Vaan is an emerging Dutch brand creating a new generation of markedly different catamarans. Travel 20 miles from the historic city centre of Rotterdam, on through Europe’s largest commercial port, and you’ll reach the peaceful little town of Hellevoetsluis where Vaan is based. Founded in 2018 by Igor Kluin and Nienke Van Klooster, the company is located on the banks of the Haringvliet, an inland basin separated from the North Sea by a lock.

The site offers ideal enclosed waters for testing, but above all a space for long-term development – Vaan has already reserved a large part of the technical area of the marina, and a brand-new building is ready to accommodate up to three boats under construction at the same time. Moored at the pontoon, the Vaan R5 looks just as striking as it did in the computer-generated images that caught our attention.

Although the freeboard is high (2.12m/7ft 11in), it’s the smooth design with very few rough edges that makes the biggest impression. As raw aluminium is unforgiving of any flaws, we were pleasantly surprised by the fluidity of the hull’s lines, with no visible deformations.

Better still, the material used incorporates up to 70% recycled aluminium – made from things like window frames, number plates and road signs. Once crushed and sorted, they’re combined with 30% pure aluminium alloy and 0.5% additives, such as argon, to achieve the required marine quality standard 5083. In terms of CO2 emissions, the figures are significant, as its production emits only 2kg of CO2 per kilo of aluminium, seven times less than conventional material, according to Kluin.

To optimise weight, the thickness varies depending on the area: the hulls are 7mm thick, the areas around the keel are 10mm and the deck is 6mm thick. The structural frames are very tight, as can be seen in the very large sail lockers, located in the two bows, and the mast foot lockers, which are also generously sized. A big benefit this rigid construction brings is that Vaan catamarans can have single-piece glass deckhouse windows, offering almost unobstructed surround views. Here, on the 49ft R5, they’re double-glazed, while the older 42ft R4 has a single layer of glass.

Premium fast cruising. The R5 has high freeboard, but coachroof and boom are kept low, maximising sail area. Photo: Vaan Yachts

Sailing Smarter

Ecology is one of the three strategic priorities behind the creation of Vaan catamarans. Their life cycle assessment has been studied in detail, right up to their final recycling. But in addition to their highly distinctive style, the third major criterion that influences all designers’ choices is performance under sail.

For Kluin, who started sailing at the age of three, a yacht must perform well, whatever the wind conditions. This is non-negotiable. So, while Vaan means ‘wind vane’ in Dutch, it is also an expression that could be translated as ‘go where the wind blows’.

Anyone surprised that aluminium is associated with performance may be forgetting its excellent weight-to-rigidity ratio. Until the rise of composites, particularly carbon, it was used for a long time in ocean racing. Among the most famous examples are Flyer, winner of the second Whitbread Round the World Race in 1977/78, and the 12-Metre JI boats built for the America’s Cup, which were made of aluminium until 1987. During the same period, French sailors Eric Tabarly (Paul Ricard), Olivier de Kersauzon (Kriter) and Marc Pajot (Elf Aquitaine, winner of the 1982 Route du Rhum) made it the core material of their offshore racing multihulls.

The very beamy cockpit can be covered with a partial fabric bimini or full hard top. Photo: Vaan Yachts

However, before checking whether the 125m2 of upwind sail area is enough to help this 18-tonne craft sparkle under sail, we leave the port… in silence. As on the first three Vaan catamarans already built, this second R5 is powered solely by electricity. Energy storage is provided by a bank of LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries).

Admittedly, they have a slightly lower energy density (-14%) than conventional lithium-ion batteries, but on a 15m catamaran this is not much of a problem. In addition to their slightly lower cost, they offer greater longevity as they can withstand many more complete charge-discharge cycles. The figure of 5,000 cycles (instead of 1,000) before falling to 80% of their initial capacity is mentioned. They also present much less risk of fire.

Finally, a key element in Vaan Yachts’ strategy, is that they’re less polluting and can be stored for long periods. According to the manufacturer, with 60kW of batteries on board, fixed here in the central crossbeam, the Vaan R5 can motor for four to five hours, depending on conditions, at a cruising speed of between five and six knots.

For a catamaran which promises performance under sail, even in light winds, this should cover nearly 90% of engine use. On a performance catamaran, engine use is mostly limited to entering and leaving port, or when anchoring and raising the anchor. Beyond that, if all green energy sources are exhausted and the wind has died, a 15kW backup generator is installed on board.

Visibility to both bows is maintained thanks to the huge glass windows. Photo: Vaan Yachts

This is the right power for engines that will require 7.5kW each to bring the R5 up to cruising speed. The generator can be seen as a safety feature, but also as a means of extending the boat’s range, allowing it to sail under engine power for around four days. The pod engines installed during our test were prototypes and will be replaced by production models for delivery to the end customer.

For reasons of confidentiality we can’t go into detail about the installation, but from what we’ve seen it looks very promising. To improve hydrodynamics, the pods will retract into the hulls when the boat is under sail. And for better manoeuvrability in ports, the pods are also steerable – we weren’t able to test these two features during our trip as they were still in the testing phase.

Quiet Departure

The cruising speed under engine (5.6 knots) was confirmed as soon as we left the harbour. Hoisting the mainsail is done with the touch of a finger from the helm, thanks to the impressive Furlerboom. I’d never been very convinced by furling booms on multihulls of this size, but the efficiency of this surprised me. The composite casing is wide around the furling profile, leaving plenty of room for the sail.

Wide, clear side decks. Photo: Vaan Yachts

The sail, designed by Quantum, is very well cut, and the flexible luff connecting it to the mast, a critical point on this type of system, is particularly well adjusted in its lower section. To maximise the sail area and lower the centre of gravity, the gooseneck has been lowered as much as possible and the boom skims the deckhouse.

The self-tacking jib Solent unfurls just as easily, and we begin our journey north-west. In these sheltered waters the sea is calm and with 0.83m of clearance under the bridgedeck, there is little chance of any waves slapping beneath. The wind during our trial is irregular, and many obstacles (buoys, shipping traffic, banks, etc), present frequent reasons to tack.

These are all opportunities to see that the Vaan R5 is competent at this exercise. It barely slows down while tacking and offers a close-hauled angle near to the holy grail of 90°. On a reach and then downwind, without a headsail larger than the Solent, we cannot say for sure whether the R5 would meet or exceed the 10 knots given on the polar curves calculated by Dykstra, but the responsiveness of this multihull to the slightest breath of wind makes me optimistic.

Plenty of deck stowage on the R5. Photo: Vaan Yachts

Upwind and downwind, steering is a pleasure because visibility is always ideal – whether looking to the sails, the bow in front of the helmsman, or even the opposite bow (thanks to the large glass surfaces of the deckhouse). The steering system supplied by Jefa is really precise. It offers no play, to the point that the wheel may feel a little stiff in light winds, but the advantage is that it allows you to maintain control without any effort when the breeze picks up.

Vaan promotes luxury living with a minimalist, architectural style. Photo: Vaan Yachts

Bold Interior Design

As the afternoon draws to a close and the outside temperature drops significantly on the North Sea coast, we take the opportunity to explore the interior. Once the large sliding glass door is closed, the atmosphere immediately becomes warmer. The fittings, described as minimalist by Kluin, take the concept of simplicity even further than the competition in this sector.

There’s something reminiscent of Apple or Tesla minimalism about the interior. So, you’ll either love it or hate it, but no-one will be indifferent, that’s for sure. Apart from a few minor details – the absence of fiddles on the kitchen worktop and the highly symbolic folding chart table – I really liked it.

Photo: Vaan Yachts

Neat and distinguished at the same time, the main saloon and living area deserve much praise. The view to the outside is perfect, whether from the galley with its ample stowage space, or from the saloon, which is tastefully positioned facing forward. All the materials are high quality, with the occasional welcome touch of originality, such as the graphite grey felt covering the mast step. An example of detail is to be found in the bench armrest, which successfully marries shapes and materials, including metal, wood and fabric.

The hull steps are undoubtedly designed to Northern European standards and seem a little steep for my 1.73m height. However, the 2.09m headroom once in the hulls really helps contribute to the impression of space. The aft berth is integrated into the structure, providing rigidity without adding weight, as is the case on performance composite multihulls. On the port side, a huge dressing room occupies the central part of the hull, leading to an equally impressive washroom.

‘Living areas are tasteful, neat and distinguished’. Photo: Vaan Yachts

On the starboard side, the forward cabin has two bunk beds, as requested by the owner. A shared bathroom is located in the passageway on the inner side of the hull. There are 600lt tanks integrated under the floors of each hull: one for water, one for diesel for the generator. The Vaan is thermally and acoustically insulated with cork, a material which serves both the ecological and lightweight ambitions of the brand.

The interior temperature is regulated by a reversible air conditioning system that operates on the principle of a heat pump, which is very energy efficient. Its coefficient of performance (CoP) of six means that for every kW of electricity consumed, it produces 6kWh of thermal energy (heat or cold). Kluin assures us that even in the Mediterranean in summer, the interior can be cooled using only the 1,800W of solar panels installed on the deckhouse.

Vaan R5 specifications

LOA: 14.95m 49ft 3in
Beam: 7.94m 26ft 3in
Displacement: 18,000kg 39,683lb
Sail area (upwind): 125m² 1,345ft²
Sail area (downwind): 250m² 2,690ft²
Mainsail: 82m² 883ft²
Self-tacking jib: 45m² 484ft²
Gennaker: 172m² 1,851ft²
Code 0: 120m² 1,292 ft²
Engine: 2×7.5kW electric pods
Battery bank: 60kW
Generator: 15kW
Fuel tank: 600lt 132gal
Water tank: 600lt 132gal
Price: ex VAT €1,496,750 (test boat) €1,900,000

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It’s safe to say that the catamaran is truly out of the bag when it comes to the appeal of multihulls as cruising platforms, and not just for a week-long charter in the BVI’s. The mono vs cat debate has long raged, and while there will always be those who will never consider a yacht without ballast as seaworthy, the number of long-term cruisers crossing the world’s oceans on catamarans is increasing steadily.

As they’ve become more popular, they’ve also moved beyond the charter-style offerings of mass production catamarans. While Gunboat remains the brand that defines the performance breed, the likes of HH, McConaghy, Marsaudon Composites, Outremer, Balance, Kinetic and several smaller boutique brands are building multihulls that seem to demand little compromise in comfort yet offer near-raceboat levels of performance.

Boards down and powered up to weather on the first GB80 Highland Fling XV111. Photo: Sailing Energy/Multihull Cup

It’s hard to deny the appeal – this new generation of fast cruising cats offers an unrivalled blend of performance and livability that monohulls struggle to match.

And as we can see from the preceding Supersail World pages, they’re growing, in size, comfort, power, and performance terms.

But as Spiderman Peter Parker knows, with great power comes great responsibility. If you’re going to be safe and comfortable on a big cat you need to develop a certain amount of Spidery sense for the boat. Cats don’t talk back the way monos do, and they’re a lot less forgiving. When a gust hits a monohull, you know about it immediately. She heels over, spills some wind, might round up and flog the sails. On a cat, with its huge righting moment, the structure absorbs all that extra load.

Kopman’s wife and friends line handling. Photo: Mike Kopman

There’s no tell-tale increase in heel, and no way for the boat to automatically shed that power. If it’s sailed well, and not overloaded, that power will quickly translate into speed – which is great when you want it, but not so great if you’re already sailing close to the edge of your comfort zone. The old adage of reefing when you first think about it is doubly true for performance cats. In fact, you need to reef before you think about it!

Sailing large catamarans: Exit strategies

When the boat is really lit up, it’s crucial that everyone aboard knows the plan for if you get overpowered. Whether you’re going to head up and feather your way through a big gust or bear away and ride it out needs to be decided on beforehand, because in sketchy conditions, there’s no time to freeze and think about it.

If you’re already in upwind or downwind mode just keep going. Luffing up or running off works well on cats. But it’s when reaching fast in the so-called ‘death zone’ of 80°-110° true wind angle that things become less clear. Heading up increases apparent wind, which increases boat speed, while bearing away increases boat speed, then apparent wind.

‘Sailors agree that flying a hull has no place in cruising’. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Either way, loads spike fast, the yacht feels squirrelly and steering can become difficult. If you’re in gusty conditions or expecting an increase, then err on the side of being underpowered. This means boards up, traveller down, leeches open and twisted off.

If your ‘exit’ is to head up, you want both main and jib to start luffing evenly. Once you’re almost head to wind and the boat has slowed right down, sheet the jib on (to help with the bear away), dump the main, and turn the boat deep downwind aggressively before she can build speed again. Once you’re sailing deep, slowly and in control, you can plan to reduce sail.

Trimming and reefing

Modern multis tend to have the rig stepped further aft and carry higher aspect mains, with multiple headsails on furlers. This means changing gear quickly is a lot easier, but with the main further aft in the boat, it can act like a great big rudder and prevent you from bearing away, even with the sheet eased, so make sure you remember to dump the traveller too.

Kopman’s daughters at anchor. Photo: Mike Kopman

If you’re not familiar with sailing a cat with daggerboards it helps to think of them as another sail, and that means they can be reefed. Upwind, of course, you want a board down, but as the breeze builds ‘reefing’ the daggerboards is as important as reducing sail. In fact, it’s remarkable how much you can depower a cat on a beam reach by pulling the boards up. They can be hard to move on a reach due to the lateral load on them, but once they’re out of the water, the boat will be making considerably more leeway and generating a lot less power.

My family and I were sailing our own 20m cat, Komotion, off the south-east coast of Sardinia on the tail end of a Mistral. We’d headed offshore a little to avoid wind shadow, and pretty quickly the wind built into the high 20s, putting our apparent wind over 40 knots.

Mike Kopman is an MCA commercial captain with 25 years and 300,000 sea miles experience on yachts. Photo: Mike Kopman

While putting a few rolls in the jib, the lashing on the furling line turning block failed, and with a bang the jib unfurled and we were under full sail again. The boat speed jumped to over 20 knots and we suddenly had a bit of a situation on our hands.

We dumped the traveller, and my wife, Sarah, steered off deep to slow the boat, while I went up onto the trampoline and lashed the block back in place. Broken gear is not something you can usually anticipate, but having a way out of a difficult situation before it arises can be invaluable.

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Speed on

‘They suck going upwind!’ is still the oft-repeated criticism of sailing cats, and while it might be true for some designs where volume has been prioritised over performance, it’s clearly not true for all cats. With daggerboards down and quality, flat sails, it’s a case of sheeting in and hanging on. Cracking off a few degrees results in a smoother ride and the sharp increase in speed gives a nice return in VMG.

Fine bows and hulls on Mike Kopman’s 72ft fast cruising cat Komotion. Photo: Mike Kopman

When it comes to tacking, a few small points can help you avoid resorting to the ‘charter tack’, ie starting an engine to get the boat through the wind. Firstly, bear away a little to build speed (don’t try to tack when you’re pinching). Then come upwind sharply and decisively, but don’t stall the rudders. Ease the mainsheet a bit as you’re about to come head to wind. This will reduce the mainsail’s ‘weathervane’ effect that can keep the boat in irons.

As the bows come through the wind, hold off on releasing the jib sheet for a few moments. Letting it back will push the bows down on the new tack. Then ease it across onto the new tack, build speed, sheet in the main again and you’re off.

Ocean sailing at dusk aboard the author’s liveaboard performance cat. Photo: Mike Kopman

A quick note on flying a hull. On a true performance cat that is designed to be able to fly a hull, best boat speed generally comes from just skimming the water with the windward hull. If there’s any more air under there, that’s a sign you’re pushing hard and might consider dialling it back. That said, pretty much every big performance cat sailor would agree that flying a hull has no place in cruising. If you’re not on the racecourse, the risks are simply not worth it.

Keeping check

Where maintenance on a performance catamaran differs most from a mono is in the rigging. Visual inspections of the mast base and crossbeam area should be more frequent on cats. Don’t over-tension shrouds; the wide spreader base on cats mean rigs don’t need to be piano-wire tight.

Diamond stays and spreaders, though, take serious loads and need close monitoring for cracks, play, or corrosion. Mast base fittings and beam interfaces are under high stress and must be checked for elongation or wear. Check chainplates on hulls for symmetry and signs of creep or elongation.

Sight lines and crew communications become really important, especially if you can’t see all four corners of the boat. Photo: PKC Media/Tosca

Autopilots also work harder on a cat for all the same reasons. Without the ability to heel as a ‘pressure relief’, a catamaran’s autopilot feels a lot more sailing loads. The autopilot experiences higher loads, especially at speed, where shifts in apparent wind come quickly and unbalanced sails can throw the boat off course.

Shoal tactics

One of the attractions of a multihull is that the shallow draught allows you to anchor in places not accessible to monohulls, but this can have its own challenges. A big boat needs a lot of room to swing, and a big cat needs even more, so keep that in mind when picking a spot.

The usual rule of scope applies as much to multis as it does to monos, but it’s worth thinking about the extra windage of some bigger volume cats. Flybridges, solid bimini tops and acres of solar can add a lot of drag, and, as the saying goes, chain does nothing when it’s left in the locker.

Alex Thomson helming the Gunboat 68 Tosca mid-Atlantic. Photo: PKC Media/Tosca

Going one size up on your anchor will help you sleep better. Multihulls sail around at anchor a lot more than most monos, so it’s really important to have a good bridle system. Generally, if you’re swinging around like an excited puppy on a lead then setting out a longer bridle will help. And while Dyneema is super strong, its lack of stretch means it’s not ideal for this purpose. Good old three-strand is an ideal material, with eyes spliced at the anchor end shackled to a good chain hook. Simple whipped ends inboard means the length can easily be adjusted.

If you’re tying up to a mooring, don’t run a line from one hull through the mooring eye and back to the other hull. The yawing of the boat will chafe through the line, so always use two separate lines, one for each hull.

When it comes to getting underway again, remember the steering effect of your mainsail if you’re going to do the increasingly popular ‘hoist the main at anchor’ move in a crowded mooring field or anchorage. Keep the sheet eased, traveller loose, and get the jib out as soon as you can to help pull the bow down. Or better yet, motor to where you have plenty of room around you first. It may not look as cool, but then neither does ploughing into another anchored boat!

Manoeuvring

Sight lines on some catamarans are not as clear as on monohulls, so good communication among crew is really important when docking and anchoring. If engine controls aren’t ideally placed you’re going to need people calling distances. As is the same on any large yacht or superyacht, marine headsets make a lot of sense when anchoring and manoeuvring, particularly on cats with large blind spots. However, it’s still prudent to have backup hand signals, so make sure you agree on what distance one finger means beforehand!

Cruising mode engaged: big, fast cats offer long legs for passages and plenty of space at rest in shallows. Photo: Mike Kopman

Fortunately, twin props set far apart mean cats are really manoeuvrable, but the bows can blow off just like on any other boat and bow thrusters are not that common on cats. The key is to think through any close-quarters manoeuvre carefully in advance, and always have an escape route in mind. Weaving a tennis court through a crowded anchorage in gusty conditions can be pretty nerve-wracking. Daggerboards are just as effective at reducing leeway under power, so if the water is deep enough, then stick them down if it’s windy.

A little trick we sometimes use when picking up a mooring is to back up to it rather than approaching it bow on. Instead of standing up on the forward beam trying to guide the helmsman to the buoy (and then having to reach way down to pass a line through), we find it’s much easier for the line handler to stand on the transom where they’re lower to the water and within talking distance of the helm.

There’s much better visibility aft, the helmsman can bring the transom right up to the buoy, and a long line from the bow can then simply be passed through and brought back aboard as you spin around.

Motion

The motion of a cat offshore can come as quite a surprise to those used to sailing half boats. The sensation is more jerky, less predictable, and this motion can be quite fatiguing for the crew. If bridgedeck clearance on your particular design has been compromised, then expect sudden wave slaps from below that can make that much vaunted unspilled G&T leap right off the saloon table. The first time I experienced one of these I thought the whole structure had split in half.

Crew communications become really important, especially if you can’t see all four corners of the boat. Photo: PKC Media/Tosca

On Komotion, we find we are frequently slowing the boat down to keep our crew more comfortable, especially on longer passages and overnight. It’s important to manage fatigue and comfort across the length of the trip.

It’s great fun blasting along at 20 knots in flat water in the lee of an island, or for a wet and wild squirt across open water to the next one, but for passages longer than half a day or so the speed, the motion and even the adrenaline can become quite draining (although, that said, I’ll never get tired of watching the spray smoke off Komotion’s lee bow as we send it at 20+ knots!).

Noise in the hulls of a full GRP performance cat can be another fatiguing factor. Even aboard Komotion’s cedar-cored hulls, it sounds like a freight train down below when we’re doing more than 15 knots, and noise increases stress (no wonder, then, that some IMOCA 60 sailors use earplugs).

Sight lines become vital for sailing a big catamaran. Photo: PKC Media/Tosca

As a family we often find it more relaxing to sleep in the saloon on two- or three-day trips. Again, the key is knowing when to back off a bit. If you’re not racing, take your foot off the gas, reduce sail and enjoy the easy speeds that a large performance cat can maintain with less sail up. My wife and I will often sail through the night with a couple of reefs in the main and just switch between jib and staysail as conditions change.

For most of the long-term cruisers we’ve met sailing on larger performance cats, their choice of boat is more about enjoying the ability to keep sailing in light breeze, when everyone else is motoring, than sheer flat-out speed. This blend of performance and practicality is exactly why more families, ours included, are choosing to cruise fast, flat, and far.

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post How To Sail A Fast Catamaran: Mastering the Art of Quick Cruising appeared first on Yachting World.

There’s been the odd singular sailing superyacht thus far, the likes of the 44m Pendennis-built Hemisphere and Perini Navi’s recent 46m floating art gallery ArtExplorer, while JFA has quietly gone about launching a handful of 85-110ft custom sailing catamarans.

But a new pride of big cats is coming. Last year John Mountain launched his carbon bluewater sailboat Air Yacht 80 after failing to find his preferred blend of performance, space and superyacht quality.

And it’s the performance element which has triggered this new trend that we centre on in these pages. Yachting World readers will have noticed a similar movement with monohulls of late, where production yards have stepped up to cater to a semi-custom demand in the 70-90ft sector.

We dedicated these pages to them two years ago, detailing the latest launches from YYachts, Solaris, Grand Soleil, CNB, Ice and Swan. Now with an increasing number of sailors seeking that size, style and speed combination on two hulls, it’s fuelled a real surge of new, big (and mostly fast) cats.

Gunboat can arguably be credited with igniting this performance cruising cat cult and we’ve been writing about and reviewing a multitude 45-60ft fast cruising cats in YW in recent years. Now they’re growing in size, space and pace. McConaghy, Balance, Kinetic, Advanced Yachts, Black Pepper, Cure Marine and HH are all producing or have recently launched varying levels of performance cats around the 70ft region.

Typically, these involve carbon or E-GRP lightweight composite construction, ultra fine bows, and powerful rigs with booms kept low down. Where Gunboat and HH are taking it to the next level of luxurious lightweight performance, we can see the needle shifting further still, and at each end of the spectrum too.

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At its sharpest, Persico’s new foiling 72 is being tested by the American Magic team and will surely prove the most rapid ‘cruise-equipped’ multihull to date. Thrill seekers should also check out S6’s dynamic foil-equipped Infinti 72 design, and the latest images of Daedalus’ jaw-dropping D75, D100 and D165 projects.

For the large part of the market less obsessed by speed comes the real space race that multihull platforms can provide – a market cornered by production yards Sunreef, Lagoon and Fountaine Pajot over the last decade, but one also seeing some evolution.

Think flybridges like flats, drop-down balconies and freestanding designer furniture, albeit combined with innovation in greener materials, propulsion and solar technology. Scaling up further, Echo Yachts in Australia is well into the secretive build of a monster 58m catamaran superyacht, which will go straight in to claim the spot as the world’s largest sailing multihull.

Welcome to a new era of Super sailing, that of supercats, megacats, and particularly the performance-oriented maxicats.

New MaxiCats – Space & real pace

Advanced AC72

Italian boutique yacht builder Advanced Yachts has turned its attention for the first time to multihulls. Active in the 60-80ft monohull sector, Advanced offers semi-custom yachts with fine Italian styling requiring a small crew of two or three.

It has started building the moulds for a 72ft catamaran that fits the same brief, with naval architecture by the renowned Reichel/Pugh. Performance is certainly an important consideration, but this is really designed to be a comfortable offshore cruising cat for bluewater cruising – or just loafing round the Med. It’s built in E-glass with a carbon-fibreglass deck and superstructure to keep the centre of gravity down and displacement to 35.5 tonnes.

