A MULTITUDE OF MULTIHULLS
● SailGP returns to the UK
● Fountaine Pajot 41 on test
● Your guide to the latest new boats
● Cat Cruising in the South Seas
CHARTER OWNERSHIP
How to make your boat work for you
THE GREAT ESCAPE
One woman’s story of sailing away from the rat race
WHICH WINCH?
Buyer’s guide to the latest options
CAREER CHANGE
The ups and downs of being a charter skipper
Go for Pembroke
The pretty port of Tenby is one of many extremely picturesque stopo s for sailors cruising Pembrokeshire. This is a cruising ground blessed with both stunning scenery and splendid stopovers
Photo: Adobe Stock
BALANCE 580
The first Balance 580 hit the water in January 2025 and its launch underlines the rapid expansion of this South African based boatbuilder which specialises in performance catamarans. The new 580 distils many of the qualities found in its earlier models with the blend of high performance – this is a boat that can hit speeds of 20kts plus – combined with comfort. As such, the boat has four well appointed double cabins plus a suitably spacious and comfortable saloon.
balancecatamarans.com
THE A-Z OF MULTIHULLS
The multihull market is fast growing and evolving and can be hard to get your head around. Here we take a look at all the big players and their latest launches
Back in the 1970s multihull saillors were generally a pretty esoteric lot. It didn’t help that Donald Crowhurst ushered in the new decade with his tragic exploits in his Teignmouth Electron trimaran. Back then a shaggy beard and pipe were prerequisites of anyone serious about going multihull sailing. Yet times have unquestionably changed and we find ourselves in an era where cruising catamarans continue to take up an increasingly large share of the market. This is not really hugely surprising given the acres of space on a relatively stable platform a multihull offers. New launches continue to come out at a rapid rate and it’s hard to get a handle on the market.
In this guide, we are looking predominantly at the 30’ plus cruising catamaran market to help you get your head around the many manufacturers and what they have to offer. It’s worth noting that the market is quite sharply divided between those vessels that have foils and those that do not. The foils have obvious performance benefits but also add markedly to the cost of production, meaning there is quite a clear delineation between the two types. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the flourishing multihull market is that hybrid diesel/electric power is becoming a practical alternative to traditional diesels. The higher speeds a multihull can achieve under sail makes hydrogeneration more feasible, while the large flat surface areas on deck are ideal for solar panels. Multihulls are at the cutting edge of electric propulsion.
Kate Ashe Leonard narrates a voyage across the South Seas taking in French Polynesia and continuing west to Tonga via Samoa
SOUTH SEA
OTALES
ur speed over ground aboard Polaris reads 16kts. It’s midnight and the black, star-studded sky jigs around overhead. I’m tethered to the helm, watching our instruments like a hawk as I bear away to take pressure off the already reefed sails. We’re over halfway across the Pacific Ocean, on a beam reach heading west. Right now, our destination is unclear. Niue is top of the list but, we’ll let the wind decide. We’ve waited weeks to depart the western atolls of French Polynesia for a perfect weather window that never came and now we’re under pressure. It’s May and we’ve decided to spend cyclone season in New South Wales, Australia approximately 3,200nm away. We need to be there by October to be safe – the clock is ticking if we are to cruise some Pacific islands in between. We departed reluctantly yesterday with an ambiguous weather forecast and dwindling food supplies. Looking at our charting software a red vertical line catches my eye: it’s our halfway point in this circumnavigation and we’ve just crossed it. I’ll wait ’til the captain’s awake to crack open our last can of tonic water and celebrate!
Multihull manufacturer
Fountaine Pajot has been building catamarans since 1976. Yet, as Sam Je erson discovers when testing its new 41, this company is not afraid to look to the future
SHE’S
ELECTRIC
TAKING FLIGHT
Back in 2018, Susan Smille quit her job and set out into the unknown aboard her Nicholson 26 Isean. In this extract from her book, The Half Bird, she narrates the moment of departure from the UK