shall therefore be sailed as produced with only limited variations. To sail a Windrush 14, maintain high speeds, center the mainsheet, limit angles to 45-60°, lose unnecessary weight, upgrade to Kevlar sails and daggerboards, and use asymmetrical spinnakers when winds exceed 15 knots.