The former is important when you add in the low-profile flybridge and towering carbon rig from Lorima. It also uses 4m-deep centreboards which lift into the boat hulls. “We have a higher power-to-weight ratio than anything else in the crewed yacht cruising capability class,” said sales director Jay Nolan.

“We put Gunboat and one or two others really in a separate Grand-Prix class. We’re not as powerful as that – we’re specifically stopping short of the most frightening performance where cats are a little edgy.”

Sail handling and navigation is all brought back to the flybridge, allowing the yacht to be sailed by a couple. The electric rudder control means it would also be easy to put a helm at the nav desk in the shelter of the saloon. “We’re building-in the ability to have protected controls not just with canvas on the flybridge,” added Nolan.

This leaves the aft cockpit free for guests to relax. There’s also a forward cockpit to take advantage of the breeze at anchor. The main deck is flush, with glass doors aft sliding completely away to open up one big indoor-outdoor space.

Configuration and finish is a matter for individual owners, but the concept from Cassetta Design puts a master owner’s cabin in the port hull and three guest cabins to starboard, with space for two crew. A large hydraulic platform aft serves for bathing and watersport toys, or carries a tender up to 4.6m in length when underway.

Holld 74

This Dutch startup and Zwartsluis yard has a focus on luxury, aiming to put the super into performance cruising catamarans. The founders are using their two decades of carbon composite superyacht boatbuilding experience, combined with that of designers including Eliot Thorne, to offer full carbon semi-custom cats ‘as technically advanced as they are visually stunning’. Holld promises a bespoke build programme for each owner using hybrid-ready platforms, smart digital systems and flexible modular interiors. This first 74 is already in build.

“We didn’t set out to build another production multihull,” says founder Guido Achtelik. “We set out to re-engineer the category from the ground up, using carbon and epoxy infusion, digital build processes, and an obsessive focus on precision, longevity, and performance with a superyacht finish.” The launch of the brand will be during the Cannes show.

Gunboat 80 Agave & new model teaser

Agave has been tearing it up since she hit the water in last May, but this second version of Gunboat’s 24.65m flagship is decidedly a (swift) cruising boat. Where the red hull number one was always destined for the Highland Fling racing programme, hull number two was customised with a number of more cruising-friendly features, notably around the interior.

Make no mistake, though: in the words of Gunboat, this is still an ‘objectively epic sailing machine’! From the pre-preg carbon layup and rotating mast to retractable T-propeller rudders and daggerboards, Agave is designed in true Gunboat tradition for exhilarating performance.

The yard reports that she matches true wind speed from 5 knots and tops out at over 30 knots, while the foils on the rudders reduce pitching in oceanic swell by 30%. Grand Prix accessories include ECsix carbon rigging, titanium fittings and HydrauNautic hydraulics with pressure sensors and a quick-release system to de-power the mainsheet, Cunningham, outhaul and other key controls.

With 16 hydraulic controls, the boat is designed for short-handed sailing. There’s little detail about the cruising interior, but the standard design allows for three guest cabins and up to three crew.

Meanwhile, Gunboat is hinting at an exciting new product range to be unveiled at the Cannes Yachting Festival. The French yard is remaining tight-lipped about the details, but we know that the debut model will be an 80-footer and that it will have a flybridge.

“What we are about to reveal is not just another yacht,” said marketing director Rodolphe Cadoret, “It’s the birth of an entirely new segment in high-performance sailing – a project that fuses long-distance capability, refined onboard experience, and the unmistakable Gunboat DNA.” The veil will be lifted on 9 September, but Gunboat is likening the move to that which saw Porsche launch the Cayenne as its first luxury SUV.

Black Pepper Code C.69

French speed merchant Black Pepper is at it again – this time with a catamaran. Pitching its debut multihull at a punchy 69ft LOA, the yard has just revealed a second order – before the first has even been delivered. The two hulls have already been completed by partner Multiplast in Vannes and towed to Black Pepper’s premises in Nantes, where they dominate the build shed.

Infused in carbon fibre, the hull of the C.69 is light despite plenty of hull openings. In fact, the yacht only displaces 17.5 tonnes light – so perhaps 21-22 tonnes fully loaded – not bad for a 70-footer!

The yard says it did a lot of soul searching before launching the multihull project with designers François Pérus and Romain Scolari. The brief was ‘handsome, fast, safe and high-tech’. The result is eye-catching: reverse bows and a heavy, bevelled tumblehome with a low coachroof and a long bowsprit. There are sunbeds just ahead of the mast, while the helm stations on the quarters seem to float above the deck.

Accommodation runs to two large double cabins and a triple with a fold-down berth, supported by up to three crew. But the layout is flexible. The second boat will feature a hard bimini extending aft from the coachroof to cover part of the cockpit. Its helm stations have been simplified and brought further inboard, leaving clearer side decks.

And it will also have a hybrid diesel-electric drive. The first boat will be launched at the end of the year, the second in 2026.

Baltic 107

It was big news when performance yacht builder Baltic revealed its first multihull order last year. Berret-Racoupeau’s 33m low profile design includes a flybridge and a full-beam bathing platform aft as well as cabins for eight guests.

But the performance is what makes this boat stand out: pivoting centreboards, a huge sail area and high-tech lay-up in carbon Corecell sandwich. Since we last covered it, moulding is now complete in line with delivery in summer 2027. “With bulkheads installed, the two hulls have been released from their tooling and connected together via the wet deck midsection,” said Baltic’s Henry Hawkins.

“Further structural members will now be installed as well as the commencement of system and interior fit-out. We continue to receive enquiries regarding the boat and potential future catamaran projects.”

Kinetic K6

Kinetic Catamarans, builders of performance voyaging cats the KC54 and KC62, is launching a formidable-looking new K6 range. It will be officially announced at the Cannes Yachting Festival this September, but we have the exclusive preview after speaking with founder Bob Hayward and veteran boatbuilder Leon Scheepers.

K6 comprises a new 63 and a 67, the former is for private use, designed to fit into a 20m berth, the latter is more aimed at sailing with pro crew. This US-based brand builds semi-bespoke high-end carbon fibre cats from its yard in Kynsna, South Africa, which is currently completing an expansion and redevelopment, to help accommodate the new K6 range and more larger models to come.

Cannes will be the first time its yachts are available to view at a show in Europe, a key market having sold four KC54s here now.

Together with design partners Simonis Voogd, Kinetic specialises in clean lines and prefers not to have daggerboards sticking out through the decks. “We’re staying with centreboards as it’s a system that works very well,” Hayward explains.

Controlled by line drivers, these are contained below the floorboards. “Our yachts are world cruisers, so if you hit something like a coral head, a weak fuse allows it to automatically ride-up. Replace the fuse and you’re back sailing in 20 minutes,” he adds, having tested the theory on his own KC62 in the Pacific.

The powerful sail plans are offered with slab-reefing or in-boom furling. Opting for a push-button controlled mainsheet and traveller plus furling sails makes the 63 manageable short-handed. Note, the traveller is led to the coachroof, which takes significant structural engineering, but keeps the aft cockpit free for a leisure zone.

A luxurious forward cockpit sees sunbeds built into the deck and a retractable awning above. Kinetic won’t do a flybridge, but its forward helm stations are key for its owners, close to the sail controls. The K6 also has twin exterior wheels on distinct mezzanine levels for optimum visibility.

Superyacht vibes continue with a wide fold-down swim platform, carbon davits that fold out of the roof supports and bulwark side doors. The port hull offers a full owner’s suite, including an office, with its own private access aft. These are 48V powered yachts, including the aircon and refrigeration, and use Integral E-drives delivering up to 15kW each into the house batteries bank.

Stay tuned for more to come in the next couple of years from this maturing brand.

HH80

If there does happen to be anyone left out there still thinking cats don’t look cool, then perhaps show them a picture of the HH80. This bang-up-to-date Morrelli & Melvin turbo cat might be the only beast out there to get near a Gunboat 80’s performance. A carbon epoxy build with prepeg boards, it has a 30m-high mast and is capable of hull flying. Can you imagine that?

HH says it has the lowest boom in class for a low centre of effort and fast, smooth ride. While the light displacement figure is not given and will depend on interior fitout, a generous cruising payload weight of up to 40 tonnes is presented. HH has some form at this supersize level too, having delivered the HH88 two years ago.

It’s since been flat-out building its latest range, the new 44s, 52s and 56 to come. The HH80 appearance is all curves and muscle, from the reverse bows to sculpted sections of the coachroof, which help fashion forward and aft cockpits. Below that glass-look roof is a multitude of solar panels (around 11kW) on the carbon superstructure.

A self-tacking jib could be controlled by a captive winch for more short-handed operation, and M&M’s predictions are it could offer sparkling cruising ability with 250+ mile days possible in just 12 knots breeze! The design affords real space to the forward cockpit, with the winches and sail handling set well forward at the start of the longeron.

Walking through the sliding doors from there to the main saloon must be like entering the Starship Enterprise (you can almost hear the ‘swoosh’ noise of the doors). At 79ft, it offers the most space and speed available without falling into restrictive big yacht coding.

The HH80 is designed to suit six to eight guests with space for two to three crew in dedicated accommodation.

Balance 750

Balance is a US/South African brand/build which has really created momentum since its 2013 inception with a range of refreshing performance voyaging cats packed with practical and original thinking. And now it’s gone big, with a new flagship 750 that launched in Cape Town earlier this year, named Some Day. Balance claims it will redefine luxury and speed.

The company is named so for good reason, aiming to hit that balance of speed and agility using fine hulls with daggerboards paired with airy, modern comfort. The 750 adds a liberal sprinkling of luxury into the mix. This is also the first Balance with a forward cockpit, linked to the saloon via a waterproof door.

Offering another relaxation zone, this also houses the primary winches at the mast base, so the boat can be trimmed from forward or controlled from either aft helm. We particularly like the inboard station Balance has designed, allowing its swing wheel VersaHelm to cant to a fully protected steering position.

A powerfully rigged yacht, the 750 is controlled using a full hydraulic system, including rams in the boom, mast, beams, and captive winches. This promotes short-handed use, so two or three hands can sail and operate the yacht. It’s also a sleek-looking design by Anton Du Toit, with low hulls and roof.

A flybridge is an option, and Some Day has an in between ‘flylounge’ to give some sunlounger space between the solar field. The interior shows how the UK’s Design Unlimited is one of the world’s best at combining superyacht glam with lightweight materials. Furniture is all foam cored styled with wood veneers, in accommodation laid out with four or five cabins with or without crew quarters.

The hulls, deck and structure are foam cored too, keeping displacement to 32 tonnes. Infused E-glass is predominantly used for noise insulation, while there’s also plenty of carbon reinforcement in high-load areas and bulkheads.

Persico Cat 72

Construction work on this 72ft speed project by Persico Marine has continued since 2023 behind a veil – until January this year, that is. The finished hull was revealed in a series of images which show just how narrow its twin hulls are, and how they are allied to a low-profile superstructure.

An enormous longeron dominates the forward half of the boat, which wastes no weight in fripperies such as foredecks. Underlining the performance potential of this 21.5 tonne Morrelli & Melvin project, American Magic has ‘come on board’, with sea trials and fine-tuning of the boat, shifting to the team’s base in Pensacola, Florida.

Persico promises it will ‘push the yacht to its limits’. And those limits look to be pretty far out, thanks to a full set of foils that are designed to keep the hulls flying just above the water. There are rake-controlled righting-moment foils (RMFoils) over 7m in length, daggerboards for leeway control, and T-rudders with rake control. The whole set-up is integrated with Gomboc’s Flight Control System, which manages the foil angles of attack.

Expectations are that the RMFoil is beneficial from wind speeds of around 9 knots and allows the yacht to skim at 20 knots in just 13 knots of true wind. Persico reports that the system will automatically lower the flight of the boat and manage speeds according to the owner’s preference.

Nonetheless, a crew of at least three is required to sail with a choice of two exterior helm stations or a protected interior wheel, which gives access to mainsail management and all flight controls. The yacht has a pared-back, modern interior from Design Unlimited.

And despite potential speeds of up to 40 knots, Persico describes it as possessing ‘the comfort of a cruising vessel’. The coachroof is studded with 2kW of solar panels and the yacht features electric boats propulsion.

Supercats – Size & some speed

McConaghy Sapphire Plus MC & Panther

While it built its name on its high-performance and record-breaking maxi monohulls, McConaghy has proved that it can build anything, from AC40s and their hydrogen chase boats to a deep-sea submersible. It’s also no stranger to multihulls, including its largest craft to date, the sensational, futuristic 42.5m trimaran Adastra, which launched 10 years ago. Latterly, it’s really honed in on the large cruising multihull market, with its MC range of sailing cats.

These Jason Ker designs, with their signature flybridge-mounted aft helms, began with the MC50 in 2018, and grew to include last year’s spectacular launch, the MC75 Jack. Such has been the interest in these large cats that McConaghy has recently conceived two full new ranges: a Panther line of electric hybrid yachts from 48-68ft and a Sapphire range of super spacious supercats from 70-115ft. Both are, of course, carbon builds, the forte of this yard.

The Sapphire range looks to be going after more of the Sunreef space race market, albeit with distinctly more sailing focus. Despite Sapphires aiming to offer ‘the largest interior volume in the world relative to their size’, they should still sail well. The yard predicts they’ll be able to average speeds in the teens – in 20 knots the S80 should reach at almost 14 knots, and could even hit 20 knots on its day. Now that would be a sight!

Retractable composite centreboards drop 5m down from the hull at the push of a button to help offer pointing ability, while sail handling systems use advanced push-button technology to make operation by a small crew easy. In terms of comfort, these highly voluminous yachts won’t be lacking. A hard bimini covers both the forward and aft cockpits, while the side windows can open out at the push of a button.

Vaan R8

An aluminium supercat. After all, it’s the material of choice for the majority of monohull superyachts. Vaan has been quietly making a name for itself as a specialist in luxury aluminium multihulls with a focus on greener building. Its 40ft R4 and 50ft R5 have proved its use of recycled and fully recyclable aluminium as a viable material for its semi-bespoke electric powered yachts.

Our full review of the R5 follows next month, but suffice to say when you board this yacht and appreciate the finish quality and particularly the natural light the huge coachroof windows bring (thanks to the stiff structure), it’s easy to picture the appeal of scaling up the design. Reassuringly, the naval architecture is once again by fellow Dutch firm Dykstra, world-class superyacht designers.

Vaan likes to keep the boom low for performance, so no flybridge on the R8. There is, however, an internal helm, linking to a forward cockpit, and when you combine these with the saloon and aft cockpit, it equates to formidable single-level living space.

Siting the galley down to starboard amidships will also emphasise this space. And it’s designed like a superyacht, so the crew quarters forward link to the galley, mess and the bridge. Elsewhere, there’s space for five guest suites, but another benefit of aluminium is that each yacht is built to order so layout can be adaptable to suit.

Equally, aft helms or benches can be chosen, a crane, davits, swim platform etc. The R8 will be powered by two electric engines with two diesel range extenders and a 100kWh battery bank. Displacement is predicted to be between 35-40 tonnes. Construction of the R6 is due to start later this year and Vaan has several serious prospects for this R8, a project born from demand, founder Igor Kluin confides.

JFA 87

French yard JFA has been working with fast cruising monohull and multihull expert Marc Lombard on a successor to its 85ft sailing catamaran for a couple of years, and the new design is now well in build. Measuring 87ft LOA, it has an extended flybridge, featuring a new navigation station, a sheltered bar and a large saloon, with solar panels on the hardtop.

Franck Darnet’s interior uses the 11m beam to deliver a huge social space flush with the cockpit, and a wonderful owner’s cabin forward at deck level. The aluminium hull has been completed and was recently married with the glass-epoxy composite deck, allowing interior systems to start going in.

Cabinetry is already taking shape. The US-based owner plans to sail round the world with a family of four.

Lagoon Eighty 2

We featured this yacht in our Cannes show preview last issue, where it will be making it’s world debut this autumn. The hull design comes just below the 24m mark in terms of class, making the boat an attractive candidate for charter, just like its 77ft predecessor.

Key features of the new model include a large 50m2 flybridge with a hard-top and optional Jacuzzi, plus a wide lifting bathing platform that extends the flexible cockpit space. Accommodation is designed for eight guests, where the centrepiece is the owner’s suite with its drop-down balcony.

Loose furniture that can be specified by the owner is a new feature, creating much greater customisation potential. And the hull is made of 40% bio-sourced resin, with a lower carbon footprint.

Megacats – Supersized space

Sunreef 43

Moulding the hulls for this sailing cat was completed back in February and constituted the largest one-shot infusion project in the world, according to Sunreef. Flybridge and bimini mouldings are also complete, with work well under way on the interior systems of this 140ft ‘supercat’.

The hulls alone account for 1,700m2 of composite surface and will be embedded with part of the 250m2 of third-generation ‘solar skin’, capable of generating 60kW of electrics. It can be stored in the huge 1MWh battery system – a bank that can propel the yacht under silent electric power for 12 hours, or guarantee night after night of silent operation at anchor.

A regenerative propulsion system allows the yacht to make electricity while sailing. The 43 Eco should sail too, with speeds well into double figures. But the real draw is the enormous volume and open deck space. Highlights include the giant flybridge with a spa pool, flexible lounging dining space with a bar on the main deck level and the beach club with fold-down side platforms.

There’s accommodation for up to 12 guests and we expect a generous forward owner’s suite with prime views. Three boats have already been sold!

Echo Yachts 58m

Dubbed the ‘Adventure Sailing Catamaran’, this true megacat promises to be the world’s largest luxury sailing cat when completed. And Australian shipbuilder Echo Yachts has experience here, having already built a 56m powered cat and an 84m trimaran.

This all-aluminium, full-custom build features a twin DynaRig sail system. Designed by Dykstra Naval Architects in collaboration with One2three Naval Architects, the yacht is engineered to manage the complex structural loads unique to sailing catamarans. It incorporates dual shaft generators that harvest energy from trawling controllable-pitch propellers, and a battery storage system that ensures emissions-free operation and extends range while under sail.

Sunreef 35 Eco

Never one to slacken the pace, Sunreef also announced the sale of a new 35 Eco sailing cat late last year. The 115ft boat is being built in the UAE and is slated for delivery in 2028.

Like all Sunreefs, it will feature a huge solar array for renewable power, as well as vast outdoor spaces, including a 100m2 flybridge with a plunge pool. Accommodation is for up to 10, with a master cabin dominating the forward section of the superstructure and filling the full 14.7m beam.

Its bathroom includes a tub positioned with fine views out through deep glazing and freestanding his ‘n’ hers basins in limestone-effect composite. The saloon includes an elegant bar running down the starboard side and the yacht represents a new level of interior finish for Sunreef. An ‘ocean lounge’ is formed by a combination of the aft platform and the fold-down side wings, reached down a few teak wood-lined steps from the aft cockpit lounge area. catamarans-lagoon.com

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Replacing a very successful model is a huge challenge for any boatbuilder. Is it best to take a conservative approach, opting for a similar design to the original with only incremental updates and improvements? Or should they take a much more radical line, introducing innovative features that turn long established thinking on its head?

The new Lagoon 43 has a very different hull shape to its predecessor, with much broader forward sections above the waterline. Key motivations for this were to create a charter version with four equal double cabins, all with large peninsula beds, and to move the berth in the owner’s suite to the front of the boat in three-cabin layouts, without compromising the size of the bed.

This moves it as far away as possible from noise in the cockpit, from the engines, and from busy town quays when moored stern to, as well as improving natural ventilation while sleeping. The new boat also has many smaller improvements which represents a big upgrade on the original.

But how do the changes in hull shape affect handling and performance? As with other Lagoons, I found the boat surprisingly responsive even in light winds, when it could be reliably tacked on the mainsail alone. Of course a catamaran of this size weighing a whopping 13.9 tonnes (it’s 1,800kg heavier than the Lagoon 42) will never have the direct feel of a performance yacht, yet it’s responsive to the helm and easy to point the boat where you want it.

The forward sections of each hull are much wider above the waterline, opening up options for better accommodation. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Steady sailing

Closehauled under full sail in 18-19 knots of true wind we consistently made around 7.5 knots at a true wind angle, while tacking through around 100°, although as the wind eased upwind speed fell quickly. Nevertheless, bearing away to 100° true wind angle and unfurling the Code 0 had us accelerating back to 7-7.5 knots in 12-15 knots of breeze, reducing to 6.2 knots as the true wind dropped to little more than 8 knots.

There’s noticeable acceleration as the breeze builds, yet also a reassuringly solid feel in stronger gusts. Even though this boat has huge stability Lagoon includes a fuse in the mainsheet that will release around 1m of the line if the boat is at risk of becoming overpowered. It’s a simple idea, yet could be a game changer if caught by a severe and unexpected squall.

It’s important to recognise that this is a boat for which the design brief was to maximise accommodation volumes and it’s not one intended to sail at impressive double-digit speeds downwind and reaching in strong winds. Instead, the expectation is to shorten sail early to maintain speeds of around 8 knots, with only occasional faster surfs.

The single helm station is typical Lagoon and at eye level with those sitting on the flybridge or in contact with the aft cockpit area. Photo: Ben Scheurer/EYOTY

Nevertheless in early sea trials off Les Sables d’Olonne in 30 knots and 3m waves in March last year the test team reported being able to keep full sail set.

Waterline beam is the same as for the Lagoon 42, so wetted surface area at lower boat speeds in light airs is more or less unchanged compared to the old model. Unfortunately, in the flat water conditions of my test, it was not possible to get a sense of how much the extra buoyancy above the static waterline forward will impact the boat’s motion when upwind in an uncomfortable sea state.

Sail area has been increased compared to the 42, but not by enough to offset a big increase in displacement. In lighter airs the boat proved less inspiring and in 10-12 knots of breeze the best tacking angle we could manage was 110°, with boat speed of little more than a disappointing five knots. In these conditions speed increased and the boat felt more responsive on bearing away a little and deploying the Code 0, but the sheeting angles of our test boat weren’t configured to allow this sail to be used upwind.

Reversible rear-facing cockpit seats mean you can look forward into the saloon or aft out to sea. Note bulwark gates for easy boarding/disembarking. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Boat handling

The raised helm station is typical Lagoon, with all sail controls at your fingertips, other than sheets and furling lines for reaching sails or asymmetric spinnakers. Visibility is good except when close-hauled on starboard tack and when reaching with a spinnaker or Code 0.

In common with most that are sold to private owners, our test boat was fitted with optional electric winches and an electric Harken FlatWinder system for the mainsheet traveller, making for very easy push-button sail handling. The traveller is located at the aft end of the bridge deck, keeping the mainsheet well clear of crew and guests, providing they’re not standing up on the flybridge.

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The test boat also had the benefit of a square top mainsail, which is 13% larger than the standard sail. Overall sail area has also been increased compared to the Lagoon 42, though the new boat’s greater displacement represents 15% extra weight.

Raised helm positions can be less sociable than other options given the disconnect with the aft cockpit and saloon areas. However, there’s space for three or four people around the wide helm seat, while anyone sitting on the semi-flybridge – a feature not offered on the 42 – is almost at eye level with those at the helm station.

A solid bimini that can be fitted with side screens is provided over the helm station, but there’s no option for similar shelter above the flybridge seating as the boom is too low. The helm may therefore be a more lonely place in inclement weather, or a long night watch.

The opening between saloon and cockpit is greatly enlarged. Seating here is arranged very flexibly – it can be set up to accommodate up to a dozen people for dining, or with a smaller table and ample space for lounging and sun beds. Photo: Julien Gazeau

This is compounded by the lack of a dedicated navigation station at the front of the saloon, though if on watch in inclement weather it would be possible to sit on the forward end of the saloon seating, with a pilot remote and tablet for navigation. There’s a good view forward and to each side from here, but large blind spots on each quarter.

Spending time on a Lagoon has always been about far more than just the sailing – it’s about all aspects of enjoying life on the water and the new boat has been improved in many respects. In addition to the flybridge, for instance, there’s also better forward cockpit arrangement so there are now three separate socialising areas on board.

The wide bench right aft has a reversible backrest, so you can sit looking inwards towards the aft cockpit and saloon, or aft facing out over the water. It’s the first time this has been done on any Lagoon, but it’s a really neat idea and well executed. The same is true of the new gates in the aft topsides of each hull that make stepping off onto a pontoon much easier than usual from a catamaran and can be useful for safely transferring to a tender.

The wider bows enables the master cabin berth to be moved to the front of the boat, away from cockpit and engine noise. Photo: Julien Gazeau

Multi-role living space

The changes to the hull shape allows for impressive sleeping accommodation in the hulls, with much larger forecabins, yet still space for two heads compartments with separate shower stalls in each hull, although these have folding hand basins to save space.

