Before 1989, high-performance catamarans like the Tornado were already known for sailing upwind on one hull, taking advantage of reduced drag and increased lift. However, downwind sailing was still done “flat” – with both hulls in the water – for control and simplicity. That changed dramatically when Mitch Booth and John Forbes introduced a revolutionary downwind technique now known as the Wild Thing.
Unveiled during the 1989 Tornado World Championship in Houston, Texas, the Wild Thing involved trapezing off the leeward side of the boat to lift the windward hull even when sailing downwind. At a time when the Tornado was still sailed with just two sails (main and jib, no spinnaker), this approach reduced drag, increased apparent wind, and delivered exceptional speed gains—often by minutes per leg.
Here’s how John Forbes himself described its early success:
“The first time I was involved in doing the ‘Wild Thing’ was in April or May of 1989 when I was sailing with Mitch Booth and we were trying to reduce the drag on the windward hull by trapezing off the leeward side of the boat… The technique seemed quite effective in obtaining greater boat speed due to less friction…”
“At the 1989 Tornado World Championship… we used the ‘Wild Thing’ with incredible success… We even won heats of the World Championship by up to 3 minutes!”
Key setup points included:
- Steering 5–10° higher initially to lift the hull, then bearing away
- Tight sheeting, with jib barber hauler out 30 cm and traveller in 35 cm
- Mast rotation around 90° or less, with loose luff tension
- Leeward centerboard down to encourage heeling, not slipping
- No mainsheet cleat—a safety precaution due to potential capsizes
And, as Forbes jokingly added:
“One final necessity is to sing the following tune (in the key of E) while ‘going wild’:
Wild Thing, you make my heart sing, you make everything groovy…”
With the Wild Thing, one-hull sailing became a tactic for both upwind and downwind legs, paving the way for the high-speed, high-risk techniques that define modern catamaran racing.
Download John Forbes’ statement here
Footage of the Wild Thing from 1996
The Wild Thing
