Interview with six times A-Cat World Champion Glenn Ashby

by Rob Kothe on 9 Jan 2009
At Belmont 16 Foot Sailing Club overlooking Lake Macquarie on the final day of the 2009 titles, the newly crowned A-Class Catamaran (A-Cat) World Champion Glenn Ashby was as modest as ever.

Ashby always wanted to sail catamarans.

He can remember looking at A-Cats when he was eight years old and wanting to get his hands on one.

'I was going, wow, look at that! I’d love to sail one of those one day! When I was 18 I had the opportunity to get one myself and it went from there. I’ve enjoyed the feeling of sailing something that’s basically an extension of your body. You become part of the boat when you’re sailing (it) because they’re so efficient. I love it; it’s really good fun.

'I enjoy the freedom of sailing on your own. I’ve enjoyed sailing double-handed boats as well, but I think growing up sailing single-handed is where my initial sailing was. It’s like freestyle sailing.'

The A-Cats are not made for big offshore conditions as much, but they do handle the big stuff, although it’s more difficult on the gear. The boats are light, stiff and strong and have a lot of water line length for their width.

Sailing in good, flat water with a solid, steady sea breeze on Lake Macquarie is ideal for the A-Cats.

According to Ashby, the European sailors are having a fantastic time sailing here, and Ashby himself would love to sail on the Lake again.

'They are all having a ball. It’s a great spot for sailing; if you get into trouble you’re going to wash back onto the shore eventually.

'The fact that there are a few little shifts coming through that you can take advantage of, and the fact that you can tack and jibe regularly on the A-Class in comparison to the bigger multihulls – it really is ideal.

'You’re sailing the boats as fast as they’ll go upwind in the flat water, and downwind too. The infrastructure at the Belmont 16 Foot Sailing Club is fantastic, and as far as a venue to hold a major regatta it’s (Lake Macquarie) excellent.'

'I’m planning to come back and learn to sail a Moth in 2011, if I can get here. It is a great spot and I don’t know how I’d go hiking, but it’s one of those great venues for any regatta.'

On the first day of the 2009 A-Cat Worlds, after racing was blown out and the day cancelled by the Committee, Ashby went out windsurfing with fellow Olympians, and local Lake Macquarie sailors, Tom Slingsby and Nathan Outteridge. With some gusts coming through at around 30 knots, Ashby commented 'That wind would have caused carnage on the A-Cats.’

Sailing the A-Cats is fantastic experience for other top Australian sailors.

Ashby continued, ‘It’s great for sailors like James Spithill, Slingsby and Outteridge to step across into another class. Talking to all of them they’ve all learnt a huge amount out of sailing the A-Class catamarans, and the skills that they’ve learnt here they’ll take back across to their own disciplines; Nathan in the 49er, Tom in the Laser and James with the bigger multihulls.'

Ashby appreciates the manoeuvrability of the A-Cats and the ability of the sailor to make fast decisions; the boats tack extremely well.

'You can give yourself a few more options tactically than what you may have on a Tornado for example, which costs you a lot more in attack. I think the guys like Tom and Nathan and James are used to doing more tacks, which is why they’re doing really well. You can sail the A-Class very much like a dinghy,' Ashby said.

Slingsby, Outteridge and Spithill have all been talking about doing the A-Class regattas and the Worlds. Ashby hopes that his mates will be around for a long time in the class.

Ashby expressed his admiration for the performances of his fellow sailors, particularly Steve Brewin.

'Steve Brewin has come second overall. He has been one of the most consistent of the A-Class fleet over the last ten years. He’s grown up in a family of sailors and he’s one of Australia’s best catamaran sailors.

'To have someone like Steve in the class for the others to look up to is fantastic. He’s very good with all the European guys; he helped a lot of people out with coming over to Australia and that sort of thing. In return, they do the same thing for him when he goes over there.

'There are some top sailors amongst the Europeans who will provide challenges in 2010. Luc Du Bois (SUI) is certainly on the pace and Bob Baier (GER) who is relatively new to the A-Class, is a world-class hang glider pilot. Manolo (Spain’s Manuel Calavia), continues to impress; he has sailed Tornados and that experience shows.’

In the meantime, Glenn Ashby is the undisputed A-Class Catamaran king.