There’s also a refreshingly different arrangement for the owner’s accommodation in three-cabin boats, with the bed forward. This layout for owner’s versions also features on the new Lagoon 38 that was announced at boot Düsseldorf in January.

More of the master cabin berth. Photo: Julien Gazeau

“We had this idea for years,” Lagoon’s Quentin Beraut told me, “but we couldn’t do it before having the appropriate hull shape – it required a lot of work with VPLP to get a workable design with the necessary volumes.”

Another important change is that the opening between the saloon and aft cockpit is much wider than on the Lagoon 42, with a three-section sliding door and carbon reinforcement to retain strength and stiffness around the aperture. This is transformational in creating a large single inside-outside space of around 15ft by 25-30ft. This also means it’s possible to have a big dining table that seats up to a dozen people – ideal for visits from extended family – while more intimate set ups are also possible if cruising as a couple.

The feeling of space in the saloon is enhanced through moving the mast further forward than on earlier designs. The compression post is just ahead of the galley sink, where it doesn’t get in the way of the layout and is visually unobtrusive.

Saloon is bright and spacious with good views forward and to each side. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Cooking and dining

A large and well-appointed galley has extensive worktop space, a four burner gas hob, 1.5 bowl sink and very extensive refrigeration, as well as plenty of stowage, including three big under floor compartments.

The saloon table can seat as many as seven people with the cockpit door closed in inclement weather, or when using air conditioning. Roughly 50% of smaller Lagoons leave the yard with aircon fitted, although the numbers vary hugely in different markets. In the USA, BVIs and Asia the figure is close to 100%, but is much lower in Europe, even among private owners based in the Mediterranean.

Another impressive aspect is the ease with which people can circulate around the boat. We had seven on board for my first sail and it still felt very spacious, with no major choke points. It’s an important factor, as it’s possible to sleep 13 people on four-cabin versions if you specify both skipper cabins in the bows and the optional additional Pullman bed in the port aft cabin.

Lagoon 43 excels as a platform for fun in the sun. Photo: Lagoon Catamarans

On the downside, the interior has a surprising amount of plasticky trim, where more solid wood capping might be expected on a boat of this value, as well as a lot of 90° edges, rather than rounded corners. Some of these were already showing signs of wear on our test boat.

Construction throughout is of balsa core, with VPLP responsible for structural engineering, a function that was previously carried out by Lagoon in-house. Our test boat was fitted with an experimental ‘silent running’ package consisting of lithium batteries and two alternators per engine, plus 400W of solar and two vertical axis wind generators on the mast. The idea is to enable seven hours of air conditioning to be used overnight at low to medium settings, without recourse to running a generator, as well as running refrigeration and other hotel loads overnight.

There is provision for an optional generator under one of the seats in the forward cockpit. There’s also lots of on deck stowage for watersports, toys, bikes and so on, especially if the optional skipper cabins are not specified in the front of each hull.

Incidentally, the 42 remains in build, but with only one fairly well equipped specification and a four-cabin layout, which streamlines the production process. This enables Lagoon it sell it for €500,000 ex VAT, representing a saving of around €100,000 compared to the on the water price of a Lagoon 43 with a typical specification for owners on this side of the Atlantic.

Lagoon 43 specifications

LOA: 13.85m 45ft 5in
Hull length: 12.82m 42ft 1in
Beam: 7.69m 25ft 3in
Draught: 1.31m 4ft 4in
Displacement: 13,900kg 30,848lb
Upwind sail area: 105m2 1,130ft2
Air draught: 19.94m 65ft 5in
Base price: €499,000 ex VAT

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Lagoon 43 review: Will this voluminous new cat be the world’s most popular multihull? appeared first on Yachting World.

There are many categories in the European Yacht of the Year awards, from the best luxury yachts and performance yachts to the best yachts for families and evet a best specialist yacht category. But with multihulls rapidly increasing in popularity, the best catamaran and multihull category is often hotly anticipated.

The small number of entrants in this category in no way reflects the rich range or huge demand for multihulls. Many new models were launched by the big yards in the preceding years and they’re struggling to keep up with bulging order books.

2024 saw a reduced showing of new multihulls this year, which is perhaps representative of a market that’s been booming for many years, but also one which is slowing its new model releases as it struggles to fill order books.

Best catamaran and multihull

Best catamaran and multihull 2025 winner – Nautitech 48 Open

Space, speed and style. Is this the best-looking current production cat? It builds on the success of the 44 Open, offering more space in the key areas you want it, increasing practical stowage throughout, while that extra waterline length helps offer high average speeds.

This is a sailor’s yacht – on the helm you can really feel the acceleration and sail the shifts as if aboard a performance monohull.

The Lombard design studio incorporated its trademark reverse sheer to help keep a low freeboard impression, and shifted the rig aft to keep the bows deliberately dry. The result can be felt immediately on the water with the non-immersed bows resulting in fast, easy tacking. There’s also less danger of catching a bow in waves as these dry forward sections increase as the bows lift with speed.

We spent a lot of our trial matching single-figure windspeeds and when I found a 12-knot ‘gust’, I was amazed how quickly we accelerated up to double figures close reaching. Aft helm cats often receive negative comments about their exposed steering positions and a lack of clear forward vision. And while those points stand, I usually feel the trade-offs are worthwhile for the sailing experience – certainly so here.

The direct steering is superb, incomparable to a bulkhead helm or flybridge helm. Practical solutions that will suit bluewater cruising include the low boom, forward-facing navstation, and redundancy features for the electrical and steering systems. The Naca profile fixed keels also allow for drying out.

The test boat had a three-cabin layout plus a utility cabin. The hulls are noticeably narrow forward, but the yard has used the dimensions well, especially in this multipurpose SmartRoom. The build and finish quality is production level – nicely designed but to a price.

Were I to be offered €1m to spend on a new yacht, this might make my shortlist. It’s one of the rare production cats that makes you want to remain on the helm. No complex daggerboards hinder the accommodation, which allows intelligent layout solutions to be offered. For distance voyaging at a good average speed, this has the waterline length to deliver, combined with comfort throughout.

Lagoon 43

Lagoon continues to build the highest numbers – nearly 1,100 Lagoon 42s have launched since 2016. And while this new Lagoon 43 was slated as a replacement, the 42’s continued popularity sees its production run continue (albeit only the four-cabin model for charter). The new 43 is the same length and width, but otherwise quite different.

A chief goal was to offer four equal size cabins for charter guests, and to move the berth in the owner’s cabin version forward away from the dock. The result is that the 43 looks especially wide in the bows. Hard chines just above the waterline on the inboard side of the hulls help to keep the wetted surface areas down. VPLP admits there were worries about its seakeeping in chop, but say its CFD analysis shows it works.

That said, we found this 14-tonne cat struggles to point and prefers to be sailed slightly freer, and a Code 0 is key in lighter breezes. See more next month. Access from the dinghy/dock/ocean has all changed, including new bulwark door openings.

Nauta Design worked particularly hard on the connecting saloon and cockpit and how the dual tables and chairs can combine. There’s also a flybridge area above the bulkhead helm which offers some seating without pushing the boom too high, while the cockpit aft bench allows you to sit facing forward or aft with feet on a net.

Best catamaran and multihull winner 2024 – Outremer 52

My highlight test of 2023? Sailing this Outremer 52 for 200 miles over two days and nights! Quite how such a large vessel, one that is capable of doing laps of the planet in true comfort, is also capable of providing such enjoyable sailing is the secret sauce that helps scoop this prize.

And it was pushed hard for this award by the disruptive HH. But the Outremer is such a well rounded, measured and thought out yacht for bluewater cruising at a reliable speed – it’s the full package, a dream boat for family bluewater sailing and arguably the French yard’s best and most refined model to date.

Designer VPLP was tasked with replacing the popular and well proven 51 with more comfort and stowage, while maintaining the performance. It says it took the best of the 55 (which won this award two years ago), and the best of the 51’s deck plan to create this 52. The result means too many good features to point out here, from the variety of helm positions, including a completely protected position inboard using the swing pedestal, to the well conceived spaces. I’d therefore recommend reading our full test report online or in YW’s June 2023 issue!

Neel 52

Neel continues to enjoy its cruising trimaran niche, using the wow factor of bridgedeck accommodation combined with the type of sailing enjoyment and feedback monohull sailors appreciate.

The impressive lightwind performance and direct feel of a Neel I am used to. But I don’t think I’ve ever been so surprised by the amount of cabins or space as I was on this 52. It’s available with four to six cabins plus the option for two crew cabins aft! Some of this maze works well, other areas, such as the forward cabins in the main hull not quite so well. Horizon and rig sightlines and some finishing also leaves room for improvement.

HH44

The HH44 seemingly manages to achieve the space and pace balance in a compact 45ft package, while also being one of the most innovative and exciting new production yachts I have sailed. From its looks to layout, to practical on deck solutions such as swing pedestals, side gates through the bulwarks and transom gates that double as swim platforms and boost cockpit security, it’s packed with fresh thinking.

And on the subject of ‘fresh’, the natural ventilation encouraged into the yacht through those massive forward facing coachroof windows which open – a feat made possible thanks to a stiff carbon composite structure – negates any aircon requirements.

With its deep carbon boards and tall carbon rig the HH44 is a powerful, reactive animal to sail. However, it’s the incorporation of the first parallel hybrid electric drive units which really makes this high tech high performance cat stand out. The electric motors are attached to the aft end of conventional diesel engines, not only providing silent power, but renewable energy through regenerative drives while sailing.

Best catamaran and multihull 2023

Best catamaran winner – Nautitech 44

If the very best catamaran delivers the ideal comfort to performance compromise, here’s a catamaran that seems to strike the perfect balance.

For those who cite a lack of visibility and protection as reasons not to choose this aft helm route, try sailing this first – direct steering brings so much more helming pleasure that you get the enjoyable feeling and communication more associated with a monohull. The attention to keeping weight low and central, vacuum infused vinylester build and a low coachroof and boom all aid this performance. The fine entry Lombard-designed hulls allowed us to properly point upwind at 8 knots (in 13), but it was the hands-on steering sensation that really stayed with me.

While there’s no real inside/outside boundary – the saloon bridges both – the Chedal-Anglay interior design works well. It is not as voluminous as some, but is certainly enough to be smugly comfortable at anchor, finished to a good quality, with walnut Alpi trim as standard. The layout option for a ‘smart room’ office/laundry/bunk room or stowage cabin is indeed really smart.

Out of all the multihulls nominated or sailed last year, this cat impressed me the most under sail. It’s the ideal size to go distance sailing, with good performance, low draught and space for family and friends. It had me dreaming.

Balance 482

I was drawn to the Balance 482, thanks to the combination of good looking modern design, high average speeds and, chiefly, the profusion of clever thinking and practical ideas that it brings. The South African build uses a foam core with E-glass laminate and cored furniture for a light weight of 11.3 tonnes, but also with the ability to take a generous payload.

An electric furler option combined with screecher sail helps offer effortless handling and fun sailing, although the 482 prefers a breeze in the double figures. Smart options such as load cells on the rigging, a bowsprit camera to monitor the anchor chain, plus engine room and mast cams all help for maintaining vigilance. Other features we like include the solar panels properly installed on raised brackets, raincatchers built into the coachroof, and how all sheets and lines are led to the helm station. But the prize solution is the VersaHelm, which allows you to swing the wheel inboard, close off the helm station, and stand watch and steer from a fully protected position.

Catana Ocean Class

The Catana Ocean Class is a bulky model which is geared more towards creature comforts than the higher performance of its predecessors. That said, it uses carbon in the structure and roof, foam cored furniture, the tanks are mounted low in the hulls and it has daggerboards and fine entry bows. The weight savings help it offer a massive 5.5 tonne cruising payload, plus there’s capacious stowage and large tank, refrigeration and laundry capacity.

Positioned between Lagoon and Outremer, the Catana echoes a bit of its sister brand Bali’s concept with its internal cockpit-cum-saloon layout while providing good ventilation via large sliding doors and opening windows. We liked how it’s easy to handle solo from one helm station, including the electric remote control of the boards, plus the layout of the galley and navstation.

C-Cat 48

Those chasing speed and helming pleasure should perhaps look to the C-Cat 48, as it’s as close to helming a fast monohull as a cruising cat is likely to get and one of the rare times we enjoyed sailing upwind in light breezes on a multihull! This is largely thanks to a lightweight, stiff build – the Comar yard has managed to save 1.7 tonnes over the first boat (9.5 tonnes light) and increased the draught of the curved daggerboards to 2.95m.

A carbon roof and rig comes as standard, as well as an epoxy hull, full carbon deck, bulkheads and compression beam. It is a little quirky with comparatively small volumes, but this François Perus design will outperform most other performance cats and monohulls of a similar length.

Excess 14

The Excess 14 shares that direct sensation you get from aft helms and some of the performance of the C-Cat, but in a more balanced, voluminous layout for cruising. The Excess 14 benefits from the research of VPLP’s Vannes racing office, where attention was focused on weight reduction, with savings particularly in furniture, on improved stiffness (PET foam cored sandwich for main structural bulkheads), and the efficiency of deeper fixed keels.

The result is telling on the water, as it should be for any best catamaran contender, where you can log easy miles: we clocked late 7s upwind, reached in the late 8s and regularly averaged 9 knots with gennaker in 12-15 knots. Clear glass windows give acceptable visibility from the helms through the coachroof and the comparatively minimalist interior. In short it offers a good mix of volume, reasonable performance and enjoyable sailing – see our full review last month.

Sailing performance was another key facet in the battle of the big cats from the big cat yards, Lagoon and Fountaine Pajot. Both models offer luxurious amounts of space for home from home comfort, as watersports bases for long term cruising.

Lagoon 51

The decision to push the mast to the front of the coachroof to allow for a larger genoa than its recent preference for self-tacking jibs has paid off on the Lagoon 51. It helped us sail efficiently into the waves (albeit not pointing too high) before clocking double figures reaching with the code sail in 15 knots.

The Lagoon’s large flybridge with dual access is a USP at this size that will be a hit or miss deal breaker for many. The 51 offers unrivalled accommodation volume in three, four or six cabins, and relaxation zones, and good circulation through these big spaces. Once again the jury applauds Lagoon for thoroughly testing the prototype model during a six month tour. Over 100 have already sold.

Aura 51

We saw in our December issue how the experienced owners of the Fountaine Pajot test boat choose to live and work full time aboard their Aura 51. It’s a design that promotes space, enough to take friends, family and crucially for them, all the toys to enjoy at anchor. Its capability of averaging 8-10 knots also appeals, although the single side helm and hydraulic steering result in scant connection to the sailing in light winds (the same applies to the Lagoon).

The fact the yard already offers this in a hybrid version and has an electric and hydrogen model in the pipeline could sway some, but the decision between the FP and the Lagoon will likely come down to preference between a central flybridge or offset bulkhead helm together with interior design and layout.

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Yacht design continues to advance quickly, as evidenced by the leap in performance made by the current generation of IMOCA 60s compared to just four years previously. The same is true among cruising designs and the Nautitech 48 Open also represents a big step forward, with hull shapes refined compared to those of the Nautitech 44 that was launched only three years ago. This simultaneously boosts performance while also improving handling and safety.

One of the key design aims was to improve performance at typical moderate sailing speeds of around 8 knots, which was achieved by modifying the rocker profile of the bottom of the hull, especially towards the transom. At the same time the bows are 10cm above the static loaded waterline, which helps the boat to turn more easily, both at sea and when manoeuvring in harbour. High aspect ratio rudders mounted almost right aft also help in this respect.

This boat has a very direct feel to the helm and in many ways it’s more like a monohull to steer, even if the difference that small tweaks to sail trim make is not as easy to notice. It’s also notable that very little speed is lost in tacks and in this respect the boat handles more like a good monohull than a traditional catamaran with immersed forefoots.

Relatively narrow hulls, below and above the waterline, give faster sailing and a smoother motion. Photo: Nautitech

In fact, spinning the boat as quickly as possible in a tack is the best option, even if that feels counterintuitive, especially to a yacht sailor. When executed neatly boat speed drops remarkably little.

The aft helm positions and open concept also make steering a much more sociable occupation than with a raised helm position. The downsides are that these positions lack protection and visibility is not as good, particularly past the coachroof. In one sense this is little different to a monohull with a blind spot under the jib, but can take some getting used to and even then will never have universal appeal.

Still, it should be no surprise that the Nautitech 48 Open has potential to maintain high average speeds on passage. In 12 knots of true breeze, with a 125m2 furling gennaker set, we made just over 10.5 knots with the true wind just aft of the beam, and 9 knots in slightly more breeze but deeper angles between 110° and 120°.

Performance dipped slightly to 7 knots when the true wind dropped to 10 knots. This was with the Code 0, rather than an asymmetric spinnaker, all of which points to easy 200-plus mile days when on passage.

Lombard’s reverse sheer and modest freeboard produce a powerful look. Photo: Nautitech

Design secrets

Another design aim for the Nautitech 48 Open was to improve both handling and safety by inducing the bows to lift further at higher speeds. This reduces the chances of burying a bow when sailing downwind in boisterous conditions, which in turn reduces any tendency for the bows to steer the boat into a broach.

This additional lift is mostly achieved by tweaking the rocker shape of the underside of the hull towards the transoms, with a little help from U-shaped underwater sections near the bow. Lionel Huetz of the Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group told me neither of these changes are extreme, so the modified bow shape doesn’t promote slamming in a head sea, while drag at the transom that would put a brake on acceleration is not increased at moderate speeds.

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“What we’ve done is a combination of starting with the bows slightly raised,” Huetz told me, “which means the hull shape doesn’t need to generate a lot of lift. Aft of that the key is to have the correct rocker shape underneath, but without adding too much rocker, because that adds drag at medium speeds and stops the boat accelerating.”

The result of these changes is that turbulence at the transoms of the Nautitech 48 Open disappears at speeds over 10 knots, when the stern wave is left behind in a manner that has similarities to a monohull planing.

There’s still plenty of space for cruisers to relax and spend long periods aboard. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Frustratingly, we didn’t have enough wind to see this under sail, but in light airs and the twin 75hp Volvo Penta diesel engines running at 3,100rpm we made an impressive 11.3 knots of boat speed. At that speed the stern wave was well behind the boat and the front metre of each hull airborne, with the bows roughly 30cm above the water. This will clearly be advantageous when sailing downwind VMG angles in a big breeze.

At the other end of the scale, performance in very light airs has long been an excellent test of a thoroughbred design. Our test boat had an 89m2 Code 0 designed for tight sheeting angles and upwind use, allowing us to sail at apparent wind angles of 30° in 3-6 knots of true breeze. Impressively for a boat with a light displacement of 13.5 tonnes, our boat speed almost equalled the true wind speed in these conditions, and the helm still retained its very precise feel.

The test Nautitech 48 Open also had a very high aspect ratio self-tacking jib, which makes for wonderfully easy handling.

The funky-shaped wheels are, in Nautitech fashion, mounted right aft for direct steering. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

A more efficient 64m2 overlapping sail is offered as an option, which might reduce the need to carry the upwind Code 0, leaving a furling gennaker, plus an 18m2 asymmetric spinnaker handled with a sock, as options that would give an efficient all-round sail inventory without having to carry too many individual sails.

Huetz also says the overlapping headsails give a perfect sail plan downwind in a big breeze when combined with two reefs in the main.

Safe speeds

During initial sea trials off the Atlantic coast of France, the first Nautitech 48 Open notched up 20 knots boat speed sailing at a 120° true wind angle and 20-25 knots of breeze in 4m waves. I’m told the boat was very easy to steer, even using the pilot, but still with the option to play the waves and have a lot of fun.

This may sound alarming to those accustomed to a more sedate pace while cruising, but a 120° true wind angle gives lots of scope to bear away and massively reduce the apparent wind speed, thereby calming everything down if necessary.

Long hull windows give lots of light and opportunity for views from the cabins. Photo: Nautitech

Equally, heel stability increases with the fourth power of the size of a boat and becomes enormous once a catamaran reaches this length, so risk of capsize is a fraction of that of a 40ft boat in similar conditions. Indeed, this effect is so marked Huetz tells me that above 50ft it’s routine not to engineer the masts of cruising catamarans to take the full rig loads that would be needed to capsize the vessel, as to do so would require an unfeasibly heavy and cumbersome spar.

The design team also analysed the likely benefits of daggerboards for this boat, instead of the relatively deep fixed keels that have been fitted to Nautitechs to date. They concluded that, when compared to efficient keels with a proper aerofoil cross-section, the benefits of daggerboards were too marginal to be worth the extra build cost, loss of interior space and added complexity when tacking and gybing.

Deeper keels than usual for a catamaran of this size also allows for more efficient higher aspect ratio rudders, which has a direct impact on the feel of the helm. Steering is by cable, with the pilot directly attached to the port quadrant, so it’s available immediately for steering in the event of cable failure.

The 48 improves on the 44’s style and layout with larger cockpit, saloon and galley surfaces. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

There’s also an option for a second pilot system on a completely separate network for redundancy – an important factor for those who intend to sail long distances.

Sail handling mostly takes place just inboard of the helm stations, which works well in most respects, although there’s not a direct line of sight between someone working centrally on the foredeck and another in the cockpit, for instance when hoisting a Code sail or spinnaker.

A second drawback is that lines turn through two 90º angles before reaching the clutches and winches working areas, which increases loads and friction. The mainsheet traveller runs across the beam aft of the cockpit and was easily controlled by a Harken electric Flatwinder system on our test boat, while the gennaker and asymmetric spinnaker sheet to each quarter.

Note the refrigeration space and navigation station forward. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

We sailed with seven on board the Nautitech 48 Open, yet circulation of people around the saloon and cockpit areas generally proved to be very easy, with plenty of space for two or more to pass each other easily. The only exception is at the very aft end of the cockpit, where there’s little space to pass and this is also an area in which you’re working lines or steering… and changing sides in tacks and gybes.

Of course this isn’t an issue on semi-flybridge catamarans, or those with a raised helm station further forward, from which almost all sail handling can be carried out, though the Nautitech’s twin aft helm stations have other advantages.

Although little more than a decade old, Nautitech was one of the pioneers of what it calls the Open concept of blended indoor/outdoor living. This is now well established and offers a big improvement compared to older models, though while there’s a wide opening between the cockpit and saloon it’s not possible to connect the tables in two different areas together.

The Nautitech 48 Open cockpit table is offset to starboard and has a folding leaf in the middle to convert it from coffee table mode to full dining. There’s also a further seating area on the foredeck, which opens up more options for socialising space, or for added privacy when berthed stern-to.

Despite the fine entry hulls, cabins are large and bright and not impinged by daggerboards. Photo: Nautitech

Views all around

The saloon has almost 360° vision that’s interrupted only on each quarter and benefits from plenty of light, space and natural ventilation. The yard has also worked hard to reduce solar gain here and therefore keep it cooler in bright sun. So there are fewer big glazed panels overhead, while optional covers are available to keep sun off the windows. There are also opening hatches in the coachroof, plus a couple in the forward windows to maximise natural ventilation.

To starboard is a big, well-appointed galley with ample worktop space and good stowage, plus an extensive choice of refrigeration and freezer options. Seating and the saloon table are to port, with room for six people and enough for eight at a pinch. However, as mentioned, the saloon and cockpit tables can’t be connected together to accommodate a larger party.

The flexible SmartRoom adds appeal. Photo: Nautitech

The Nautitech 48 Open has a great forward-facing navigation area and watch-keeping station, while the bar-style feature at the front of the saloon that was first introduced on the 44 is a neat addition adding worktop/table space and creating a further small socialising area.

This may sound like a lot to pack into one area, even on a multihull the size of the Nautitech 48 Open, but the layout is well executed and there’s still plenty of space to move around, so it doesn’t feel cluttered.

In addition, attention to detail is impressive, both in the way the interior is put together and in items like the solid capping pieces on the joinery that will absorb knocks and bumps as the boat ages without damaging more fragile veneers.

Nautitech can accommodate a degree of flexibility on the layout in each hull, for instance in the number and configuration of the heads and shower compartments. The Nautitech 48 Open we sailed is an owner’s version with a very large forward heads area in the port hull, including room for his and hers basins, a separate shower cubicle, space for a washer-dryer and decent stowage. There’s also a dressing table with a section that pulls out to create a desk that has an outside view through the hull windows.

Another decent sized cabin. Photo: Nautitech

The test Nautitech 48 Open’s starboard hull is configured with a smallish double cabin aft and Nautitech’s so-called SmartRoom. This is a flexible concept that can be fitted out as a utility, workshop and stowage area, albeit with occasional berths.

