U.S. Multihull Championship
The U.S. Multihull Championship is one of several prestigious championships hosted by US SAILING and sailed in selected one-design class boats. The perpetual trophy was presented and named the Alter Cup in 1986 in honor of Hobie Alter, Sr. and his extraordinary promotion of one-design multihull sailing and racing programs. The U.S. Multihull Championship for the Hobie Alter Cup has become one of the nation's major sailing championships, having featured world champions from numerous classes, Olympic medalists and several national champions from the multihull ranks.
The U.S. Multihull Championship was conceived by the Multihull Council in the spring of 1985 as a service to multihull racing sailors. It is intended to determine a U.S. national multihull champion and is sailed annually in various types of multihulls at various venues. Originally based on open Area eliminations, the committee decided to reinvigorate the championship by allocating spots to the major multihull classes in addition to the Area entries.
The ten Area eliminations, under the jurisdiction of Area Multihull Representatives, are open to all single- or multi-crew beach catamarans under 22.5 feet in length. The North American Portsmouth Yardstick and Wind Handicap Factors are used for scoring races.
In addition to the ten Area champions, ten spots are also awarded as outlined in the conditions including the returning U.S. Multihull Champion from the prior year
If a spot from a designated position is vacated for cause, it will be filled by U.S. Multihull Championship Committee appointment.
The championship continues to have the good fortune of having manufacturers provide new boats including Hobie, Inter, Nacra, Prindle, Mystere and Bimare classes. Yacht clubs from different regions in the U.S. have been host to the U.S. Multihull Championship with great success. Proficient race management, fun social events and local housing for the competing sailors have helped make these championships first-class events.
Clubs interested in hosting future U.S. Multihull Championships are invited to inquire. The U.S. Multihull Championship Committee desires to book the championships several years in advance and will consider all requests. The Committee will be happy to explain what is required to host the event and help in the planning and a bid packet may be downloaded at the Championships Management site.