A 360 degree view

You can't beat the view !!

Whether at anchor or sailing, you see the horizon.

It makes all the indoor activities (cooking, eating, sitting around the dinette when it's pouring rain outside, ... ) that much more enjoyable

When sailing, crew or passengers can enjoy being inside the saloon (getting away from the sun or the rain) and still see the horizon and keeping seasickness at bay for many. Also makes navigating that much easier. I usually keep the large maps on the dinette with the usual nagivation tools (versus on the chart table down in one of the hulls as in many multihulls). It's then easier to continuously check navigation without taking your eye off what's happening around you.

Manouvering under Power

Most of the cats I have sailed have had two (2) diesel engines, one in each hull. From 18 to 25 HP, they provide ample power for motoring in and out of anchorages, for motor-sailing, and when the wind doesn't cooperate !

In tight anchorages though, they become a godsend. Like a tank, you can spin the boat on a dime by being in forward on one engine, and in reverse on the other. I have done the maneouver often when going in and around marinas (which don't always have space for a cat), or when jockeing for space at the gaz bar.

I haven't developped my skills to the level I want, and I have seen some who have. One memorable occasion was at Florida Yacth and Charter's Miami Marina. The slips for cats are at the last pier, just in front of the causeway bridge. Pylons are positioned at the front of each docking space. The idea is that you bring the cat around, and position your 37' by 20' boat in front of the docking slip, and back into it, keeping the cat straight despite the usually strong currents and not hitting the concrete pier on the side and the back.

After me and Isabelle had spend some tense moments tying up our chartered cat (throw in a little bit of shouting, rethrows of the lines to lasoo the pylons, some more shouting, etc..., you get the picture), we watched as another couple brought in another Fountaine Pajor 37' cat into the slip beside us in the same high wind, strong current situation. The captain backed the boat up, manouevered close to the front right pylon for his mate to easily slip the line on the pylon, then proceeded to deftly nudge the boat towards the left pylon so his mate could repeat the same easy procedure, then backed the boat in slowly until the lines were taught, and his mate could tie the remaining lines aft on the concrete pier.

What appeared so easy, was a well practiced routine, and made possible by the twin engines on the cat.

One could do this on a monohull with one engine of course, but that looked a lot more fun !!

CeBe WebDesign November 12, 2007