On this boat it was set up with a settee/single berth and a small desk area with a view out through the hull window, but can be quickly converted into a double bed and there’s an additional bunk bed that swings out above it. Three children, for example, could sleep in that space if you had visitors. This hull also has large separate shower and separate toilet compartments, although the boat can be configured with up to four heads, or with a larger aft cabin.

Another important element of this boat’s performance is its relatively light displacement. Structural mouldings are vacuum infused, with a Divinycell foam core, while bulkheads are glued and bonded at key locations. There are four watertight bulkheads giving the boat a good chance of remaining afloat, even in the event of extreme damage.

Our test Nautitech 48 Open was equipped with 2kW of solar panels allied to a 1,020Ah 12V battery bank, a €40,000 option that all of the eight boats sold to date have taken. Roughly half have also specified a diesel generator, but that’s only essential if air conditioning is also specified, which is rarely chosen by those who intend to sail long distances.

To date every owner has opted for the option of 2kW solar panels and upgraded lithium batteries. Photo: Nautitech

At 300lt each the fuel tanks are of a reasonable size for long-distance sailing and spending extended periods on board, especially given the boat’s performance in light airs, and the solar/ lithium options that should all but eliminate the need to use diesel power for battery charging.

Systems appear to be very neatly installed, with easy access to pumps and filters, while all interior trim panels are clipped in place to give instant access to wiring, deck fittings and so on. The wiring of the test boat looked very neatly installed and the digital switching system has a full manual backup.

The narrow hulls give the 48 a performance profile. Photo: Nautitech

Nautitech 48 Open specifications

LOA: 14.67m 48ft 1in
LWL: 14.32m 47ft 0in
Beam: 7.97m 26ft 2in
Draught: 1.55m 5ft 1in
Displacement: 13,500kg 29,768lb
Mainsail: 93m2 1,001ft2
Self-tacking jib: 42.5m2 455ft2
Genoa (optional): 64m2 688ft2
Code 0 (optional): 89m2 958ft2
Gennaker (optional): 125m2 1,345ft2
Spinnaker (optional): 175m2 1,883ft2
Engine: 2 x D2-60 Volvo saildrive
Diesel: 600lt 132gal
Fresh water: 600lt 132gal
Air draught: (ex antennas) 23m 75ft 6in
Naval architect: Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group
Interior design: Christophe Chedal-Anglay
Base price: €999,800 ex VAT; Price as tested: €1,133,521
Builder: nautitechcatamarans.com

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Du Toit Yacht Design has also been busy with Balance again recently, conceiving longer, faster new models. During this year and next the South African-built US brand will release the Balance VersaDrive Hybrid 464CC and 502CC, which feature a carbon composite grid (pictured right) and the option of VersaDrive hybrid power, as well as maintaining many of the popular features of the older 442 and 482 models.

Sail areas for the 464CC and 502CC have been increased over the previous models to boost potential performance

Balance refers to its carbon grid as a carbon core (the CC in the Balance VersaDrive Hybrid 464CC and 502CC), which gives the cats an ultra-stiff framework. Bulkheads, primary beams, chainplates, rudders, cabin soles, daggerboards and trunks are full carbon construction. With a taller mast, this has allowed the design team to increase sail area and potential performance.

View of the internal structure looking aft to port

The hybrid element, meanwhile, refers to the fact that the cats are offered with the latest Integrel E-drive system, which provides both diesel and electric propulsion and improves the boat’s weight distribution and power capacity. This boosts the charging output from the dual 45hp Yanmar diesel engines to 30kW and provides 40hp of electric drive from the battery bank.

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First look: Balance 442 – lightweight, fast catamaran

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Balance VersaDrive Hybrid 464CC and 502CC Bring Upgrades

The new models also boast increased ventilation and visibility throughout, and feature Balance’s new stern doors, which fit over the engine bay hatches and can be raised to close off the transoms at sea.

Popular features of older Balance models are retained, but the new boats boast improved visibility and ventilation throughout

“All the best features of our boats have been retained in these new designs,” explains founder Phil Berman. “But we’ve supercharged performance voyaging by building these new models longer, leaner, faster and capable of carrying additional payloads without penalty.”

The daggerboard cats weigh around 11.5 tonnes and 13 tonnes respectively and are priced with VersaDrives from US$1.285m and $1.785m.

Contact details: balancecatamarans.com

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The Evo 60 is an eye-opening, performance-focused luxury cruising catamaran and a full South African project. Drawn by top multihull designer Anton Du Toit (Balance Yachts’ designer), who grew up on a cruising yacht and is self-taught, the first Evo 60 is already in construction at Evolution Marine in Cape Town.

This is a young company with plenty of experience behind it. Led by veteran boatbuilder Oliver Dawson, the yard specialises in advanced composite work, with recent projects varying from a Class 40 to high-speed ferries, accommodation pods and even a replica of a GT40 sports car.

Evolution Marine aims to build 12 Evo 60s over the next four years at its Cape Town manufacturing facility

The powerful, modern-looking cat is being promoted as capable of both regatta sailing and bluewater cruising. A fully infused E-glass/carbon epoxy structure will go some way to meeting its brief for strong, safe high-speed. Around 80% of the Evo 60 is carbon, including rig, appendages, crossbeam and longeron.

Dawson’s conservative estimate is that the lightweight displacement of the first boat will only be 13.5 tonnes. He says their objective is to make this high-performance cruising catamaran experience closer to that of a monohull superyacht, yet “with a similar power-to-weight ratio as the Gunboat 68, she should perform exceptionally well”.

The aft-mounted wheels provide articulating helm positions, an advancement on the now popular pivot systems, which should give “a monohull-like sailing experience, especially in the outboard performance mode,” Dawson continues. Push-button controls and a self-tacking jib will help enable short-handed use.

Evo 60’s emphasis will be on spacious luxury, speed and comfortable cruising

A glance at the Evo 60 renderings tells you there’s as big a focus on liveability and luxury as there is on performance. The covered cockpit, saloon space and galley with island provide significant socialising space. And the layout of the first boat has an opulent owner’s hull swallowing the full port-side hull, including transverse berth. Three interior design themes are offered.

Evolution Marine is gearing up to build 12 yachts over the next four years. The first is progressing without an owner as Dawson wants it at the start of the Cape to Rio Race at the end of this year. It will then make its debut at the International Multihull Show in 2026.

The saloon has a miami beach-house feel

When you compare the much shorter lead time and price against similar performance cruising cats from HH and Balance etc, Evo could make an attractive proposition.
The price is expected to be around $3.5m, which includes a very full, ready-to-sail spec.

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Best catamaran and multihull: The very best yachts on two and three hulls

There are many categories in the European Yacht of the Year awards, from the best luxury yachts and performance yachts to the best yachts for families and evet…

Excess 13 first look: A light and airy catamaran for easy enjoyment

Receiving a limited edition Lego set is one of the most surprising (and best) ways I’ve seen to announce a…

Evo 60 Specifications:

LOA: 18.27m 60ft 0in
LWL: 18.27m 60ft 0in
Beam: 9.02m 29ft 7in
Draught: 0.63-3.28m 2ft-10ft 8in
Contact details: evolutionmarine.co.za

The Evo 60’s price is expected to be around $3.5m

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This South African yard’s first model, the Vision 444, is a fast and lightweight catamaran set up for long-distance sailing that has won wide acclaim over the past five years. A new 48-footer is also in development for launch in 2026.

Avoiding complexity whenever possible is a big part of the overall concept. Mainsail trim, for example, is controlled by a bridle with purchase system each side that’s mounted on the hard top. This enables the sail to be trimmed as accurately as with a traveller system, but the arrangement is lighter, quicker to install and a lot easier to maintain, especially in far-flung parts of the globe.

Systems are also chosen from suppliers with global distribution and complex options are avoided where possible. The 40hp Nanni diesel engines, for instance, use an almost ubiquitous Kubota base engine that doesn’t have the complexities of electronically controlled common rail fuel injection systems. In addition, each boat leaves the factory with all the spares needed for the first two years of sailing – all stowed in a dedicated workshop area that also has space for all the necessary tools.

The Vision 484 will offer more space than the existing boat and will have a three-cabin layout. It will also have an impressive 4,300kg payload, while the bridgedeck is raised to 90cm above the water. Until now the yard has not had a presence in Europe, but Agulhas Yachts in Palma was appointed to represent the brand in January 2025.

Article continues below…

Best catamaran and multihull: The very best yachts on two and three hulls

There are many categories in the European Yacht of the Year awards, from the best luxury yachts and performance yachts to the best yachts for families and evet…

Excess 13 first look: A light and airy catamaran for easy enjoyment

Receiving a limited edition Lego set is one of the most surprising (and best) ways I’ve seen to announce a…

Vision 484 Specifications:

Hull length: 14.75m 48ft 5in
Beam: 8.00m 26ft 3in
Draught: 1.25m 4ft 2in
Displacement: 12,700kg 28,000lb
Price: US$1,250,000.
Contact details: visionyachts.com

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Vision 484 first look: New catamaran in development for 2026 launch appeared first on Yachting World.

“The AC45F foiler was the one design boat we raced in 2016, leading up into the America’s Cup in Bermuda,” says Freddie Carr.

“The reason it’s my favourite is it hit a real sweet spot in the sport where we were sailing foiling catamarans – so we were going fast, close to the shore with a boundary race course, but we still had ropes and winches. Everything was human-powered, but we were foiling and doing stadium racing. You had to be a really good sailor to sail that boat mechanically. But it looked spectacular and fast.

“The top speed we did in one was 41 knots. We were out training before the World Series event in Portsmouth. It was reaching starts back then, and it was blowing 20-25 knots. We bore away at Mark 1 to go from a reach to downwind, and we were all drop-hiking. So it’s not like we were in the pods like we are now in the AC75s.

“We were hanging on a toe strap, drop-hiking, doing 41 knots. It was ridiculous. And I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life on a boat!”

Photo: Lloyd Images/Getty

Make sure you check out our full list of Coolest Yachts.

AC45F stats rating

Top speed: 41 knots
LOA: 13.45m/44ft 1in
Launched: 2016
Crew: 5
Price: €675,000
Adrenalin factor: 90%

David ‘Freddie’ Carr

Freddie Carr was a cyclor in the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup team, which won the Louis Vuitton Cup. Prior to that he was part of Ainslie’s BAR Racing, as well as Team Origin, GBR Challenge, and other campaigns over 20 years of crewing in the Cup. He has also raced TP52s, Mini Maxis and Extreme 40s. See our full feature on page 40.

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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With Bali’s step-up in size with the Bali 5.8 comes up a step-up in quality, says Bali. It recognises that its early yachts were more basic, wipe-clean designs for charter, but today, sales are more like a 50:50 mix of charter and private use.

The family-owned brand has recently bought a 20,000m2 yard in Portugal for building powercats, but says it remains focussed on maintaining a high quality for its sail range in Canet en Roussillon.

The Bali 5.8 is available in multiple cabin layouts

The 5.8 is designed to be run by a crew, says sales director Boris Compagnon, who tests each model sailing it with his family and admits this size is too much to manage alone. The 5.4 is the limit for the owner-operator, he thinks.

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This is a tall, boxy flybridge model with fixed bimini roof that pushes the boom up very high. It uses Bali’s trademark tilting aft door to enclose saloon, cockpit and galley in one giant area.

Available in multiple cabin layouts from three cabins and three heads to six cabins and six heads, it features an owner’s suite with secondary private access to the swim platform.

Price €1.5m ex VAT.

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Bali 5.8 first look: New open-plan flybridge catamaran appeared first on Yachting World.

Big new cats from the volume production yards seem to on the money market-wise currently. Lagoon, Fountaine Pajot and Bali are all launching or have recently launched their largest models to date. This 60ft area seems particularly key… and today’s 60ft flybridge catamaran is quite a thing to behold!

Lagoon’s brief for the Lagoon 60 was to replace the 620, of which 175 launched, with a slightly shorter yet improved design. Nauta Design’s Massimo Gino invited me to sit in the cockpit facing aft, before lowering the folding bulwarks, whereupon the impression of space and extended views is formidable.

The entire bridgedeck on the Lagoon 60 is one space and one level right through the bulkhead door to the forward cockpit. With this door ajar and a huge forward opening window, natural ventilation is also very good.

Living space is huge in the Lagoon 60’s main saloon and also above on the flybridge. Photos: Photos: Julien Gazeau

The flybridge helps create heaps more lounging space, albeit for an extremely high boom. In contrast to the previous generation of Lagoons which had masts positioned aft and larger headsails, VPLP has now moved the mast forward. With the range getting larger and heavier it wanted the mast base on a main bulkhead.

Sail controls are all electric so a single crewmember can reportedly handle the boat. The 60 is piloted from a single central pedestal, while a joystick-style throttle and thruster controls can be used to port for docking.

Article continues below…

Lagoon Eighty2 first look: An 80-footer with space for hosting many guests

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£1,359,540.00

The predictably vast owner’s cabin starboard aft includes a 1.8m athwartships berth, and has it’s own private secondary access straight out onto the aft deck and transom steps.

The layout of the show boat is a galley-down version, which is reached via a gullwing door from the cockpit and features a bar and dinette on the main level. The generous galley also features a sizeable mess area that will be welcomed by paid hands.

The layout of the show boat is a galley-down version. Photo: Julien Gazeau

That said, rudimentary crew accommodation is in the forepeaks, where an adjoining cabin to the galley might be more welcomed by those working aboard.

The Lagoon 60 has its own dedicated build shed and production line, capable of producing around 18 yachts a year. Price from €2,140,000 ex VAT.

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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Receiving a limited edition Lego set is one of the most surprising (and best) ways I’ve seen to announce a new model (particularly for those with a Lego-obsessed child). Building something brick by brick forces you to appreciate the details, and while doing so I came to realise the Excess 13 43-footer is a highly significant new model for the Groupe Beneteau brand.

Cruising sailors are either drawn to or put off by aft helms. My impression is that monohull sailors used to direct rudder feedback gravitate towards them (while others used to bulkhead or flybridge helms seek that improved visibility). In the current era, Nautitech and Excess have been leading the charge with aft helm cats, so it is particularly pertinent to see Excess now engaging Marc Lombard Yacht Design’s services for its new Excess 13.

The Lombard design studio has had an influence on the new Excess 13

Why? Because Lombard drew the modern range of Nautitechs. Now the La Rochelle firm has been tasked with building on the first generation of VPLP and Patrick Le Quément-designed Excess models by focusing on hull shapes and weight optimisation for the Excess 13, in particular to increase performance and easy enjoyment. You can see a little of Lombard’s trademark reverse sheer.

Meanwhile this theme of lightness, both real and perceived, became the focus for Jean-Marc Piaton (interior designer of the modern CNB range). So you can appreciate two new respected design firms should help bring a fresh new Excess. The Excess 13 is available with four cabins with mirrored layouts in each hull or a three-cabin version with owner’s hull. The latter has a built-in desk with a sea view that looks ideal for a home office.

The Excess 13 follows the theme of lightness

And yes we were successful in building our first fine-looking (mini) catamaran, which provides a little more tangible inspiration than a craft from Star Wars.

Article continues below…

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Best catamaran and multihull: The very best yachts on two and three hulls

There are many categories in the European Yacht of the Year awards, from the best luxury yachts and performance yachts to the best yachts for families and evet…

Excess 13 Specifications:

Hull length: 12.99m 42ft 7in
LOA: 15.30m 50ft 2in
Beam: 7.25m 23ft 9in
Draught: 1.48m 4ft 10in
Displacement: (light) 10,600kg 23,369lb
Upwind sail area: 115m2 1,237ft2
Contact details: excess-catamarans.com

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Excess 13 first look: A light and airy catamaran for easy enjoyment appeared first on Yachting World.

The Bordeaux brand strengthens its offering in the lengthy yacht market with the Lagoon Eighty2. It has already built 88 catamarans over 75ft, including 52 of its Seventy7.

Designed by Lagoon’s stronghold team of VPLP, Nauta and Patrick Le Quément, this Lagoon Eighty2 retains the prize feature of the Seventy7 – a hull door which opens out of the topsides to create a private terrace for the master cabin. Stepping out from the king-sized berth and diving straight into the sea must be a heightened level of luxury.

Lagoon Eighty2 features a huge saloon, flybridge and hull door terrace from the master cabin

The layout of the first model sees three other guest cabins and a lower galley connecting to crew quarters. This is a yacht for many guests, friends and family to enjoy – you just need to choose from where best to do so. The beam-wide saloon looks formidable, and links through to a forward cockpit for up to eight.

Article continues below…

Lagoon 51 review: surprisingly fun to sail

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£1,359,540.00

Lagoon 55 review: new iteration remains quintessential cat

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Right aft you’ll find a hydraulically lifting dinghy and bathing platform, which can seamlessly extend the already generous cockpit space. Or take the gently sloping stairs up to the freestanding furniture adorning the 50m2 of flybridge space. Decisions, decisions…

Hulls are constructed in bio-sourced and recycled resin, which reduces CO2 emissions by 10 tonnes per boat. The world premiere is expected to be at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2025.

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Lagoon Eighty2 first look: An 80-footer with space for hosting many guests appeared first on Yachting World.

For over a decade, my wife, Rachel, and I lived aboard what could aptly be described as a traditional bluewater cruising yacht. Our 1984 Tayana 42, Agápē, was an excellent choice for us to begin our cruising adventure.

Everything about her was robust and designed to withstand decades of abuse from the relentless ocean. We sailed her through Mexico, Central America, and into French Polynesia where we have spent the last five years exploring countless remote islands and anchorages.

The longer we spent on the water, the more we fell in love with the cruising life. Yet simultaneously, the remote lifestyle left us longing for friends and family. A sailor’s life is filled with farewells as new friends sail in and out of each other’s orbits.

Two years ago, when we decided to make cruising a permanent move, we started taking on more and more crew. This was not because we needed help sailing, but to forge and strengthen friendships made along the way. Coincidentally, around this time, I developed a serious condition: I was bitten by the ‘bigger boat’ bug, sometimes referred to as ‘Two foot-itis’.

Unfortunately this condition affects the part of the brain responsible for rational thinking!

Joshua and Rachel Shankle found and bought their Leopard 46 catamaran in French Polynesia. Photo: voyagesofagape.com

A bigger boat

I began exploring different yachts that would offer us more space for visitors. I also hankered after something that could sail faster than our 16-ton cruiser was capable of. Here in French Polynesia, we sometimes navigate passes where the current exceeds 5 knots, and our ability to motor at just 5.5 knots has prevented us from visiting some places we’d hoped to. We realised that achieving all the space we wanted would require a 55-60ft monohull.

Gradually, my attention turned instead to catamarans. I loved the space and stability catamarans offer but was concerned about their performance in foul weather.

Once we decided to focus on catamarans, I began trying to get on board as many different models as possible. This isn’t difficult, as catamarans now constitute roughly 40-50% of cruising yachts. Everything involving boats is a compromise, and stepping aboard different models gave us a clearer idea of what we truly desired or could live without.

The couple are keen divers and appreciate the extra space a catamaran offers. Photo: voyagesofagape.com

This proved invaluable, as design features we might admire for their sailing characteristics could be less practical for day-to-day life. After a decade aboard our Tayana, we had a good grasp of what was important to us, but transitioning from monohull to multihull opened a whole new world of questions.

Narrowing the search

Rachel and I spend the majority of our cruising time at anchor, rarely tying up at docks or marinas. This meant our next vessel needed to function more like a floating condo than a weekend racer. We wanted something that sailed well, but equally important was having a comfortable and inviting home to enjoy and share.

One of the first things I reconsidered in our search was where I wanted the helm position. Initially, I favoured older Catanas and Nautitechs with their lower booms and more performance-oriented look. However, on both brands, the helms are exposed at the stern.

Catamarans can often get into shallow, sheltered anchorages in out-of-the-way places – and some models can even be safely beached .Photo: voyagesofagape.com

While advantageous for viewing sail shape and trim, I felt they can obstruct ease of movement when embarking or disembarking, especially when carrying heavy dive equipment – diving is one of our passions. Combined with the experience of an autopilot failure necessitating hours of hand steering, I began to prioritise a comfortable and protected helm station.

Gradually, we narrowed our search, and focused on a few models that suited our lifestyle best. It’s not that they were superior boats, but they aligned more closely with our needs. Unfortunately, most were half a world away and outside our budget.

With cyclone season fast approaching, we listed Agápē, hoping to sell before the season began, which would allow us to leave French Polynesia in search of our new home. Completing the last few projects before sale proved unexpectedly challenging, as I found myself wanting to do more and more. Posting her listing felt like a betrayal.

Large genoas need careful management when the wind gets up. Photo: voyagesofagape.com

While I cherished our monohull, she was ageing, and every boat reaches a point where an owners’ affection no longer justifies the cost required to maintain it to a certain standard. Selling Agápē was – on paper – undoubtedly the correct decision, yet emotional attachments to a boat are hard to sever. Older boats possess more character and can feel like part of the family. The idea of replacing the hand-finished solid teak interior with laminate and glassfibre was difficult to accept.

Serendipity

One evening, everything seemed to fall into place. While enjoying sundowners at the beach, some cruising friends asked which broker we were using, as they too were contemplating selling their boat, a 2012 Leopard 46.

We’d spent many evenings aboard their catamaran, sharing meals and games, and over the years had assisted them with several smaller projects. A few months earlier, our boats had even been side by side in the boatyard for bottom jobs, allowing me to inspect theirs closely.

Rachel and Joshua Shankle are delighted with their Leopard 46. Photo: voyagesofagape.com

As we discussed the sales process in French Polynesia, a price was mentioned that we could afford. From there, the decision was easy, as this catamaran was already in French Polynesia, sparing us a significant cost in taxes and simplifying the moving process. We’d set aside thousands of dollars for flights to inspect boats globally and ship our belongings, funds we could now allocate to making the Leopard fit to become our new home.

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It took me three days to meticulously inspect every square inch of the catamaran, testing everything I could before reaching a decision. While this may seem intrusive, especially when the owners are friends, it’s an essential step. Personally inspecting a boat as comprehensively as possible is crucial; surveyors are invaluable for insurance purposes, but no one should be more committed to uncovering the boat’s true condition than its prospective new owners.

Having recently sold one boat and bought another, I can attest to the fact that I forgot or was unaware of issues on our own monohull, as well as discovering overlooked details on the catamaran. These are no one’s fault (unless deliberately concealed) – it’s just the nature of boats.

Catamarans offer plenty of living and cabin accommodation. Photo: voyagesofagape.com

Although it won’t be feasible for everyone, I was very grateful we could spend the night on board before we bought the boat. We’d stayed on a few of our friends’ catamarans over the years and the benefit of being able to spend time on the Leopard – just listening to the noises or how passing wakes might slap the sugar scoops – cannot be understated. It also gives you time for the ‘wow’ factor to wear off and start to notice the small imperfections.

Shakedown sail

Once we committed to buying the Leopard, everything progressed swiftly. With cyclone season approaching, we only had a few weeks to finalise Agápē’s sale and prepare our new catamaran, now named Agápē Nui (Nui meaning ‘big’ in Tahitian), for a 1,000-mile sail from Tahiti to the Marquesas Islands against the trade winds.

This passage served as a thorough shakedown for both boat and crew. With my parents aboard, the extra hands and rest were welcomed. We tested everything, from reefing lines and deck hatches during headwinds and waves to engine performance during the calm of the last 36 hours of the journey. The passage gave us plenty of time to learn the Leopard’s sailing characteristics as my dad and I played with different angles and trim. As often is the case, we discovered the boat could endure more than we could. Typically, we needed to slow down to enjoy a smoother ride against the swells.

Space to spread out makes maintenance easier. Photo: voyagesofagape.com

Six months later, we’ve sailed our new home over 3,000 miles from Tahiti to the Marquesas and back, through the Tuamotu archipelago. I continue to be impressed with how well she sails and the comfort a catamaran provides. However, it’s not been without its challenges.

The hardest thing for me sailing the catamaran is there is very little feeling to the boat. On our monohull, I could walk away from the helm and know if she was overpowered or if the wind had shifted by the way she would move. We also had a built-in safety margin in the way a monohull can heel in a big gust. This isn’t the case on a catamaran.

We’ve had to adopt a more conservative approach – especially when running downwind on squally nights. We don’t have radar to see squalls approaching and as the wind speed picks up so does the boat speed. When deciding to reef, turning into the wind exposes the boat’s beam to its full force, highlighting the overpowering effect of the massive mainsail. The rig loads are also formidable. On our cutter-rigged monohull, I could adjust the mainsheet by hand; on the catamaran, every manoeuvre requires a winch.

