…to go back on the water:

Catamarans are perfectly normal boats. No, really.

But seriously, I was just talking with a sailing judge about the inherent problem in protests that involve kite board races.

Since the sail is technically not attached directly to the boat (it’s connected by line to the sailor, who is then strapped to a board), the starboard/port definition may depend entirely on the orientation of the sailor him/herself. My suggestion was to ask which side of the kite boarder’s body was windward, but even then it seems they could hop and float around to orient themselves a different way at a moment’s notice.

The good news is that even the most hi-tech catamarans now seem normal compared to the other stuff floating around (pun intended) out there.