Cat in the Grenadines

[TeeRev]

Hi all, I've been lurking on these forums for some time and have had a lot of enjoyment and gained much knowledge from doing so.

I don't yet own a yacht but intend to buy one when I redevelop my business property and completely retire in a couple of years time. The general plan for that at the moment is for my wife and I to live aboard in the Caribbean for the winter months and come back to the UK for the Summer.

We have a fair amount of experience in flotilla and bareboat sailing in both the Med and the Caribbean but have never sailed a cat. We recently took a good look at them at the Southampton Boat Show and although my heart says mono for the sailing my head, (and my wife), says cat for the Caribbean as they have so much living space.

So, to see whether that should be the way forward we are off on Monday with a couple of friends to St Vincent and the Grenadines for 10 days on a 42' Lagoon to see how cats sail and how they would shape up to live aboard for 6 months at a time.

I know it's a bit late to ask but I was wondering whether this forum had any excellent tips for sailing cats and although we've been there in a monohull before, the Grenadines as well.

Trevor.

 

[Lady Campanula]

Some catamarans are built like a country cottage - with lots of accommodation, hip baths, TV screens and jacuzzis - and sail like one.

Others are more spartan - and much lighter - so sail very much better and more enjoyably.

Most liveaboards accumulate 'stuff' just as they do ashore, and a cat's volume will attract correspondingly more stuff, to the detriment of the sailing. On t'other hand, you'll spend over 80% of your time NOT sailing.

Many recent cats designed for the charter market will reflect the first philosophy, but it certainly practicable to find a range/model that reflects the balance your two will find appropriate to your preferences.

May I suggest you look at the Outremer 40/43/45 types?

I've never met a cat-liveaboard who's dissatisfied with his/her choice of platform.

 

[Twister_Ken]

A personal message addressed to tcm might draw forth wisdom - he seems to live aboard a cat for months at a time, wherever is warmest.

Filleting his blog might also turn up stuff:

http://blog.mailasail.com/mojomo

 

[bigwow]

Same post on here may be more useful

http://www.multihulls4us.com/forums

 

[jamesjermain]

I'm a cat owner so you would expect me to recommend you buy a cat. And you'd be right!

For what you're planning a cat is perfect - space, comfort, level sailing etc etc. Don't, however, expect too much performance from a charter cat. They are always overloaded with stuff, have terrible sails and often a cut down rig so that there's no chance of capsize, even in a hurricane. Your 42ft Lagoon will lose its rig long before it goes over.
In the Grenadines you will also be able to make good use of the shallow draught to get into anchorages denied monohulls and when you sit in the cockpit drinking sundowners with all the space of a suburban patio you will be the envy of your 'purist' monhullers.

As for buying your own. If you want a bit more performance than you'll get from a charter cat (and who wouldn't) I would recommend the Outremers (don't pronounce it Out Remer - its French for oversees) but not the sports versions which are light on accommodation for the length, the Catanas, one offs by Shuttleworth or Crowther, Dazcats by Multihull Composites (mine is one of these), PDQs from Canada or, if the budget is well stocked, Gunboats from South Africa.

I would also strongly recommend that you make time and money available to visit the Annapolis Boat Show in September/October where there is a huge selection of cats and tris of all shapes and sizes from all over the world. There is also a new, multihull-only, show at Lorient in the spring.

I have reported on a number of Round teh World Rallies and have yet to meet someone who regrets choosing a cat. I have, however, met several people who would dump the mono and buy a cat after their first ocean passage across the Atlantic

 

[snowleopard]

A few pointers-

Reef for the gusts, not the steady wind. A mono will just heel (and perhaps broach) if hit by a strong gust. In a cat lifting a hull is a brown trouser experience. If you are hit by a gust, bear away onto a broad reach. The centrifugal force will tend to keep you upright whereas if you luff it will tend to tip you. OTOH you have to push a cat very hard to flip it. The lack of heeling can result in a mono sailor not realising how much wind there is.

When anchoring, use a bridle between the bows rather than just the rode coming off the bow roller. That will reduce yawing.

For berthing, assuming you have twin engines and no bow thruster, you have several options. To berth upwind, come in weather bow first, drop a loop over a cleat from the bow then use the shore side engine ahead and the outer astern to bring the stern in, combined with helm hard over as if to steer away from the pontoon.