A catamaran has allowed the Shankles to spend more time sharing their cruising lifestyle with friends and family. Photo: voyagesofagape.com

Another challenge has been anchoring. On this model of catamaran, the anchor roller sits behind the trampoline, a design that has its pros and cons. The heavy anchor is not stowed as far forward when sailing, which is good for weight placement, but makes it more difficult to add floats to our anchor chain (important to keep it from damaging or becoming entangled in fragile coral reefs). We’ve managed a workaround, but it adds time when raising the chain.

On our monohull, the roller was on the bow, so if the boat drifted due to wind or waves, we could wait a moment for the boat to correct itself. With the catamaran, we can’t allow the boat to drift, or we risk the chain becoming taut against the hulls. This means when picking up or lowering the anchor in windy conditions the helmsman must use more throttle than normal to keep the bows into the wind. We’re learning and getting better but, since anchoring can be a flashpoint for many cruising couples, any additional stress in this area is best avoided.

We’ve often heard that catamarans mean more work, but I’ve found this to be only partly true. While we now manage two engines and a diesel generator, the increased space around these motors makes routine maintenance significantly easier and quicker. The larger space makes it easier to keep the area clean, helping to spot any leaks or issues immediately. Otherwise maintenance is roughly the same – except for waxing the hulls, which literally is twice the work.

It’s normal to take time adjusting to a new yacht, especially when transitioning between different types. Perhaps over the next few years, I’ll come to appreciate the subtle nuances of the Leopard as deeply as I did our beloved Agápē.

‘Exhaustion is the biggest challenge cruising sailors face’. Photo: voyagesofagape.com

In comfort and company

The most significant change by far, and one that outweighs any negatives, is the comfort.

Exhaustion is one of the most formidable challenges cruising sailors face. On our monohull, even simple tasks during rough passages, such as using the heads, could prove daunting. Living aboard while heeled at 20° sometimes felt more like a battle for survival than a hobby.

So far, on Agápē Nui, we haven’t encountered anything like that. While conditions can still be rough and somewhat uncomfortable, neither of us has been tossed from our beds. More importantly, we arrive at each new anchorage tired but far less exhausted than before.

In terms of comfort, the catamaran truly shines at anchor. We now enjoy double the refrigeration and freezer space, two watermakers, even a washing machine. Our solar capacity has doubled to 1,800W, and we have plans to increase it to nearly 3,000W. This allows us to operate all our appliances sustainably and live far more comfortably than we could have dreamed of just 10 years ago.

Anchoring their catamaran has dealt some big lessons! Photo: voyagesofagape.com

In the past six months alone, we’ve welcomed 19 friends, family members, and fellow creatives aboard, many staying for weeks at a time. This was one of the main reasons we chose a catamaran – to share our lives with loved ones – and having those plans come to fruition has been extraordinary.

There’s ample room for everyone to spread out and work or relax. We thoroughly enjoy having guests on board, but having space to retreat to ensures we can host for even longer. Few things are so rewarding as getting to share the magic moments of cruising life with the ones you cherish.

Just six months in, we’re still in the honeymoon phase of ownership, but we’re convinced that choosing a catamaran was the right decision. Our catamaran ticked far more boxes than it left empty. We now have the space to host friends and family for months, using solar energy alone to meet our daily needs.

I love the way she sails and being able to cover more miles in more comfort allows us to enjoy the places we arrive at sooner, and experience for longer. Every time I step onto the deck, I’m astounded and grateful that we now call Agápē Nui our home.

If you enjoyed this….

Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post What’s it really like to go from a monohull to a catamaran? A liveaboard cruiser’s lessons learned appeared first on Yachting World.

Explore the latest in ocean cruising catamarans for 2024 with our lineup of five exceptional boats. From the eagerly awaited Seawind 1370 to the eco-conscious design of the Vann R6, each catamaran brings its own distinct features to for cruising adventures.

Seawind 1370

The market for comfortable and spacious performance multihulls continues to grow. Seawind is perhaps less well known in Europe than French brands such as Outremer, however the yard’s background as a sister company to long-standing trimaran builder Corsair effectively gives it a long history in this market.

The 1370 is a long awaited model following an extended Covid-related shut down of the Vietnam production facility. The boat won’t premiere at a show until Cannes in September, but the first seven boats are already on the water, including hull No2, Ruby Rose 2, owned by YouTubers Terysa Vanderloo and Nick Fabbri.

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The 1370 is a 45-footer with lightship displacement of 12,300kg. That’s a little heavier than the Outremer 45 and HH44, for instance, but almost 5% lighter than the Excess 14. Modern reverse bows and immersed hull shapes drawn by French-based Yacht Design Collective are intended to combine high performance potential with good load carrying capacity.

Accommodation layouts are geared around the needs of long-term cruising couples and their guests. The modern interior style has ash finishes and large front-opening windows to optimise natural ventilation. A wide lifting tri-fold door aft enables the bridgedeck accommodation to be easily opened onto the aft cockpit in sunny climes, while giving protection against the elements when necessary.

Punch 1370

This range of Mortain & Mavrikios-designed lightweight cruising catamarans has its roots in the former Martinique Multicap Caraïbes yard, which built some 25 boats until 2010. A couple of years ago the designers and Christian Hernandez decided to revive the range, with construction in a new MultiCat Algarve yard, at the mouth of the Rio Guadiana in Portugal.

Red cedar strip planking and epoxy is used to create the underwater profile, while deck and topsides are of composite with a recycled Airex foam core and epoxy using 45% bioresins. The 1370 has a displacement of only 8.5 tonnes, placing it firmly at the light end of the cruising catamaran spectrum, yet it’s still designed for a payload of three tonnes. The updated rig has a square top mainsail and overlapping jib. Shallow keels are fitted, rather than daggerboards.

Lagoon 60

This full flybridge design fills a big slot that previously existed between the Lagoon 55 that was launched in 2021 and the more lavishly appointed Sixty 5. The new design’s huge aft cockpit can be fully opened out onto the water, including hull sides that hinge down like butterfly wings, creating an area even wider than the yacht’s generous 32ft beam allows. There’s also a large forward cockpit on the same level as the saloon, and with direct access, making this an ideal yacht for larger parties.

Layout options include five cabins with a bridgedeck galley, or four cabins with the galley in the port hull, accessed by its own stairs. This version also has a smaller bar area on the bridgedeck, along with a larger saloon.

As with the 55, the rig is stepped further forward than on earlier models and is fitted with overlapping headsails. Naval architect VPLP says these offer more flexibility and efficiency on a boat of this type than the near ubiquitous non-overlapping jibs of today’s yachts.

Nahoa 55

The best boats are invariably the result of considerable experience. This aluminium exploration catamaran has its roots in more than eight years and 50,000 miles of voyaging on a 2005 41ft production catamaran – and the lessons learned and problems encountered during that time. The concept was created by Ben Brehmer and Ashley Stobbart for the next stage of their voyaging life with a young family.

The result is a “focus on expedition-style comfort, reliability, and suitability for short-handed crews,” Brehmer told me. It’s a powerful hull with watertight bulkheads intended for high latitude adventures, as well as use in the tropics.

High bridgedeck clearance helps provide comfort at sea, while protection from sun and inclement weather is maximised.

All lines are led to a forward cockpit, allowing a lone watch keeper to handle the boat. The new coachroof design maximises visibility and light and gives the option to fully enclose the forward cockpit with removable glass. Although initially envisaged as a one-off, the first boat is scheduled to start build in June at a New Zealand yard that’s capable of producing multiple examples in parallel.

Vaan R6

This Dutch yard is one of a number of the multihull builders leading the way in producing yachts that can be recycled, while also making big steps towards decarbonisation.

The 58ft R6 is intended as a rugged yacht capable of taking owners anywhere between the poles and the Mediterranean. It follows 40ft and 50ft R4 and R5 models. With beam only fractionally short of 30ft, it’s a big yacht by any standards and the builders have sought to make the most of the huge volumes on offer.

There’s lofty headroom, large windows that maximise the view of the outside world and a choice of spacious seating areas. In addition to sumptuous owners and guest accommodation, there’s an optional cabin for two crew, recognising this is an important factor to recruiting and retaining crew.

This is also Vaan’s first model with twin staircases leading down from the bridgedeck into each hull. Benefits include easier circulation of people, improved privacy, and an option to have the galley in the port hull rather than on the bridgedeck.

“The Vaan core philosophy of sailing, style and sustainability of course applies again,” founder Igor Kluin tells me. “This boat is made for sailors, with clean styling and truly sustainable material use and propulsion.”

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The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world, its marble atrium and exclusive pool deck usually welcoming owners and crews of superyachts, Swans, and iconic classes like the Star, J-Class and TP52. But this autumn the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the club’s season finale, broke new ground with three catamarans given pride of place at the YCCS’s race dock.

The three different, but equally exciting, powerful big cats went on the prowl in a newly introduced multihull division within the 45-strong entry at the showcase Maxi event. Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s brand new Gunboat 80 Highland Fling 18 lined up alongside Adrian Keller’s 84ft Irens-designed Allegra (launched 2014), and the new Gunboat 68 Convexity, campaigned by Don Wilson and Suna Said.

For the record, Allegra won overall by two points from Highland Fling which missed the second, windy race due to a ‘teething gremlin’, but then won races three and four when the breeze had diminished. Convexity finished 3rd, on equal points aggregate to Highland Fling.

Highland Fling 18 is Laidlaw’s first new build multihull, after he had an interim pre-owned ‘starter’ Gunboat 68 (hull No1) in 2021-2022 while the 80 was in build. The red-hulled beast is undoubtedly the benchmark for a growing breed of Maxi Multihulls which are now starting to become more popular in Europe as well as in the Caribbean and the USA.

She’s an out-and-out racer – indeed a day racer at that. Built entirely in pre-preg carbon fibre, using the same construction methods as the VPLP Ultims and IMOCA 60s, a focus has been on keeping weight down to the absolute minimum and, more importantly, carefully distributed.

The 80-footer, which has a 33ft beam, has aircraft-grade furniture inside and further weight savings were also made in the paint and glazing technology. The Gunboat 80 has long, asymmetrical L-shaped daggerboards, the rig set slightly further back for a better overall balance.

Brand new Gunboat 80 Highland Fling 18. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget/Rolex

The boat was only launched in July, and racing in Porto Cervo in September the crew included many longstanding Fling team members, including the likes of Jan Dekker, and Kiwi (now Newport-based) match racer Cameron Appleton. Offshore legend Loïck Peyron has had an ongoing role with the boat and sails on board as the team’s resident multihull expert, working closely alongside the owner who, as usual, steers.

By contrast, Allegra has already earned a long, successful track record offshore, including back to back class wins in the Rolex Fastnet Race. The third entry was another new Gunboat, raced at her first event by Don Wilson, who is better known for his M32 programme of the same name.

There should have been five Maxi Multis forming this inaugural class, but two did not make it for fairly exceptional reasons: CoCo de Mer, the Gunboat 66, capsized in the Round the Island Race; and Flow, a Gunboat 60, was damaged by fire in Barcelona. But the feedback from those in Porto Cervo is that next year should see somewhere between six and maybe eight big Multis racing in this class.

“I think this is only going to grow,” smiles the ever enthusiastic Paul Larsen of Allegra. “We were usually the first boats to start and we would take off and have some fantastic boat-on-boat racing, flying hulls, pushing it to the edge.”

Newly launched Gunboat 68 Convexity. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget/Rolex

Making the transition

As the firepower increases and the multihull fleet grows, so more and more top pro sailors are making the transition to these high speed big cats.

“I was looking across at the start line and on the boat next to us there is Kinley Fowler, Taylor Canfield, Chris Nicholson, Charlie Enright all racing on one boat, that is a punchy line up of guys right there,” recalls Larsen. “And then there is Loïck [Peyron], Cameron Appleton, Jan Dekker and co on the Highland Fling and they are right here racing these multihulls, not over there on the Maxis!

“It’s great fun to be racing in that company. These guys are not paid to come second. Everyone is there with an interest in moving things forwards, and the owners have the budget to drive things forward. But while it is fun, I think Adrian [Keller, Allegra owner] is conscious of the rest of the fleet – for the other good boats we definitely don’t want to go forwards blindly and leave them behind.”

The Irens-designed Allegra has the most experience on the racecourse, here at last year’s Multihull Cup in Palma. Photo: Sailing Energy

Highland Fling tactician Cameron Appleton races everything from TP52s to RC44s and superyachts – so is not someone who is easily impressed. He has found himself doing more and more Maxi Multi racing and enthuses: “The new boat is a great evolution, it is a big step on. I did some sailing on the last boat, the Gunboat 68, and on the HH66 and other big multis. The fleet has some serious promise, without a doubt.

“For some older owners like Irvine it just has an extra comfort element. If he needs to take a break, or when we are waiting before or between racing, there is a lot of real comfort. When he is sitting inside he can see everything that is going on on the race course, nothing is obscured by any big amounts of heel. His rest is true rest for him then and that is important for him.”

Despite bringing a highly experienced crew on to the new boat, Appleton acknowledges: “We had a lot to learn. We have a lot of the original guys from the Highland Flings, we had Loïck Peyron to help in terms of set-up and speed and just the way we approached sailing, the sail configurations. He was amazing, so alive, so electric and passionate. His biggest thing was all about when you had to choose your combinations, the whole ‘low load, low drag is fast’. It’s about not trying to overpower the boat, so that if you get caught out, this is step one, this is step two, you can ride this out this way… you can get yourself in trouble with this combination but not that one…

“The importance, [Peyron] was pressing on us, is in thinking ahead. These multis load up very fast. We have the ‘UpSideUp’ system which has the Vs, the cap shrouds set with an alarm at a certain load, we have a heel angle alarm that triggers the mainsheet, and we have a mainsheet load that triggers too. So there are three safety features. We are making sure we are sailing the boat within these limits.”

Gunboat 80 Highland Fling 18. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget/Rolex

Costa Smeralda and the confines of ‘Bomb Alley’ – as the passage through La Maddalena archipelago is known – is a very different race track to the tradewind, open, choppy waters of the Caribbean where the biggest growth in these big multihulls is.

Racing in Sardinia brings particular challenges, as Larsen notes: “Porto Cervo is typically relatively flat and so you can push the boats to 100%. You have lots of corners and roundings and odd angles that you are sailing relative to the wind so you need to have very good crossover charts for all your sails. Because you have to push the boat all of the time, you also need to have the equipment and the people to get sails up and down very quickly – that’s where you can draw big tactical advantages from having a faster winch package for faster hoists, halyard locks and so on. If you can get inside someone at a mark and come out firing you gain.”

Appleton concurs: “These boats seem to love everything. We love reaching legs. Porto Cervo was great because the setting is so dramatic. You have all these different angles, you have acceleration through Bomb Alley, all the navigational aspects and the geographical bends, but at the end of the day long windward-leewards and triangle [courses] are good too.”

Alex Thomson has been racing the Gunboat 68 Tosca. Photo: PKC Media Tosca

Fresh playing field

At the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup the honours were shared across the different wind strengths, Allegra better in the breeze and Highland Fling better in the lighter winds. Going forward, the challenge is to fine tune the ORC Multihull rating system to ensure each has an equal chance in their less favoured conditions. Most of those asked seem to favour a multiple number system related to wind strength.

As ever, racing under different rating rules favours different styles of multihulls. On the offshore calendar one of the key, pinnacle events for this new breed of fast multihull is the RORC Caribbean 600, “There we clash with the MOD 70s under the MOCRA rule. It seems they struggle under MOCRA against our ‘style’ of boat,” suggests Paul Larsen. This year’s Caribbean 600 saw the Gunboat 68 Tosca, skippered by former IMOCA racer Alex Thomson for American owner Ken Howery, win the MOCRA division overall.

“On the other hand the CSA rating system seemed to favour the MODs hugely at Les Voiles de St Barth,” adds Larsen. “We feel it’s in everyone’s interest to help work to a common goal of creating a system more dedicated to our niche. That is the ORC Multihull rule. We’ve seen it work pretty well, albeit with a few bugs. Despite borrowing heavily from the ORC rule it still needs more data points to help refine it, as well as subjective input from the fleet to shape the direction the majority want it to go in.

Allegra defended her Fastnet class win. Photo: Rick Tomlinson/RORC

“There’s often a clash of interests when the European fleet heads over to do the Caribbean circuit as some of the more US-centred boats are optimised for the rules they know. That’s to be appreciated but you can’t help feel there should be an amalgamation. These are big, comfortable, fast ocean crossing boats and it’s got to be in every owner’s interests to be able to do as many events as possible.”

Long-time MOD70 skipper Brian Thompson, who’ll be racing the Gunboat 66 Mana next season, suggests: “Hopefully the ORC Multi rule is headed in the right direction because it is certainly a hard ask to rate the MOD70 against the Gunboats. But the way things are going hopefully the class will split to have a Gunboat/HH type class and then a trimaran class which would race separately. So I see it maybe reaching a point where we’ll have different classes similar to the Maxi monohulls, racers, performance cruisers and so on.”

Future proofing

Predicting the direction of growth is part of the rating rule challenge, trying to future proof it for diverse fleets including multis of very different configurations. Naval architect Quentin Lucet of VPLP summarises: “I’m sure there is room for improvement. I believe for these cats the configuration, the length and displacement appendage configuration is quite similar, so for now I suspect in terms of performance and handicap we should be able to put in place a proper system for everyone.

“What is different here [compared with rating monohulls] is when you get more weight in a multihull that is more righting moment and as soon as it is blowing more than 15 knots it is really such a benefit, much more than in a monohull fleet. I think the ORC are working on this.

The distinctive Bieker-designed Fujin is a Caribbean race regular. Photo: Christophe Jouany

“From our side it is not so complicated when the boats have the same configurations. But what will be tricky is if we have foils or ‘T’-rudders or things like this. At the moment we have the Gunboat-type boats and, say, the MOD70s coming together more.

“We see it in the Caribbean already with the different MOD70s with different appendage configurations. Some have big foils, T-rudders, some have conventional configuration, so this all might become a little tricky.”
In terms of where he sees the growth in new boats in the near future Lucet concludes, “It is so much driven by the owner. Owners who want to do some cruising will not go so long [LOA]. If that is not the case what we will see will be more daysailers – like a TP52. What I suspect is that the cats will not go bigger than 80ft, and the development will be between 65ft and 80ft.”

Fujin chasing the new HH66 Nemo at Les Voiles de St Barths. Photo: Christophe Jouany

Regattas worldwide

For the International Maxi Association, this new class debut at the 2023 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is very much a case of dipping a toe into the waters for a European Maxi Multihull event. But there are other significant regattas around the world with performance multihull racing.

Les Voiles de Saint Barths attracts one of the biggest fleets on the burgeoning Caribbean multihull circuit. In 2023 there were no fewer than 14 big multihulls racing in a diverse class, won by Eric Maris’s MOD70 Zoulou. The French, typically, garner a particularly strong entry here, and in 2nd was Loïc Escoffier with the ORC50 Lodi Group, on which he also won the solo transatlantic Route du Rhum (just weeks after capsizing off Ireland in the Drheam Cup).

Marsaudon’s ORC catamarans (formerly TS) are regular performers offshore, Lodi Group winning class in the Route du Rhum. Photo: Marin Le Roux/PolaRYSE

Behind these two Todd Slyngstad’s HH66 Nemo finished one point up on brother Greg’s innovative Bieker 53 Fujin, with the fleet including a clutch of Gunboats and one-offs. Tech entrepreneur Greg Slyngstad has been a frequent attendee on the Caribbean multihull circuit with Fujin since its launch in 2015, racing hard and with much success. Nemo was launched in 2020 with the particular intention of competing against – and ideally beating – Fujin.

Meanwhile the Route du Rhum – always the soulful home of offshore multihull racing – last year attracted a clutch of performance-oriented Marsaudon ORC catamarans, Marc Guillemot’s custom 52ft Metarom MG5, and Roland Jourdain on his eco-friendly Outremer, alongside vintage Walter Greene and Dick Newick designs. This summer’s Rolex Fastnet Race saw many of the same catamarans line up against one another, with victory going to Allegra ahead of the Gunboat 68 Tosca.

It’ll be interesting to see how the different core fleets converge – or maybe they won’t. But for sure in the likes of Highland Fling 18 a new breed of cat has already been unleashed.

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Italian yard Comar is adding a 65ft model designed by Enrico Contreas and Luigi Cirillo to its existing range of 37-65ft performance catamarans and 52-100ft monohulls, the new C-Cat 65. Carbon infused hull, deck and bulkheads keep displacement down to 18,500kg, an impressive figure for such a large vessel, while upwind sail area of 232m2 gives an enormous power to weight ratio.

The deck layout takes inspiration from the short-handed racing world and includes raised steering positions each side of the hardtop, where lines for key manoeuvres are led.

There’s also an inside steering position at the front of the saloon.

Despite its performance potential this is intended as a comfortable, elegant and sophisticated yacht. The bright, modern interior includes a massive retractable window between the saloon and cockpit that’s engineered to leave virtually as little trace of its presence when open as possible.

To minimise wetted surface area the waterline beam of each hull is only 1.75m (5ft 9in). Yet the owner’s hull of three-cabin boats won’t have the feel of being in a narrow tube thanks to a big athwartships bed that has ample space to walk around its foot.

As well as access from the saloon, this cabin also has a dedicated companionway aft, giving easy access to the port side bathing platform.

Payload is 5.5 tonnes, representing 30% of the light displacement, and the first example is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2025.

C-Cat 65 specifications

Hull length: 19.71m / 65ft 8in
Beam: 9.20m / 30ft 2in
Draught: 1.63m-3.2m / 5ft 4in-10ft 6in
Displacement: 18,500kg / 40,800lb
Upwind sail area: 232m2 / 2,500ft2
Price: circa €3.5m
Builder: comaryachts.it

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The new foiling catamaran design is the result of Persico’s strategy to translate knowledge the yard gains from its work in aerospace, IMOCA 60 and America’s Cup spheres into very high performance cruising yachts. The structure is of high modulus prepreg carbon/Nomex, there’s an all-carbon interior, plus a Southern Spars rotating mast with Future Fibres’ ECsix and AEROsix composite standing rigging.

The boat is intended as a semi-foiler that can switch to full foiling mode, skimming 20cm above the water in appropriate conditions. The 7m-long righting moment foils are rake controlled and complemented by daggerboards for leeway control, plus T-rudders also with rake control. Design of the foils and flying system was done using the Gomboc VPP software that was instrumental in creating the AC75 foiling monohull and is now also widely used in the IMOCA class.

“The foil has the same purpose as the one used in the IMOCA class,” explains Ferdinand van West, lead designer of Morrelli and Melvin, “but it has been adapted to a catamaran and can be fully retracted.” The foils become effective in 9 knots of breeze and boat speeds well over 20 knots are predicted in just 13 knots of true wind.

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In stronger conditions downwind speeds of 40 knots and an astonishing 26 knots upwind are expected. For a more comfortable ride and greater safety factor maximum speeds can be dialled down via a fully autonomous control system, which can gradually lower the hulls and decrease speed to a comfortable level set by the owner.

A further advantage for a cruising yacht is that draught with the foils raised is a mere 65cm (2ft 2in), though with the foils lowered this increases to 5.31m (17ft 5in).

Despite the boat’s speed potential, it is primarily intended as a very spacious luxury cruiser with all the associated systems including more than 500lt of refrigeration space, a pizza oven and a whopping 64,000 BTU (approx 19kW) of air conditioning. This is powered by twin variable-speed 20kW diesel Fischer Panda generators, which also supply hotel loads the 2kW solar array can’t cover.

Twin 25kW Torqeedo electric motors, allied to a 40kW BMW I3 battery, provide auxiliary propulsion at a cruising speed of 8 knots, with the generators available for use as range extenders if necessary.

Construction has already started in Persico’s new facility at the Italian port of La Spezia, with the boat scheduled for launch in summer 2024.

Specifications

LOA: 24.1m / 79ft 0in
Hull length: 21.95m / 72ft 0in
Beam: 9.5m / 31ft 2in
Light displacement: 21,000kg / 46,300lb
Draught (foils raised): 0.65m / 2ft 2in
Draught (foils lowered): 5.31m / 17ft 5in
Price: POA
Builder: persicomarine.com

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Four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel and double Olympic sailing bronze medallist Erik Heil have joined forces, alongside team owner Thomas Riedel, to announce a brand new German SailGP Team. Germany will be the latest nation to contest the global racing league, which kicks off its fourth season on June 16-17 with the Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix in Chicago.