With a wind blowing you on, just align the boat parallel to the pontoon and let the wind bow you on.

In calm conditions you can move the boat sideways using engines and rudders: imagine you want to move a few feet to Port - slow ahead Starboard, slow astern Port, helm hard to Starboard. The bow will move to port, then reverse the directions of the engines leaving the helm as is to straighten up. Repeat as necessary and the side thrust from the rudders and whichever engine is running ahead will work you sideways.

When going downwind you will find tacking 45° off the dead downwind course will give you a better VMG but going direct downwind is most comfortable.

If you get a cat with dagger boards, use only the windward one in rough conditions.

When tacking you need to get a good amount of way on to avoid stalling in irons. Some boats are better than others, charter boats tend to be fairly heavy so carry their way better.

If you motor sail one one engine, use the windward one to counter weather helm. Don't try to berth on one engine!

If you do inter-island passages in the trades you are likely to get slamming. This is caused by the hulls dropping into two troughs while the wave crest comes up and hits the bottom of the bridge deck. Don't leave drinks unattended on bridgedeck-mounted tables in these conditions as you'll end up with coffee on the head lining!

In lively conditions a monohull sailor is likely to find the different motion upsetting to the stomach The reverse is also true, the only time I've thrown up is my first trip in a mono after 15000 miles in a cat. As SWMBO puts it, 'cats don't heel, they bounce'.

Hope these help.

 

[Adonnante]

If after your charter holiday in the West Indies you decide that the catamaran is the best solution I would advise getting as much sailing experience in cats as you can prior to committing yourself to a particular design. The extremes of the cruising catamaran are possibibly wider than with the monos you are familiar with, compare a 45' charter cat with say a SIG 45 and you will see what I mean. Each will need to be handled slightly differently and many of the cats that give a satisfying sailing experience will bite back if mishandled; the main reason for accidents. Snowleopards advice of always bearing away in a gust, although I'm sure right on his boat could end in a capsize on mine. A couple of suggestions to further your quest might be to contact the multihull owners in this forum and also at http://www.multihulls4us.com/forums and request a sail and also contact Jim Duerden at Top Cat Cruising School http://www.multihull.tv/ who does special weekends for sailors in your position

Guess you might have an interesting period coming up!

Peter.

 

[mike_bryon]

“off on Monday with a couple of friends to St Vincent and the Grenadines”

I am sitting on my mono hull in grand bay canouan surrounded by big cats. I would estimate there are more cats then monohulls out here.

I suggest that you bring plenty of insect repellent and use it during the day because there was an outbreak of dengue fever during the rainy season and the vector is a day biting mosquito.

Try to get hold of a copy of Doyles windward lslands and get ready to have a really great holiday.

Best wishes

 

[TeeRev]

Thanks very much to all for the tips and advice, there will be a good deal of experimentation going on next week, probably best done with a charter boat than your own I think.

Just glanced at the forecast for the Grenadines and the trades look nice and steady for the next few days to help us get the hang of the yacht and there's plenty of sunshine to keep the ladies happy.

Mike, Canouan's a good spot, we chartered a Moorings 443 out of there a couple of years ago.

We're in a hotel on St Vincent for a couple of nights to get onto "Island Time" and boarding the boat on Wednesday morning. The plan is to head for Basil's bar on Mustique for the Jump Up that evening and then on to Tobago Cays on Thursday but we may swing by Canouan for lunch if there's time, we will certainly have a night there on our way back up the following week.

If it's okay with you we'll call in and say hello, maybe you can join us for sundowners and a bite.

Trevor.

 

[mike_bryon]

Hi Trevor

It would be great. You can’t miss me I’m the schooner right in front of the Tamarind Beach Hotel dock. Call by anytime but on Wednesday it is happy hour with two drinks for the price of one and complementary food.

Mike

 

[TeeRev]

Hi Mike,

We've got to be back in St Vincent for the Thursday evening, (25th Nov) to get our flight out on Friday 26th so my plan was on the way back up to do Bequia on Weds and Canouan on Tues if we didn't get in there on the way down.

Happy hour and two for the price of one on Weds is extremely tempting though and the Tamarind Beach serves good food, we had a couple of nights there on our last trip with our daughter and then future son in law, he proposed to her on Petit Tabac, probably one of the most beautiful and romantic spots in the Caribbean.

We'll see how it goes.

Trevor.