Sebastian Vettel’s involvement will be alongside entrepreneur and investor Riedel – president of the leading communications company that bears his name – with whom Vettel is a recent co-investor. That might sound like the pair are merely the money men, but in a release by SailGP on behalf of the team they state that Vettel and Riedel will both be taking an active role in the management and performance of the team.

Heil, who won Olympic bronze medals at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will drive the cutting-edge, hydrofoiling Germany F50. The new Germany SailGP Team was unveiled during SPOBIS 2023 in Düsseldorf, where the team introduced itself and presented its ambitions for the upcoming season.

Heil said: “Today is a really exciting step in the team’s journey and we have pulled together an amazing team. But we are under no illusions that it will be easy and other world-class teams have paid a lesson when they entered SailGP. We will have to work our way up. That’s the goal. However, SailGP comprises the best athletes in our sport and personally I can’t wait to get racing.”

In addition to Heil, female German-Brazilian double Olympic champion from Rio and Tokyo, Kahena Kunze was also announced as the team’s strategist. The full line-up will be announced next month.

Skipper Nathan Outteridge gets the Japan SailGP Team airborne in Cadiz, Spain, in October 2021. Photo: Felix Diemer/SailGP

Riedel is no stranger to SailGP, as his communications company provides the entire on-site wireless communications and TV production infrastructure for the league as a technology supplier. The wireless network connects, among other things, the participants’ F50s, support boats, referee and camera boats, as well as drones and helicopters for aerial filming.

Riedel said: “As a company, we have always been able to not only understand formats but evolve them through technology and innovation. I see great potential in all directions with the Germany SailGP Team: sports, business and media. We believe that a great movement can emerge from this. In addition, we can credibly implement our concerns in terms of sustainability and diversity. That’s one of the reasons why I approached Sebastian as a trusted partner and knowledgeable technology and sustainability expert. Sebastian also knows how to win. So, he’s not just a co-owner of the Germany SailGP Team, but an equal partner who can help us succeed in everything we do. However we are aware that success is not something you can achieve in a few races, and it may take some time, but I believe we have the team to make sure it happens.”

Vettel said: “I see a lot of potential as SailGP starts its fourth season and for the first time with a German team. Parallels between sailors and Formula 1 have long existed. The boats are fascinating and the speeds on the water are incredibly high. The races are exciting and I am happy to be close to them with a motivated group of young sailors.”

Vettel, who left Formula 1 in 2022 after a years at the sharp end of the sport, had become increasingly outspoken around sustainability issues both within the sport and without. And it appears this passion has not disappeared with the German stating it was one main reasons he was attracted to the endeavour.

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It’s a light wind early autumn day in the Mediterranean and we’ve been sailing the Lagoon 51 alternately under Code 0 and genoa at boat speeds occasionally touching 8 knots in 10-12 knots of true wind. It’s easy and fast sailing, with the boat tracking easily, yet surprisingly responsive to the helm.

Approaching an anchorage for a short stop we sail in to the 10m contour, furl the headsail and round up into the wind to drop the mainsail. At the same time the anchor goes down and we use the weight of the boat to set the hook, checking transits as the boat finally settles head to wind. Sailing into an anchorage like this is, of course, familiar to most who have sailed reasonably nimble monohulls of modest size. However, this time I’m on a vessel two stories high, that’s almost 27ft wide and weighs more than 20 tonnes.

The prototype boat’s professional skippers, Nicolas Boutteloup and Manon Pestel, have done this numerous times in the six months they’ve been on board. By the time of our test they’d sailed the boat more than 5,000 miles, having left Les Sables d’Olonne and crossed Biscay in March, en route to the Mediterranean.

They also often leave an anchorage without starting the engines. This prototype Lagoon 51 is set up with around 3kW of solar panels, giving plenty of juice for running the windlass. In fact it’s entirely self sufficient for power, despite a whopping 500lt of fridge and freezer capacity, unless the aircon is used. The only other thing it doesn’t do is heat water, although a solution to that problem may not be far off.

The Lagoon 51 rig is configured very differently to earlier Lagoons, with the mast moved forward to the front of the coachroof. This makes perfect sense from a structural engineering perspective – previously the rig sat on a longitudinal beam supported at each end of the coachroof – so the new arrangement saves weight and complexity.

The single helm offers a high view – but limited when berthing stern to, with transoms out of sight. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

It also allows for a sail plan with a large roach mainsail (or optional square top main), plus a 120% overlapping headsail. This configuration means sufficient sail area can be achieved with a shorter mast, lowering the centre of effort and reducing weight aloft.

A downside is that self-tacking headsails are no longer feasible, but tacking the larger genoa still proved to be no problem for one person, even though the sheets are handled on opposite sides of the flybridge. On the plus side, designer Vincent Laurent Prévost of VPLP told me this larger headsail, “helps to pull the boat over waves when sailing upwind in a way that doesn’t happen when a catamaran has a small foretriangle.”

So much deck space: the flybridge alone has space for four to six to sit around a coffee table. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

To maintain balance the keels are also further forward, reducing interference and improving steering efficiency. The platforms at the aft end of the hulls have also been extended, increasing the size of the bathing platforms and helping dampen pitching when sailing over waves.

Even in quite light airs the helm responds positively, although this is not a close-winded design. The best we managed to windward was a true wind angle a fraction under 55°, which produced 5.5 knots of boat speed in 7-8 knots of breeze. Any attempt to squeeze up closer than this resulted in a big drop of boat speed.

Even with cameras good communication with crew on deck is essential. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Bearing away onto more of a reach, with a true wind angle of 70-75° saw speed increase to 6-6.5 knots. This increased to 7 knots once we deployed the Code 0 at a TWA of 110-115°.

On my first sail on the Lagoon 51 a leftover swell created noticeable movement up on the flybridge, although the accelerations were fairly gentle. A more important downside is that the Code 0 creates a huge blind spot of almost 90°. To a lesser extent the same is also true of the jib when the sheet’s eased for reaching. Monohulls of course have a similar problem, but with a flybridge cat you have to descend a flight of stairs to look to leeward.

When close-hauled the situation is much better as you only have to shuffle a short distance across the wide (3-4 person) helm seat to see round the jib. Sitting to one side of the central wheel also allows you to see the telltales easily. The seating behind the helm station means watch keeping doesn’t need to be a lonely experience – this is a convivial and social area with space for up to 6-8 people. It also offers a degree of privacy when berthed stern to a busy quay.

Optional hydraulic lifting transom platform can house a tender. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

All sail handling, with the exception of hoisting and dropping reaching and downwind sails is done from the flybridge, where lines lead both sides of the wheel to three winches, all of which were upgraded to electric on our test boat. Similarly, the headsail furler and Code 0 furler both had the optional electric drive.

The three outdoor sitting, dining and socialising areas are a key benefit of this design. The aft cockpit has a pair of generously upholstered three-seater settees, plus a four-person bench across the transom. The cockpit table is offset to port, with two fold-out leaves for dining, leaving a clear walk-through to the saloon, starboard transom and side deck. There’s also a full-size outdoor sink and drainer, with fridge, plus a barbecue right aft.

Test boat has the optional fabric cockpit enclosure, which helps to make this aft area a huge second saloon. Even when the large cockpit table is fully extended for dining there’s still enough space for easy circulation. Photo: Nicolas Claris

However, it lacks the Lagoon 55’s very appealing terrace that can be opened up to the water, as the aft structural beam has to extend above the cockpit sole. Instead our test boat was fitted with a large optional hydraulic lifting platform at the transom that forms a giant sunbathing/swimming platform and incorporates tender stowage.

A small forward cockpit ahead of the saloon has space for 4-5 people, including two sunbeds and a coffee table on top of the windlass. It therefore doesn’t rival the deep, solid cockpit, with all-round party seating, of some brands and lacks direct access from the saloon. However, the Lagoon’s arrangement doesn’t add weight well forward and won’t hold several tonnes of water if a wave crest breaks over the bows – important points for offshore and bluewater sailing.

Palatial owner’s cabin in the starboard hull is flooded with natural light from large windows. Photo: Nicolas Claris

Of course this boat also offers huge internal accommodation, with ample space when the weather dictates spending time indoors with aircon running. The big saloon table has both dining and coffee table modes and space to seat 10, although eight would be more comfortable. This area is slightly raised, with windows at eye level, although the view is blocked on both aft quarters, which makes it less suited as a watch keeping station in inclement weather. There’s also a navstation/desk area, with space to fit a multi-function display. Natural ventilation is primarily from big opening ports in the front coachroof windows.

The galley forms an L-shape on both sides of the aft end of the saloon, with sink, small dishwasher and four-burner gas cooker to port. To starboard is extensive fridge/freezer capacity, totalling almost 400lt.

Two of the three double cabins in the port hull, which also features two heads with separate shower stalls. The mid cabin (on right) has limited stowage. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Worktop space is impressive both sides and fiddles are high enough to contain liquid spills and keep items in place in rough seas. Stowage is excellent, including eye level lockers, drawers and lockers below the counter top, plus large underfloor volumes. There’s also a dedicated space for a coffee machine, while a washer/dryer can be fitted in the starboard hull and an additional 100lt freezer in the port hull.

Lagoon 51 layout options

Our test boat was configured with a four cabin/three heads owner’s layout. The port hull houses three double cabins and two heads, both with separate shower stalls. The mid cabin is the smallest of these and has limited stowage, while the forward one has best stowage, but shares the head and shower. An option with two cabins in this hull is also offered. With this arrangement the forward cabin doesn’t gain additional floor space, but becomes fully en-suite and there’s even more stowage.

The test boat is the first Lagoon with new Alpi ‘sand oak’ interior joinery in a lighter tone than earlier boats. Photo: Nicolas Claris

Owner’s accommodation in the starboard hull is palatial, with huge hull windows that eliminate the semi basement feel some older multihulls have. There are also massive stowage volumes in a range of formats, right down to organisation of paperwork, plus a corner sofa and big dressing table/desk.

The huge bathroom forward has his and hers basins, a completely enclosed toilet and big shower.

The many onboard systems make this yacht as comfortable and easy to live on as any home on shore, although maintenance is obviously more complex and onerous. The watermaker produces 100lt per hour on 12V, so can be run from the solar panels, even though it draws 40A. It’s easily accessed, under the floor of the port aft cabin. Equally, the extensive fridge and freezer capacities will provide a huge length of self-sufficiency before needing to reprovision or refuel.

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In the seven years since Grand Large Yachting purchased cult catamaran brand Gunboat and brought it to a new headquarters in the south of France, it has steadily increased its market stature. Today we see a yard at full capacity, specialising in a real niche of top end quality and high performance, at a big size (and cost).

It has two GB72Vs in build (its first flybridge model), two GB80s, and numbers six and seven of its GB68 – which is now redesigned as the GB70 (featured here). When you consider the GB80 is equivalent to a 100ft superyacht in size and price, you start to understand quite how far this brand has progressed.

I have toured the La Grande-Motte yard a couple of times, the most recent being last year, and have been highly impressed with the quality of engineering and attention to detail.

When I spoke with Gunboat’s managing partner, Benoit Lebizay, both then and at the Düsseldorf boat show in January, he explained that they see little point in going below this current size range. Its client base now is a high profile one, with owners typically coming from maxi racing yachts and looking to reduce crew numbers. He also reasons that 55ft is the maximum size before you need a crew, and that once you have a crew you then need privacy.

Gunboat has two of its new GB80 models already in build for a pair of high profile serial boat owners

GB80

A supercat capable of matching low single figure windspeeds yet topping 30 knots, the GB80 has a pretty unique brief: a Grand Prix maxi-sized cat, that can be handled by a small crew, is capable of luxurious world cruising and is a semi-custom repeatable build!

The first GB80 is the latest in serial boat owner Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling series, due to launch this summer, while the second is for Team Argo. Hence you get the idea these are for serious, competitive and experienced racing sailors who want a turbo catamaran they can also cruise, with the equivalent accommodation of a maxi yacht. “The cult is coming back – but at a higher end,” thinks Lebizay.

To see these beasts in construction phase is eye-opening. These are full prepreg carbon builds with much of the construction done by industry leaders Fibre Mechanics in Lymington and Multiplast in France. Pick up a panel and it’s featherlight yet super strong.

An aircraft company builds the furniture in Nomex (including 6mm Corian veneer) – it’s incredibly expensive but the most valuable place to save weight, says Lebizay.
Gunboat is now updating its GB68s with the learnings and technology from the GB80.

The GB70 has longer hulls than the 68 and the mast is brought aft onto the coachroof. Everything above deck is new

GB70

The GB68, the first new VPLP designed model under Grand Large Yachting’s ownership, has already proved a success. Gunboat has delivered five 68s and has two in build. But this is a six-year-old design now, and has evolved alongside performance developments of the GB80 in build. The new, slightly extended version shown above, is the GB70.

It looks very similar, with the same sporty aesthetic appeal, but the longer hulls and different mast placement could make key differences in performance and handling.

“For this V2 we wanted a small 80, not a big 68,” Lebizay explains. “Actually it’s a 72 but we already had a 72 [a flybridge model].” Where the GB72V is an extended GB68, with the extension added midships to create wider hulls for increased payload, the 70s are kept narrow. Everything above deck uses new moulds.

A dual aft helm option is now offered as well as Gunboat’s signature forward cockpit and interior helm (now with a canting wheel).

Better interior flow and visibility, plus a canting wheel

Another significant alteration is that the mast is further aft and is stepped on the coachroof rather than in front of the cockpit. This helps allow for a high aspect ratio main and larger foresails, including a generous self-tacking J2/Solent. The reasoning is to make it more balanced and easy to handle.

It should also make a big difference to the views from the interior wheel and saloon.

Historically, Gunboats have had forward cockpits, transverse berths and midships engines to help centralise weight. “But we know how to maintain balance with the mast moved aft like raceboats,” says Lebizay. The engines are now in the more conventional position aft and have improved sound proofing insulation.

The saloon area has been extended with better flow and has larger sliding doors connecting the aft cockpit. The owner cabin is now also larger with a longitudinal berth, which is still close to midships, with a bathroom aft. The GB70 is offered as a five cabin version as standard or a four cabin option with galley and crew mess in the port hull to help give more privacy and segregation for owners.
Lebizay thinks the GB70 will be around two tonnes heavier than the GB68, but it is longer and will be able to take a seven tonne payload.

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As with beauty, coolness is in the eye of the beholder. While for some, speed is secondary to function or comfort, inherently any list of coolest catamarans and multihulls is likely to tip towards the high performance designs, whether they are historic trend setters or modern record holders.

We’ve asked a plethora or personalities from the sailing world, from top designers to racer for their thoughts on the coolest catamarans and multihulls. Each selection holds a special place in the heart of one of sailing’s biggest names. Reading about their favourites demonstrates it isn’t always the absolute latest technology that makes some of the boats the coolest catamarans and multihulls out there.

The Coolest Catamarans and Multihulls

Phaedo – MOD 70

“In terms of complexity for speed, there isn’t anything else which has such a good ratio as a MOD 70,” says British pro-sailor Sam Goodchild. “We’ve been over 40 knots [boatspeed] on them, and with Phaedo we used to sail for up to 200 days a year, all around the world, with just two shore crew. We were sailing offshore with just five people, so you’ve got super high performance for relatively easy upkeep.

“We’d be doing the Caribbean regattas against boats like Comanche, they’d have 20-something people on the rail and we had five, doing circles around them! Then we did all the transatlantic races – for me it’s an amazing boat.

Gitana 17 – Ultime

“The Ultimes to me are the most technologically advanced and fastest boats that you can still go offshore with, at incredible speeds and at the same time a robustness and all round performance: 30 knots upwind on the ocean! So I think they are technically the peak of sailing at the moment,” says Co-Owner of The Ocean Race, Johan Salen, who nominates the giant trimaran Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, also known as Gitana 17.

Gitana 17 is a 32m fully foiling trimaran built to a Verdier design to compete in both crewed (by a team of six) and solo races and record attempts. Skippered by Charles Caudrelier, it has won the Rolex Fastnet Race, Transat Jacques Vabre and Brest Atlantiques.

Aerial images of Francois Gabart onboard Ultim MACIF, training before the Round the Word Solo Handed Record, off Belle Ile, on October 16th, 2017 – Photo Jean-Marie LIOT / ALEA / MACIF

MACIF – Ultime

“This is a boat only a handful of people have ever been aboard but it’s a boat all the cool kids would really love to sail,” says Dee Caffari – the first woman to sail non-stop round the world in both directions.

“It’s the coolest yacht in the world because it’s very, very fast and because François Gabart set the 24-hour record of 851 miles all on his own.

“And he is very cool himself!”

PHOTO CHRISTOPHE LAUNAY / DPPI – Alain Theabault and his crew ( Jacques Vincent – Yves Parlier – Jean Le Cam – Robert Douglas )

Hydroptère – Speed record breaker

“I thought Hydroptère was the most incredible boat for a long time,” says Vendée Globe solo sailor Pip Hare of the groundbreaking 60ft (18m) foiler. “It was the first flying boat we’d ever seen. It crossed oceans and also was going for the 50-knot record.”

The experimental hydrofoil was the brainchild of skipper, helmsman and project founder Alain Thébault, together with design studio VPLP. It was built on principles Thébault proved as early as the Nineties and launched in 2008 – over a decade decade before the Ultimes evolved into the foiling offshore multihull class we know today.

Photo: Thierry Martinez

B&Q Castorama – Round the world record breaker

“For me ‘Moby’, as Ellen MacArthur’s trimaran was known, is one of the coolest yachts,” says top yachting photographer, Thierry Martinez of Ellen’s B&Q Castorama.

“In this photograph Ellen is 100 miles off the finish line at Ushant just before she broke her solo round the world record in 2005. I wasn’t working for Ellen at this time, but I had followed her from the boat’s launch in Sydney to the end of successful broken record.

“The trimaran was extra cool because it had two sides: one blue side with a French sponsor, and an orange side for an English sponsor. To shoot both sides was a challenge.”

USA 17 – 2010 America’s Cup winner

“I’d have loved to sail on the America’s Cup AC72 cats in San Francisco in 2013, they were so invigorating,” says Thomas Coville – one of the world’s most successful ocean racing skippers. “Those boats were when Larry Ellison just let free in the America’s Cup and pushed the limits. But perhaps even cooler was the big trimaran challenger, USA 17 [in 2010]. When you saw the size of the wing and the size of Jimmy Spithill steering the boat, and flying on one hull, I think it was totally amazing.

“We should give a medal to the generation who was on the America’s Cup in San Francisco for creating so many new ideas and new dynamics, but for me the first step of sailing by flying was when those guys arrived with a trimaran with wings. Today we are trying to recreate that kind of a step by foiling around the world.”

Foiling F50 – SailGP‘s foiling catamaran

“Without question the SailGP F50 is the best boat that I have ever sailed,” says America’s Cup skipper, 49er gold medalist and foiling Moth world champion, Nathan Outteridge. “The headline top speeds of over 50 knots are impressive, but there is so much more to these incredible boats.

“The boats are inherently unstable, and so require constant adjustment of the foils to keep them flying at optimum levels. Initially the boats were very hard to sail; the foils are very unstable and not as forgiving as were used in the Bermuda America’s Cup, but with the help of sophisticated computer aided flight controls and user-friendly flight controller hardware the boats are now far easier to sail, which makes for better, closer racing.”

Biscuits Cantreau 2 – Revolutionary trimaran

Biscuits Cantreau 2 was a Formula 40 trimaran designed for Jean Le Cam in 1987. “Formula 40 was a class born in France with a very simple rule for multihulls for offshore racing,” explains Lauriot–Prévost, co-founder of VPLP yacht design. “The boat had to be 40ft long, about 40ft wide, the mast height was 21m, with a sail area of 90m2, and weigh 2.3 tonnes minimum.

“In 1986 the majority of the fleet were catamarans, but we started with a trimaran. For 1987 we sat down with a blank sheet of paper. The challenge was to be at the minimum weight with a trimaran. We wanted to go for a trimaran which sailed like a catamaran, flying a hull. That was really something very new.

“Most trimarans sailed on the main hull, with floats to balance the boat for transverse stability. We had the crew on the windward float, three rudders, and aimed to sail flying a hull. She was faster than all the catamaran fleet, and beat them all.”

Olympus Photo – The original modern multihull

“The late Mike Birch’s Olympus Photo, designed and built by Walter Greene, sits at the root of all modern multis,” says Guillaume Verdier – one of the most talented and successful naval architects of the modern era. “Mike and his boat began the legend of the Route du Rhum and made offshore racing so popular. With his 12m-long yellow trimaran he beat Michel Malinovsky on his 21m (69ft) monohull Kriter in 1978, by less than two minutes – extraordinary considering they didn’t know each other’s position at the time.

“Greene’s design was a cold moulded wooden-epoxy coated boat with small longitudinal stringers. At the time it was a very original way to build boats, developed by the Gougeon brothers.”

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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Can one week change your life? That’s a whole lot of pressure to put on a holiday. But for a surprising number of graduates of the Nautilus Sailing catamaran sailing course, that’s exactly what their one week aboard is: a first step to catamaran ownership or liveaboard adventures.

Nestled under the towering castillo on the tiny Balearic island of Cabrera is a simple tapas bar, known as the Cantina. Overlooking the dinghy dock and a short dusty road to nowhere, its terrace is a place where sailors sit to contemplate the stars, the swinging anchor lights, and life in general.

Over olives and white sangria my crew mates were considering their next life move, and they were resolute that it would involve buying a catamaran, and making that leap.

Of course, a liveaboard catamaran sailing course doesn’t have to be about reinventing your life. It’s a week afloat in the sun, hopping from bay to bay in some of the loveliest sailing destinations around, and an opportunity to pick up the skills to do it all again some time – only next time chartering your own boat, with friends or family.

Dreaming big: the majority of Nautilus Sailing’s catamaran skipper course students now plan to sail away on their own boat, rather than charter. Photo: Nautilus Sailing

Tacking between the islands of Conils and Cabrera, before tucking into the deeply sheltered nook of the Puerto de Cabrera anchorage, surrounded on all sides by a silent national park where the only visitors arrive by sea, is a day to treasure for anyone cruising the Mediterranean. For those experiencing yachting for the first time, it’s akin to being given the key to a secret world that only sailors have permission to access.

Broad appeal

Catamaran ownership has boomed, but the huge sales of recent years aren’t solely the result of previous monohull owners converting to multihull life. There’s no question that the popularity of YouTube sailing mega-brand La Vagabonde, and other multihull vlogs like Gone with the Wynns and Sailing Zatara, have showcased the liveaboard lifestyle to thousands of viewers for whom moving aboard a more modest yacht would never have appealed.

The other big shift has been in the charter sector, with catamarans overwhelmingly the preferred option in many charter sailing areas. For experienced monohull sailors, skippering a rental cat isn’t usually particularly troublesome. However, for newer sailors looking to charter for the first time, there can be a real learning gap between the introductory courses taught on small keelboats and monohulls, and the reality of taking responsibility for a 45ft catamaran.

An overnight stop in Port Andratx, Mallorca. Photo: Nautilus Sailing

To fill this space in the market, the Nautilus Sailing course is a ‘zero to hero’ fast-track curriculum that takes students right from the introductory ASA (American Sailing Association) 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing course, through coastal cruising and bareboat cruising certificates (ASA 103 and 104), up to ASA 114, Cruising Catamaran Sailing. It assumes no prior knowledge, and promises to get students from absolute novice to capable charter cat skipper in just six days.

It’s a lot. The sheer volume of terminology and theory that new sailors need to grasp to rattle through four test papers is daunting. For many, however, the immersive week is just the first step on an even bigger mountain they’ve set themselves to climb, to become full-time sailors.

My fellow crew mates were doing just that. Hailing from San Francisco they’d become intrigued by the idea of going cruising over lockdown, a curiosity which built into a dream to learn to sail together, buy a zero-emissions multihull and set off around the world. Before arriving in Palma last September, they’d never set foot on a yacht. The Nautilus course would be a real-life test of whether a week can change your life.

Nautilus Sailing is the nominated teaching school for Dream Yacht Charter, and our home for the course was one of their Mallorcan base’s catamarans, a Fountaine Pajot Elba 45. Vastly spacious, the four of us rattled around it for a week. Living aboard a typical sailing school yacht means getting to know your fellow students very quickly. By contrast the 45ft cat offered plenty of privacy, with four spacious cabins with ensuite heads, and separate living areas including a large saloon, outdoor dining area, and enormous flybridge lounging deck.

Practising manoeuvring the 45ft catamaran under engine. Photo: Nautilus Sailing

The Elba 45 represents the upper end of the size range that the ASA ticket qualifies you to charter, with high topsides and an elevated helm position to starboard. Skipper and instructor for the week, Nautilus Sailing founder Tim Geisler, gave a quick line handling briefing before deftly taking us out of Palma’s packed marina.

Our first exercise in catamaran handling came as soon as we’d cleared the entrance to the busy port, practising manoeuvring using the Elba’s twin engines. Instead of starting with a whiteboard and talking through the points of sail, this set the tone for the hands-on teaching style of the course.

Beyond the catamaran sailing curriculum

Over the week it became clear that Geisler’s aim was to teach people how to cruise as much as how to sail – and not only the mechanics of navigation and sail handling, but the little habits and pleasures which define life afloat.

The uninhabited island of Cabrera, with its rustic Cantina, was a highlight. Photo: Nautilus Sailing

After an easy reach south-east, our first anchorage for the night was off the 2km sands of Estrenc, a perfect introductory spot to practise dropping the hook with ample swinging room and Caribbean-clear waters.

The beach was near deserted, the weather less balmy than ideal for September. Following dinner on the sheltered aft deck (everyone takes a turn at being chef) we settled into our new evening routine of chatting boats, life and everything in between over local red wine and chocolate.

Article continues below…

Overnight, the Mediterranean put on a spectacular lightning show as it shook off the last days of summer, thunder clamouring overhead. Between sideways rain squalls, I could see other charter boats in the bay hastily re-anchoring. Ours held firm, Geisler’s first lessons clearly well heeded.

The following morning the storm clouds had scuttled away, the sea was back to its aquamarine hues, and the real business of the course began. Daily morning and afternoon teaching sessions ran through essential knowledge.

For the first morning in Estrenc, a bow-to-stern tour of the boat was followed by rummaging deeper: pulling up floorboards, checking seacocks and tank levels, and performing engine checks. It quickly became clear that crew mates Jason and Crystal were model students: they’d read the multiple ASA textbooks every attendee is sent before arriving, they’d watched the instructional videos, and they had all the vocabulary down pat.

Perfectly clear Balearic waters for anchoring practice off Estrenc. Photo: Nautilus Sailing

Having raced superbikes and track cars, the mechanics of a Volvo Penta held no mysteries for them, and as a skydiver and fledgeling pilot, reading detailed wind forecasts was second nature for Jason. I began to see why the learn-to-sail-in-a-week premise felt achievable.

Each day a different crewmember would be nominated ‘skipper’, responsible for updating the forecast, systems checks, and passage planning. Tim’s twice daily briefings covered everything from safety equipment, pollution avoidance, rules of the road, US federal requirements, and dive etiquette, to basic navigation calculations, traditional chartwork, as well as using Navionics and the onboard plotter.

Via a combination of theory and practical sessions, the curriculum rattled through anchoring techniques, sail handling and basic sail trim, emergency protocols and VHF usage, knots, and man overboard recovery.

In between, our route for the week alternated different cruising experiences: from Estrenc we motor-sailed around the southern tip of the island to Cala d’Or, a passage clearly designed to test new-found navigational skills as we picked our way along the busy, narrow inlet to the small marina at the very end.

The role of skipper for the day is rotated. Photo: Nautilus Sailing

The following day was a 20-mile hop south, down to the national park of Cabrera, where we used the six-mile island and the surrounding archipelago which make up the national park as a natural obstacle course demanding different points of sail.

A 40-mile passage to Andratx on day five gave the newer sailors a chance to test their sealegs, and for anyone who wanted it the opportunity to helm for longer periods. Each afternoon we nipped into a sheltered cove for lunch, more teaching sessions, and a quick swim or paddleboard, while day by day Tim stepped back a little more, showing – and building – confidence in whoever was in control.

But there’s no hiding the fact that this is a course to be passed, and by day three our routine was punctuated with test papers. The ASA exam format is a simple multiple choice, usually 100 questions, with an 80% pass rate required. It quickly became clear that passing wasn’t the goal. Jason and Crystal, high achievers from west coast tech and law firms, were after 100%. Dropping a point or two would be noted; I was going to have to up my game.

Sitting ASA test papers in the cockpit. Photo: Nautilus Sailing

Geisler says that while my crew mates were remarkable, they are not an anomaly. “The intensive learning style is not for everybody, but for some it really works. Most of our clients have started their own businesses or they’ve been very successful, they’re very driven. They want to get it done right, so they give 110%.”

Since Geisler started the business 13 years ago, besides a near-total shift to multihulls over monos, he has also seen a marked change in the demographics of his customers. They’ve become a lot younger – back in 2010 the ASA reported that 82% of people learning to sail were over the age of 60, while the intensive courses offered by schools like Nautilus appeal to busy, working professionals in their 30s, 40s and 50s. And although the vast majority have zero prior sailing experience, he notes that more than half of Nautilus Sailing clients now want to learn to sail not only to charter, but with firm intentions to buy their own boat.

Graduation day

Four test papers over four days later, and we were all certified ASA catamaran charter skippers. So how well equipped does a week like this leave you to take sole charge of a multihull?

The compressed schedule does put the course slightly at the mercy of conditions. We had uncharacteristically unstable weather in September, turning several longer passages into more of a motorsail than ideal for practising sail handling and helming.

A quirk of chartering out of Palma is that there’s also very little opportunity to work on docking (though ample chances for anchoring and picking up mooring balls); Geisler reports that at the other teaching bases they usually find an unused fuel berth or similar to practise on. Certainly a day or two spent pontoon bashing under the eye of an instructor would be a useful follow up.

To a non-American eye, some of the ASA curriculum seems heavy on regulatory points. To Nautilus’s credit, while the teaching is designed to get you through the test paper, the bigger picture is to equip you to go sailing and focus real-world skills – such as using weather apps.

Motoring out of Cala d’Or. Photo: Nautilus Sailing

A casual online search of ASA qualifications might lead you to sites comparing the ASA and RYA (Royal Yachting Association) course structures. Some, erroneously, describe the ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising course as equivalent to RYA Day Skipper, and anything above as equivalent to RYA Coastal Skipper. It is not comparable, and Nautilus Sailing certainly does not claim it is. The Day Skipper course, and above, have minimum mileage requirements, including night hours, and require skippering in a range of conditions that the ASA courses do not.

What the ASA intensive course does offer is a kick-start. It’s a way to learn skills in an immersive environment, to experience a simulation of the ‘end goal’ of cruising, while cramming knowledge in with uniquely catamaran-specific cruising instruction.

Nautilus Sailing operates from the Dream Yacht Charter Mallorcan base in Palma. Photo: Nautilus Sailing

To get the most out of a single week on the water benefits from a hefty commitment to doing the prep work beforehand, and it would be enormously sensible for new sailors to spend time practising those recently taught skills before taking responsibility for a yacht. Certainly that’s what Jason and Crystal did, signing up for a fractional ownership scheme in San Francisco Bay while they decided on their next step.

More seasoned cruisers who are considering a move to a multihull, particularly where one half of a couple might have less experience and confidence, could certainly benefit from Nautilus’s small-group teaching.

“When you pass your driving test, you have the basics to get out on the road. Are you ready to go and race a Formula One car? No. It’s down to you to put in the time. So we tell people this is a licence to learn,” says Geisler.

A few months after getting home from Palma, our group chat pings to life. Jason and Crystal have been binge-watching YouTube sailing videos, this time mostly boat tests on the Yachting World channel. They want Tim’s advice on some rigging options because they’re close to purchasing their first yacht. After just one week, their lives are changing.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Catamaran sailing: can you fast track multihull skills? appeared first on Yachting World.

We’re sailing the Excess 14 upwind in 12-14 knots of true wind, with boat speed hovering between 7.4 and 8.0 knots. The helm feels positive and responsive, the boat tacks easily and responds readily to accurate sail trim.

Aside from the lack of heel, it’s the type of experience and real-world cruising speeds you might expect of a 50-something-foot monohull performance cruiser. Yet, this is an enormously spacious 26ft wide platform from the world’s largest boatbuilder, not a niche builder of expensive high performance designs.

Until now, anyone looking for a catamaran sailing experience that’s fun and rewarding to sail had a limited choice. Granted, yards such as Outremer and Marsaudon Composites produce fantastic boats, but they can be complex, while high tech construction and low build volumes inevitably mean hefty prices.

Groupe Beneteau identified a gap in the market into which it launched the Excess brand four years ago. How did the yard achieve good sailing qualities and performance in a high volume production boat with a commensurate price tag?

A policy to chase weight savings in every area, without creating an expensive high-tech boat, started with a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the entire structure by VPLP’s Vannes office, which normally deals with race boats.

Asymmetric hull shape with more curvature outboard reduces drag and slamming. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Carbon reinforcement was added to highly stressed areas, such as the fully infused PET foam sandwich bulkheads, while weight was dropped from lightly stressed zones including hull skins, through using a lower density end grain balsa core. This is divided into small squares, separated by resin, so localised damage won’t allow water ingress to spread. Layup is monolithic in way of the engines and keels, while the deck is PET foam sandwich.

The weight of furniture also came under scrutiny – the galley, for instance, is 25% lighter without resorting to expensive foam cores. Light displacement is 12.8 tonnes, compared to 14-15 tonnes for other cruising catamarans this size, and is one of several factors that make a significant improvement to the way the boat sails.

Feedback loop

VPLP also optimised keel hydrodynamics. Renowned naval architect Vincent Lauriot Prévost was convinced these could be more efficient than cruising multihulls’ typical fat, low aspect keels – and his initial modelling showed a modest 10cm increase in draught would give 15% better efficiency.

At the same time, discussions on the Excess Lab, an online forum engaging directly with sailors, showed the market will accept a catamaran with deeper draught than the industry-standard 1.2m (4ft) chosen to allow access to shallow Bahamian anchorages. So draught was increased to 1.48m, allowing chord length to be reduced by half, meaning thinner keels, even less drag and further improvements in steering response. The rudders are also 20cm deeper, so their shape is less compromised than most cruising catamarans.

Helm positions put you in contact with anyone in the cockpit, but the coachroof restricts visibility. Photo: Julien Gazeau

Other innovations include asymmetric hulls with more curvature and volume on the outside and less on the inside, reducing drag from the interaction of the wakes between the two hulls and slamming.

Our test boat had the optional 1.76m (5ft 9in) taller Pulse Line mast and longer bowsprit, which increases upwind sail area by 12m2 and adds 14m2 to the Code 0. The boat performed well on my first sail in 8-12 knots of breeze, reaching at speeds of up to 7.3 knots under Code 0, and maintaining six knots with a true wind angle of 58°.

However, it falls off quickly if you try to point too high in appreciably less than 10 knots true wind. Turning downwind and setting an asymmetric spinnaker we maintained 7-7.5 knots at a true wind angle of 145°, increasing to 8.5 knots after heading up 30°.

Light airs performance

My second sail gave an interesting chance to try the boat in light airs. Compared to a new 47ft monohull performance cruiser, sailing gently upwind in only 6-7 knots of true breeze, we were around 5° lower, but almost matched speed. Even in such gentle conditions the helm has good feel and the boat is responsive to sail trim.

The bridgedeck accommodation is bright, with a wonderful almost all-round view. Photo: Julien Gazeau

The twin aft helm stations offer numerous advantages, including a direct connection from the wheels to the rudders using Dyneema cables. There’s an excellent view of the headsail luff, but there’s a large sector where you have to peer through the saloon windows. Nevertheless, for monohull sailors this feels like a natural place from which to steer and has the additional benefit of keeping the driver in contact with others in the cockpit.

The arrangement also makes short-handed berthing easier than cats with a central helm or a flybridge. As standard, mechanical cable engine controls are fitted at the starboard helm only, but our test boat had an electronic option with controls both sides.

Standard specification includes a square top mainsail and powerful overlapping genoa. Both are ideal for cruising cats, as the centre of effort is lowered and there’s no backstay to get in the way of the head of the mainsail.

Most sail controls are led to a bank of clutches and a pair of winches at the starboard helm station. Headsail sheets are colour coded, so tacking is an easy one-person operation. Our test boat had an electric winch upgrade, including a Harken Flatwinder powered mainsheet traveller.

Helm seats hinge upwards to give access to the transoms. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

My final day on board was in breezier conditions touching 17-18 knots, with a steep onshore chop that led to some wave tops gently slapping underneath the bridgedeck. This short, steep sea meant speed was quickly lost if you pointed too high when sailing close hauled. However, bearing off to a true wind angle just over 50° (around 33-34° apparent) saw brisk acceleration to speeds occasionally topping 8.5 knots.

Bearing away and deploying the Code 0 saw boat speed climb up to a maximum 10.3 knots. The delivery crew taking the boat from the Atlantic coast of France to the Cannes Yachting Festival report a top speed of 16.5 knots. However, this is not intended as a high performance vessel capable of sustained speeds in the upper teens, which makes it a less intimidating, easier boat to sail.

The central section of the aft cockpit is clear of sail handling action, with the exception of the traveller on the beam aft of the long bench seat across the back of the cockpit. An extending table to port allows easy circulation of people, yet can accommodate plenty for dining. There’s also an outdoor fridge and small bench seat on the starboard side of the cockpit. Access to the water or tender is from the aft platforms of each hull.

Wide side decks make going forward easy. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Side decks are wide, with good handrails, but weight saving means there’s no well for a forward cockpit. Instead sunbeds and cushions at the front of the bridgedeck create an area for relaxing and socialising, while beanbags can be used on the big trampoline.

Sky lounge

There’s also an option of a ‘sky lounge’ on one side of the hardtop for use when not under way. This is reached via a couple of steps each side of the mast. The boom sweeps low across the top of the coachroof and hardtop, making it easy to pack the mainsail away and close the lazy bag after sailing.

Stowage on deck is under the cockpit seating, plus large lockers at the front of the bridgedeck, one of which also houses the optional generator. This area has space for the windlass and chain locker, while there are big sail lockers forward in both hulls, with enough space for optional skipper’s cabins.

Excellent owner’s suite includes a big dressing table/desk for those who work on board. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Under sail the boat has a sufficiently comfortable, relaxed and solid feel to make leaving the helm to wander into the saloon or galley a viable proposition, especially if an apparent wind speed alarm is set. There are no full height cabinets, so only the mullions obstruct vision, while the blind spot from the helm stations created by coachroof, genoa and Code sails are no longer a problem.

The saloon is large, with ample room for circulation, plus a navstation and big table with space to comfortably seat eight people for dining. There’s good natural ventilation, including two big hatches in the front windows, plus one outboard of the cooker, as well as wide doors aft. The lack of full-height lockers means acres of galley worktop space. There’s also generous refrigeration and easily accessed stowage, plus considerable additional volume below the floor.

Chines above the waterline boost accommodation volume in the hulls, giving more space than high octane performance cruising designs. The charter version has a full four cabin, four head, four shower layout with good space, privacy and stowage.

Mmulti-function stowage space at the front of the owner’s hull can convert to an occasional twin berth cabin. Photo: Julien Gazeau

Owners’ versions offer an unusual, but effective, take on how to use the space at the front of the starboard hull. There’s a flexible forepeak, instead of the standard 4m-long bathroom, with excellent stowage, including space for a walk-in dressing room (or even workshop). Yet this area can be converted to two single berths when necessary, perhaps with grandchildren on board. Aft of this is a midships washroom with twin sinks alongside enclosed toilet and shower compartments.

Between this area and the large peninsula berth aft is a generous dressing table/desk area, with ample space for those who work from home. There’s substantial further stowage in multiple hanging lockers, shelves and drawers.

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We’re sailing by the Gulf of Venezuela as we approach the Colombian coastline, a notoriously difficult stretch of water with frequent high winds, big swell and current. This night is no exception. It’s 0100 and Jim and I are both in the cockpit under a ceiling of stars. It’s Jim’s watch, but tonight is all-hands on deck.

Polaris is surfing fast down waves which have now built to over 4m. The wind has just reached 40 knots but, mercifully, is coming from behind. Swell breaks into the cockpit once again, soaking us both. We decide to put the tiny sliver of genoa away, and begin sailing under bare poles. Our speed drops from 16 to 7 knots, but it’s still too fast, we don’t want a night-time arrival.

Under the full moon that lights our way, I can see crests of white water battering the Colombian coast in the distance. Outwardly we’re both calm, although adrenalin is running high.

The speed is thrilling but we feel secure, Polaris is handling it just fine. So are we; we have done so many miles together on this boat that has kept us safe. I catch my breath to realise that it was just three years earlier that I set foot on Polaris for the first time, having never sailed before in my life.

Into the unknown

My partner Jim has sailed his whole life, I had zero experience. Together we made a decision to sell almost everything, rent out our flat in London, buy a boat, move on board full-time and complete a global circumnavigation. It was an ambitious plan. But Jim was adamant that my introduction to cruising should be as gradual as possible.

The last thing he wanted was for me to do too much too soon and be scared off sailing for life. If we both still liked it after all that, then maybe we’d keep on going, becoming long-term liveaboards.

It took us 12 months to find, buy and move onto our Catana 47 catamaran. Those months were a chaotic haze of activity; we moved house twice and totally immersed ourselves in the pursuit of the boat and obtaining everything needed for it. We did training courses at weekends, attended boat shows and test sails.

Kate Ashe-Leonard at the helm of her Catana 47 catamaran, Polaris.

In fact, we did a lot of things related to becoming sailors, but hardly any actual sailing, so I was relatively unprepared by the time we moved on board. We’d at least experienced a bareboat charter holiday for two weeks: a miniature proof of concept to try and be as certain as we could that I really wanted to do this. And I did.

We delivered our own boat from France to Marina di Ragusa, Sicily, where we would spend the next eight months. We took two additional crew for that first passage. It would be five days and 600 miles of offshore sailing and, while I had barely sailed at all, Jim also didn’t know Polaris yet. That was my very first experience of being at sea and out of sight of land. I could have flown to Sicily but I really wanted to be part of that first voyage. I shadowed Jim as he taught me how everything worked, helping prepare me for when I would stand night watch alone in future. Taking crew on that trip gave us the breathing space to do that.

Soft landing

Overwintering in Sicily was one of the best decisions we made. It was the perfect soft introduction to liveaboard life. The wealth of knowledge so generously offered by the liveaboard community there was invaluable. We’d head out on day sails to get to know the boat and practise together. New friends would often come too, letting Jim safely experiment with trim options for flying our new spinnaker without worrying about my inexperience.

Hours spent installing our radar were made easier with the help of other sailors who had the knowledge and tools. There were afternoon provisioning trips, pooled car rides out to chandleries and hardware stores searching for obscure parts.

Polaris heads into the Atlantic

Jim and another cruiser arranged for the local sail loft to hold a splicing class, one experienced liveaboard put on a celestial navigation course, and an Atlantic crossing planning group was formed where both newbies and experienced transatlantic sailors could meet, discuss experiences and share our plans.

This time made us realise the importance of having a network of knowledgeable people who understood some of the challenges we faced.

I soaked it all in. I didn’t realise it at the time, but some of the friendships we made there would continue in the years that lay ahead when our paths crossed in the Caribbean and beyond.

Arrival in Antigua.

Just the two of us

With lots of boat work complete, we left the marina in May and did a few day sails up the coast of Sicily with a buddy boat before our first double-handed overnight passage to Greece. In my naivety I was all for heading out in the forecast 30-plus knots and going straight to Preveza, but Jim urged caution.

As we cruised the Greek islands in the months that followed, we’d swap roles so that I’d learn both sides of a process rather than getting too comfortable only doing the bit I thought was easier.

Sometimes I took the role of skipper for a day and Jim would be there to correct any mistakes. I also wrote out basic operating procedures to help me understand each step and why we were doing it.
The Greek islands were sometimes a tricky training ground with katabatic gusts, wind acceleration zones and strong Meltemi northerlies in the Aegean in July and August. The livelier sails took me to the edges of myself as I learned where my comfort zone lay.

Sunset cruising in the Mediterranean

Sometimes, Jim had to insist that I complete a manoeuvre in spite of my protests. He made sure I was confident raising and dropping the mainsail on my own from start to finish, but turning the boat head to wind in strong breezes and big waves could be frightening as a beginner.

During our test sail a year earlier, on my first time on Polaris, one of the broker’s crew had cranked the mainsheet down so hard that the halyard snapped, and our fully battened mainsail of over 80m2 and all its cars came crashing down. A few minutes later the genoa furling gear had seized, leaving the genoa sheets flogging around, smashing all the solar panels on our coachroof and spraying the cockpit in its glass. Jim instilled in me a healthy appreciation of the potential dangers of lines and winches, and with practice I got over these fears.

Coffee time in the Tuamotus

Soon we were doing a two-night, 350-mile passage to Malta. The voyages were getting longer, but my competency was also increasing. I loved the quiet and dark of solo night watches giving space for reflection in a way I hadn’t experienced in years – if ever.

Next there was a two-night hop to Sardinia and a few days later, a four-night passage to Cartagena, Spain. These passages went well mainly because we were disciplined about getting as much sleep as possible during them and choosing conservative weather windows. In the lead up to every passage Jim and I would look together at each new weather forecast on PredictWind twice a day. Our priority was always to leave when there were favourable but not overall windy conditions forecast, to avoid upwind passages where possible, and to avoid a night-time arrival.

By October it was time to get ourselves from Gibraltar to Lanzarote, our longest passage yet at 590 miles. We were by now so used to sailing double-handed, it felt natural. We then discovered that for our upcoming Atlantic crossing our insurance company required us to take a minimum of two additional crew (as it would be our first ocean passage); the idea of bringing strangers into our home and trusting them with our boat was daunting.

Moored with friends on another catamaran in a tranquil bay in the Med

Preparations for crossing the Atlantic included testing all our boat’s systems, assembling the safety equipment, compiling extensive medical and first aid kits and bolstering our refrigeration capacity. We calculated fuel, water and power requirements. We made contingency plans and did endless rounds of provisioning. We also had to select new crew. We screened over 50 candidates and identified two who had the right balance of compatible personalities and experience. Jim and I were used to doing everything as a team and so it was strange to share the workload around.

Student to teacher

We decided to do the Atlantic crossing in two stages; from Lanzarote to Sao Vicente, Cape Verde; then on to Antigua. Going via the Cape Verdes was a chance to review how the crew were working out so far, as well to rest, top up fuel and reprovision. Jim and I taught the new crew how we do things and to ensure this was adhered to. For this first leg, we split the night watches between Jim and one of the crew, and myself with the other.

Kiteboarding at Cape Verde

Unexpectedly, having crew on board and teaching them the way things needed to be done on Polaris was a really good exercise for my confidence. I realised that I really knew how we use our sails, how we managed power, and how our AIS, radar and Open CPN chart software worked. Things that only a few months earlier had felt alien and intimidating were now part of my everyday life.

As we weren’t in a rally we had the freedom to select our departure dates based on the best weather window. After a week exploring Sao Vicente, we set off in early December in what can only be described as intense conditions. Thankfully, the weather moderated as forecast, from 30-plus knots from behind to 18-20 knots. For this passage we split the night watches into four with each person standing watch for three hours and all felt spoiled with all the extra sleep. We developed a pleasant routine during the day; fishing, listening to podcasts, playing cards and making sure to gather together for the lunches and dinners I’d prepared.

Practice with the spinnaker and other crew

A friend in Sicily had advised against getting others involved in meal preparation, as she’d found that using a meal plan meant she knew which ingredients she needed to save for upcoming meals. I handed over control of the kitchen once or twice, but seized it back when I noticed eight heads of garlic on the chopping board for just one meal. After that I followed her advice, although it was exhausting cooking for four along with all the sailing.

Caribbean and beyond

After 13 days Antigua was in sight. A regal looking pelican swooped down to the water in front of us, before returning to his perch on an old stone column. We tied up our boat in historic Nelson’s Dockyard, English Harbour, a momentous arrival after our first ocean crossing.

We’d graduated to become true liveaboard sailors, and spent the following months enjoying tradewind sailing in the Eastern Caribbean. We fled to the Grenadines when the pandemic began to impact travel, and spent a year there in total. The situation taught us that we prefer to cruise slowly, to really get to know the places we visit and the people we meet. We had our first hurricane scare at Union Island and prepared to go to sea and hove to with another boat – a stressful experience which thankfully ended as it was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Mindelo’s marina

In Dutch Sint Maarten we installed lithium batteries, a washing machine, new instruments and significantly increased our solar capability in readiness for the Pacific. A sail to Bonaire was one of our fastest and most exhausting so far, breaking 200 nautical miles in a day. Then west to Colombia, followed by Panama.

In March 2022, we transited the Panama Canal to the Pacific, where we prepared for our biggest double-handed passages yet – to the Galapagos and finally to French Polynesia. I know lots of people who love sailing but really dread really long passages. I’ve discovered that I’m the opposite: I love the buzz of activity as we spend weeks getting ourselves and the boat ready, the endless rounds of provisioning and planning, and then the relief when you finally set off.

We have been living and sailing on board for four years now and Jim and I know that we work best sailing double-handed. As a couple, we spend a huge amount of time together and have sometimes gone weeks without seeing anyone else. So, it’s important to have our own hobbies, like photography and writing, as well as all the ones we do together: diving, paddleboarding, hiking or kiteboarding.

From ripped sails to arrival parties and back breaking hikes to gather provisions, this lifestyle has us hooked. I have never once doubted whether this was for me but building my miles gradually in the beginning was crucial. Jim taught me how to trim the sails, how to read the sea and the sky, how to recognise wind coming across the water. In the moment I was very reliant on him, but there hasn’t been any teaching going on here for a long time.

Though this journey has brought many challenges, none have been insurmountable as we take each step together on this incredible adventure.

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The explosion in multihull and catamaran sales has been well documented, with many yards reporting lead times of two years or longer as build slots sold out as quickly as they were released. Now, many multihulls that were ordered post-2020 are on the water.

In this year’s ARC rally there were 16 new boats that had been launched in this year alone, of which 15 were multihulls. We caught up with some of their owners in Las Palmas to find out how the purchase process went and how they’d expedited preparations to get transatlantic-ready.

Custom solutions

Chet Chauhan bought Navasana, a Nautitech 46 Open, in 2021, having previously raced and cruised monohulls. After moving from England to the US west coast for work, he sailed his 20-year-old 38ft Beneteau from San Francisco to Sydney with a previous girlfriend in 2010.

“We visited all the island groups along the way and absolutely loved it. I wanted to keep going, but obviously needed more funds. And I realised the boat wasn’t ideal.”

He moved back to Europe, where he met partner Jessy. Two years ago they decided to revisit Chet’s dream of sailing around the world.

Chet Chauhan (left), Jessy and friend Dan on Navasana. Photo: James Mitchell/World Cruising Club

Deciding to buy a multihull was fairly straightforward. “I’ve had four monohulls before and I used to race, I like a boat that performs and really enjoy the sailing. We’d seriously thought about getting a monohull for this trip, but I realised that you’re spending maybe 80% of the time at anchor, and this is just more liveable.

Having decided on a Nautitech 46 the couple initially looked for a second-hand boat, but quickly realised it was near-impossible to find. “So we decided to order a new one, and we were, I think, just in time. We had a year’s wait time until ours was delivered,” Jessy recalls.

The couple took delivery of Navasana in March this year, the boat delivered on time to the day. They had several after-market upgrades added in La Rochelle, which Chet had specified and organised through their broker, including solar, lithium batteries and custom-built davits.

Chet, who details a lot of the technical modifications to his boat at sailingnavasana.com, says the Nautitech owner’s Facebook group was helpful in working through options and custom solutions, although he was clear on what he wanted to achieve based on his previous Pacific crossing.

Navasana has 1,200W of solar on a fixed arch above the tender, plus an additional 880W of flexible Sunpower panels, a 3,000W inverter, 4x200Ah Victron lithium batteries, while the standard 2x115A/12V alternators were wired into the lithium setup. They opted for no air conditioning.

Extensive solar panels fitted to Navasana. Photo: James Mitchell/World Cruising Club

Sails were focussed on light airs performance to avoid motoring, including an Oxley Levante Parasailor and extra-deep 95m2 Code 0. Additional after-market modifications include rope-cutters on the propellers and a clear-view Racor fuel filter system, a B&G forward-facing camera on the mast, and an Acuva UV filter for drinking water.

He’d been impressed with Nautitech’s build quality during a factory visit and had no qualms about being transatlantic ready. “We were pretty confident because Nautitech sell to a lot of French owners and, because of VAT reasons, they take the boat and head out straight away.

A lot of times they’ll cross the Atlantic within two months. Literally pick the boat up, sail across Biscay in October and then – boom! – down to the Canaries and across the Atlantic.

“Obviously we went to the Med, and had a lot more time to learn the boat. So we felt like we’d be in good shape.” However, he does note that getting to know the systems on a more complex boat has been ‘a big learning curve.’

The couple changed their plans to arrive in the Canaries earlier than planned, which turned out to be something of a godsend. “We thought we’d spend more time in the Med, but this year the Med was very, very hot,” he recalls.

As well as high temperatures, unpredictable weather characterised their season. “In the Balearics at one stage, we were getting Mistrals every, like, three or four days. That was not that much fun because we couldn’t really do any sailing. Then we loved Sardinia, but 10 days after we left, they had these 140mph winds for five minutes. We missed it by a day.”

With high season crowds and less than ideal conditions in the Mediterranean, the couple decided to head straight to the Canaries in September, intending to get the next phase of boat work – including additional solar panels and new halyards – completed in Las Palmas, then explore the Canary Islands before returning for the ARC start.

Chilli Pepper is one of two new Outremer 55s in the rally. Photo: James Mitchell/World Cruising Club

However, a combination of parts delayed in customs, and marine services working frantically to prepare the ARC+ boats, meant that work took much longer than expected. The couple are happy to have invested the time now, as they want to enjoy their two months in the Caribbean before continuing on to the Pacific.
They’ve also used the time in Las Palmas to enjoy the social element that the ARC offers. “The other thing which is challenging with us a bit is our demographic, we don’t have kids and we’re not in our 60s, we’re in the middle. So that’s another reason for joining the ARC, just because there are so many boats you’re more likely to meet those people.”

10,000-mile shakedown

Simon and Penny Hamilton started preparing their new Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 Starry Night in January, giving them a full 10-month build up to the ARC. Carefully planned commissioning and initial cruising phases helped get the family off to a smooth start on their liveaboard adventure with their two young children.

The Hamiltons had also initially looked for a second-hand boat, but discovered that most of the liveaboard boats which met their needs were lying in the Caribbean, and it wasn’t time effective to continually fly over to view them. “We’ve got a limited window. Oscar’s eight, we wanted to be doing this only in primary school [years] so we had a three-year window and thought we just couldn’t be late on the boat. So we ended up going for a new boat,” explains Simon.

“The order was placed in October 2019, and the boat was due November [2021] so it was a two-year wait list, quite a long time. But it’s really worked out well,” says Simon, noting that prices have risen in the interim.

In January they had the boat brought to the UK to get much of the bluewater fit-out done: adding solar, the watermaker, canvas work etc This had several advantages, meaning they could call on the expertise of friends and family in Hamble as well as specialised companies on the south coast, and as the family were still living at home, they could have parts delivered easily.

The crew of Nautitech 40 Open, Hummingbird. Photo: James Mitchell/World Cruising Club

“I also spent a lot of time down with the guys as the work was done so I could see it, because I’m going to have to fix it, and not having a language barrier made a huge difference to asking questions and understanding.”.

In spring they began delivering the boat across into the Mediterranean. Simon and Penny each sailed different ‘legs’ of the delivery, but their young children – Oscar and Skye – didn’t join the boat until Croatia, meaning their first experience of living aboard was one of gentle cruising in the sunshine. The family spent two months enjoying Croatia, before returning west in August.

“We’d done probably near 10,000 miles by the end of the summer, so we’ve done a lot of sailing for a new boat,” notes Simon.

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Despite this, preparing for the transatlantic has been a huge undertaking. “I have to say. since the beginning of September it’s been two months pretty much full time on the boat.

“I find there’s three different phases. One was us just cruising, but with the brakes on, we’d pick somewhere and spend five days there – because we’re also teaching every day so homeschool is the priority – and doing maintenance. It’s probably only about a month ago it felt like we finished the construction phase, putting all the things on that we wanted.

“The past month it’s been much more getting ready for ocean sailing. Doing a lot more around chafe, and prevention rather than cure.

“So we had anchoring, small passages and then ocean passages, each three phases were quite different. It also takes time for issues to work through.”

Starry Night is a real family affair, with Simon’s father joining them on the transatlantic. “My dad did this crossing with his dad in 1970, so we’ve got the three generations. We’ve got the same chart, and it’s got his route plotted, so we can overlay ours onto it.”

The Hamilton family on their new Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 Starry Night. Photo: James Mitchell/World Cruising Club

Quick decisions

Across the pontoon from Starry Night was one of the newest yachts in the marina, Brett and Amanda Mcleod’s Neel 51 Out of the Woods, which was only launched in September.

“In January of 2021 I was talking to a friend of mine. I was just really dissatisfied with a few things, and he said ‘you should get a 50ft Lagoon and go off sailing’,” recalls Brett.

At the time, it was quite a left-field suggestion, as he and his family weren’t sailing, though Brett used to cruise with his parents and Amanda’s family had owned motorboats. “That has always been a sort of end goal for me – just check out and sail over the sunset. I think it used to be more metaphorical, and not literal!” Brett explains.

The Mcleods brand new Neel 51 Out of the Woods. Photo: James Mitchell/World Cruising Club

“But I started thinking about it, and by March 2021 I had determined that I wanted to do this, and that I didn’t want a Lagoon – or a Leopard, or a Bali. But I’d started looking at Outremers and Catanas and Neel, and really started educating myself about catamarans and multihulls.”

He decided to throw himself into gaining sailing experience, starting by joining Tuesday night races at his local club. Then while looking for a first boat, an Outremer 45 became available – “way more boat than I wanted” notes Brett. But the Outremer was ready to sail, and would get them on the water immediately. Brett set himself the task of taking the Outremer out as much as possible, sailing three to five times a week. Amanda also took her ASA courses.

Although both loved sailing the Outremer, they decided that given their limited bluewater experience they wouldn’t undertake any ocean passages without additional crew. In June 2021 they placed an order for a Neel 51, which gave vast space to accommodate extra hands, as well as to make the transition from family life on land easier for their 11-year-old son.

The timeframe, however, couldn’t be expanded, and Brett says that commissioning a large, complex multihull needed some additional support. A key element of making the rapid plan work was bringing in expert help from the outset of the process.

The Mcleods and crew with their brand new Neel 51 Out of the Woods. Photo: James Mitchell/World Cruising Club

“I hired Will Spence from White Dot sailing, who does some of the safety inspections for the ARC to help me with the process. He and one of his guys came to La Rochelle and went through the boat – and I’m so happy I did that. I’d do it again because I just don’t have that foundation of experience to see the things they do.”

The family spent a month on the dock in La Rochelle, which included post-commissioning work to get bluewater-ready, upgrading electronics etc. It wasn’t the ideal introduction to life on board, exacerbated by a slog of a delivery from La Rochelle to Cascais. At one stage they considered postponing their ARC entry to the January rally, but were concerned their 90-day Schengen visa would expire.

However, arriving in Las Palmas has given the family a much-needed boost. While Brett said the final passage from Cascais to Las Palmas was “finally what I’d seen in my mind, just bluewater sailing in great conditions,” his wife and son flew ahead to join the family programme. They were immediately welcomed into the rally community and its carnival atmosphere, and could get excited about the adventure to come.

“I think we’re just starting to see what’s in front of us,” Brett noted.

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In a gutsy and impressive performance New Zealand defied the odds to win the Singapore SailGP. The win cements Peter Burling’s position as the main threat to Tom Slingsby’s charge for a third straight season title, with New Zealand now clearly second in the Season 3 standings. The Kiwis are also the only team besides Australia to win more than one event this season.

Day two of the Singapore event was dominated by three teams, with New Zealand, Denmark and surprise package Switzerland finishing in the top three of both fleet races. It was a day to remember for the Swiss, as they claimed their first ever race win to finish the event in fourth, agonisingly short of a first final appearance.

Nicolai Sehested’s Denmark raced well to finish second in race three, win race four, and pushed the New Zealand team all the way in the final. A strong first day was enough to see Australia make the final but its indifferent form from the day two fleet races carried into the final and it finished third.

For Burling it was a victory to savour, after his team started the event on minus four points for a contact incident with the United States in pre-event training.

Burling said: “Coming into this weekend on the back of those penalty points and just seeing the way the team came together under a bit of adversity is super pleasing for us as a group. It’s two from two against the Aussies now in the finals, we’re more than happy to keep chipping away and now looking forward, we want to firstly try to make the top three which obviously this weekend helps out a lot with, and then to try to be in our best possible shape going into that final to win the season.”

It was a third event final appearance of the season for Nicolai Sehested and a first time in second place on the podium after a solid weekend for the Denmark SailGP Team which saw it keep in touch with the all-important top three.

Sehested said: “We closed the gap to the top today and that’s all we need to do. We still have two more events to keep closing the gap, it’s only in San Francisco that counts, so we will just keep chipping away and we don’t mind sitting in fifth until the San Francisco event.”

The Australians now sit fifteen points clear of fourth place with just three events remaining and are all but guaranteed a place in the Grand Final.

Slingsby said: “We’re feeling really good, we‘re really happy with how we’re looking on the ladder. It’s going to be amazing going back to Australia. It feels like we can just do our thing and sail and just try to get some decent results, we don’t need to go out there and get first to make the final. So we’re going to go out there, sail free and try to get the win in front of the home crowd.”

It was a banner day for Sébastien Schneiter and Nathan Outteridge, co-drivers of the Swiss team, as they claimed their first ever win and very nearly pushed their way into the final with a second place finish in the day’s other race.

Swiss Strategist Laurane Mettraux said: “It was pretty cool out there, I’m just very happy for the team, for Sébastien and for everyone who is working in the shadows. Finally it came! It all sort of came together today, I think we knew that it was going to just take time and we had to wait a little bit and obviously today was the day.”

Quentin Delapierre’s France dropped out of the top three in the season standings after an eighth place finish at East Coast Park, while fourth for Ben Ainslie’s Great Britain team in Singapore was enough to see them replace France in the Grand Final positions.

Seventh at this event for the United States leaves them seventh in the championship and driver Jimmy Spithill looking unlikely for a second straight Grand Final appearance, while Canada’s early season form seems to have evaporated as Phil Robertson’s team sits sixth in the season standings. Spain’s struggles continued with a last place in Singapore leaving driver Jordi Xammar only one point above the bottom-placed Swiss on the season three ladder.

With both days of general admission sold out, over 5000 fans across the weekend packed the shorelines of East Coast Park. Speaking in the event village, Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry said: “It’s really good to be here at Parkland Green, East Coast Park to welcome SailGP, the first event of its kind in Asia. It is broadcast to about 186 territories around the world, putting Singapore on the map. Events like SailGP are a harbinger of what Singapore tourism has to offer now and in the future. We cannot wait to see how SailGP will evolve over time to be a wonderful and engaging product, for Singapore and the world.”

SailGP’s global championship returns to the iconic waters of Sydney Harbour for its next event, the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix on February 18-19, 2023.

SailGP season 3 championship standings

1: Australia // 68 points
2: New Zealand // 59 points
3: Great Britain // 54 points
4: France // 53 points
5: Denmark // 51 points
6: Canada // 45 points
7: United States // 43 points
8: Spain // 24 points
9: Switzerland // 23 points

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Grand Large Yachting has pooled serious knowledge, design and build experience to create what it deems to be an ideal family-sized fast catamaran for world voyaging. The Outremer 52 combines the proven features of the 51 (over 100 built) with the fresh looks and success of the recently launched 55, which won a European Yacht of the Year award last year.

Outremer is targeting 10-12 knot average speeds for this new model: “250 miles a day is enough for comfort and performance,” said Outremer CEO, Xavier Desmarest, at the Cannes Yachting Festival unveiling.

Its sister company, Gunboat, was involved to help lighten the structures while increasing stiffness, including the use of carbon bulkheads. The weight saved in structure allows more volume with slightly wider upper parts of the hull, and openings and glass surfaces have been increased. In comparison to the 51 it is actually slightly heavier, but carries more sail area.

VPLP, which spent two and a half years developing the design with Franck Darnet and Patrick Le Quément, expects the performance to be similar if not slightly better than the 51. Sightlines and communication are also improved, with forward visibility from the bar area and saloon seating, and there are four opening ports in the saloon for ventilation.

Wheel and tiller options are offered or, uniquely, a choice of both on either side, while mechanical steering should bring the sporty feel for which the brand is renowned. The layout sees three or four cabins and three different ‘moods’ or styles. And, like on the larger sister, a utility cabin option is offered so owners can choose an office, workroom, laundry or kids’ cabin.

The standard boat will have diesel engines, but the Grande Motte yard insists the yacht’s ability to sail well means these will be little used. It does already offer electric propulsion alternatives and – as seen on Roland Jourdain’s new 5X We Explore, which uses lots of flax fibre – it is increasingly building with recycled or recyclable materials. The 51 has the potential to mount 2,100W solar panels, an option all owners are reportedly choosing.

Outremer is continuing to increase its production capacity to try to meet the insatiable demand for its performance catamarans, but insists it will maintain its direct customer contact approach. The first boat is in build and will debut at the International Multihull Show in April 2023.

Outremer 52 specifications

LOA: 15.73m / 51ft 7in
Beam: 7.89m / 25ft 11in
Draught: 1.07m-2.30m / 3ft 6in-7ft 7in
Displacement: 12,500kg / 27,558lb
Price: ex VAT €1.2m
Builder: catamaran-outremer.com

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Step aboard the wide transom steps of the Aura 51 and I’d challenge even the most stubborn traditionalist or monohull enthusiast not to be in awe of the space and home comforts on offer. For those thinking of spending long periods of time or even living aboard, this is a definitive, modern, large production catamaran, one which – if you’re lucky enough to be in the market for such a substantial yacht – quickly gets you dreaming of a life afloat, with space to take friends, family and toys aplenty.

That was the case for the highly experienced sailing couple who own the second Aura 51 to launch and the boat we trialled. Johan Salen, co-owner of The Ocean Race (formerly the Volvo Ocean Race), lives and works aboard full time with his wife, Christine, and their dog Leo.

The Salens spent three years sailing their previous performance catamaran, an Outremer 5X, around the world with their son. But after seven years living ashore since then, they wanted a more comfortable boat, yet one still capable of averaging 8-10 knots.

When we met they had just stepped ashore after their first two months of ownership, which involved leisurely non-stop cruising the Glénan Islands, off Christine’s Brittany homeland. And their plan now is to spend the next four years exploring all around the European coastlines before embarking on another bluewater adventure to the Pacific.

A modern, slab-sided spacious design for the Aura, which replaces the seven-year-old Saba 50 (over 150 launched). Photo: EYOTY/Ludovic Fruchaud

Creating an Aura

The Aura 51 is arguably the largest manageable size of catamaran before a professional crew is needed. It’s also the first model to offer the yard’s new Smart Electric option. Fountaine Pajot worked with La Rochelle specialists Alternatives Energies to develop electric pods with hydrogenerators and energy storage and management systems. It has already launched a hybrid version and there’s an electric and hydrogen model in the pipeline. It’s good to see such a large production yard taking proper, positive steps towards cleaner boating.

No shortage of sun lounging space on the
flybridge. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

The Aura 51 replaces the Saba 50, bringing more voluminous hulls and wider transom entrances. The new coachroof design integrates copious solar panels, brings more natural light and a larger flybridge area. The main bulkhead doors fully retract to give a 3m wide opening between saloon/galley and cockpit, while a clever accommodation plan offers four layouts, with all cabins including the six cabin version having en suite facilities.

The Salens have an owner’s hull to port, and three cabins to starboard. For me, the aft access to this via a gullwing door is a real selling point. It makes it all too easy to imagine waking up and walking straight out onto the aft deck and into clear Pacific waters.

With a four year minimum waiting list the norm for new catamarans, the Salens consider themselves lucky to have found a slot with Fountaine Pajot. Photo: EYOTY/Ludovic Fruchaud

The cockpit can be fully enclosed with canopies, which the Salens found useful in driving rain, and the intelligent design allows these to be left mounted ready to deploy. This option can additionally offer some visual protection and security for when leaving the boat. The cockpit also features abundant stowage.

The foredeck may feel a little plain without cushioning options and there’s no access to the flybridge to climb up/jump down in a hurry. However, it boasts a cavernous central locker. On the test boat this easily swallowed two gennakers, the genset, an auxiliary outboard motor and a spare line drum.

Easy miles

Once out of La Rochelle’s narrow channel, we met mirror calm seas, yet raised sails in vain hope. But I was pleasantly surprised to note we could still ghost along at 3 knots in 3.5 knots true wind and up to 4.5 knots in 6.5-7 knots close reaching using only white sails.

That said the Aura 51 needs at least double figure wind speeds to make meaningful speeds. My fellow European Yacht of the Year jury members from Yacht magazine confirmed reaching speeds of 6 knots in 8-10 knots wind during their trials.

Island forms a social heart and the galley has abundant cold stowage and plenty of worksurface, albeit not fiddled. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

The steering linkage is hydraulic, and with no feedback at all it takes time to figure out how much correction to add. There is also negligible visibility from the single helm to the port side, particularly aft, hence there will be a need to dock starboard side too, or else rely on help from cameras.

The helmstation works well with its large bench, wide enough for a couple (and dog!). There is room to pass between the wheel and the winch bench to the side deck or flybridge, yet they are close enough to work both areas.

The main dining area is in the cockpit. Photo: EYOTY/Ludovic Fruchaud

My thoughts on sail handling and performance are almost irrelevant given the very light conditions we experienced. I was keen to learn more about why the Salens chose this model as it’s unusual for experienced sailors to step down in performance terms. They explained that as they always sail two up now, the average speeds the Aura offers is plenty. Indeed, both Johan and Christine pointed to an uncomfortable motion at higher cruising speeds.

“Once you start going quicker than 10 knots it involves more pitching and is more uncomfortable to live on. If you have a boat that can sail at 8-10 knots comfortably, that’s enough,” said Johan.

Loïc Madeline, editor of Voiles and another jury member, confirmed such easy speeds to me when the wind built to 14-16 knots. They hit 10 knots easily and made a steady 9 knots under autopilot with white sails at 70-75° true – “easy speed with no one really taking care of the sails,” he reported.

Gullwing door access to aft cabins. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

The Salens rarely go to marinas so manoeuvring from the single helm hasn’t been an issue. They find using one engine at 2,000rpm the most economic method under power, which burns 4-5lt per hour.

The couple made another salient point: “When you spend a lot of time aboard, you are not sailing most of the time,” Johan explained. “Even with our 5X we were sailing less than 10% of the time.” The Swedish ex-professional windsurfer considers it more important now to have the space to ship the right equipment and watersports toys to enjoy at anchor.

The Salens have a 3.8m Highfield RIB and 25hp motor on davits which they can waterski behind and use for exploration. They also keep a small inflatable in the forward locker, which comes in use in ports and going ashore/lifting up a beach, plus a garage of foiling/windsports gear in the sail lockers. “It’s the toys you can bring to enjoy life that is one of the main benefits a catamaran brings,” says Johan.

The view looking forward from the aft entrance to the owner’s cabin and hull, which includes the large bathroom and walk-in shower. Photo: EYOTY/Ludovic Fruchaud

Aura 51 below decks

The cockpit hosts the main dining area, but Berret Racoupeau design has really opened up the connection to the galley. The latter is huge, including a generous island that forms the heart of the social space as it might in a modern home. Long, large skylights work with all the coachroof windows to make it naturally bright and an opening forward window adds valuable ventilation.

The lack of a desk/navstation option on the main deck is a pity – there’s not even a conventional switchboard, just touchscreen controls. Indeed, I find the single layout format, albeit understandable for serial production purposes, a little limiting on the main deck. The two large drawer fridges, to forward port, are an excellent inclusion, however they are in a strange position above the companionway as you find yourself half in the stairwell to access them. Personally I’d prefer the option for a forward-facing navstation/desk area there.

Beam enough in the hulls for an athwartships double cabin forward too. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

Square edges on the furniture are a pet hate – large catamarans such as this still move and pitch around at awkward angles at sea. The corners of the veneers were already damaged on the saloon table, which is disappointing for a seven figure boat.

The owner’s hull obviously enjoys massive amounts of headroom and space, with a sculpted out bulkhead to open out the cabin area. It provides serious lashings of home liveaboard comfort, with a generous changing area opposite the wardrobes, and the crowning element of direct aft deck access aft. The desk amidships is key, an area Johan uses constantly as his office.

The whole forward section is a bathroom with a huge walk-in shower, plentiful light and ventilation and separate heads area, the size of which you’d be happy with in most homes.

In the starboard hull a bulkhead separates the aft cabin so it can only be accessed from the cockpit. Each of the three cabins in this hull still feels large and has its own en suite, even if the athwartships berth forward has a slightly more prestige feel.

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