10:51S 137:31W

 

24 hour run – 125nm (appallingly slow thanks to fickle winds and lumpy seas)

miles to go – 68nm....yipee....nearly there!!!

 

Neither of us had ever considered sailing a catamaran.....until now.  As we’ve rocked and rolled our way across the Pacific we’ve listened eagerly to every one else’s position, conditions and welfare and every morning and night it's the same.  The catamarans are sailing much faster, they’re not noticing the rough stuff as much and they seem better equipped for downwind sailing all having easily deployed huge spinnakers or “screechers”.  Maybe that’s not an accurate observation but it has caused much discussion on Bandit.

 

We both come from monohull backgrounds.  My father, who died when I was young, was apparently a keen sailor who raced on the Manukau Harbour and his yacht of choice was a monohull.   I first learnt to sail with Penny Whiting on a monohull and my Auckland days revolved around monohulls – I can’t ever remember ever seeing a cat.  David also is a confirmed monohull man having started out in one, and the words buy and catamaran were not mentioned in the same sentence. As a passionate skier it would be like him taking up snowboarding!

 

We first really noticed cats when we met Australian cruisers and former monohull sailors Liam and Annie on Gone with the Wind, a huge cat they’d had built because they couldn’t find what they were looking for in a monohull.  First thing that struck us was the space – acres of it inside and out – and the stunning visibility through the deck saloon windows.  They also had lots of “ornaments” around – things like photo frames, vases of flowers.....which are such a no no on a mono hull.   We’ve never sailed on one but all the owners tell us they’re comfortable, you don’t have to stow as you do on a mono hull and they are fast. They are certainly great social boats – swallowing up a crowd of 20 or more easily.  What really appeals is that huge deck saloon – no more sitting out in the cockpit on night watch – you can sit on the sofa and glance out the window!

 

What’s not to like then?  The cost – you’re essentially buying two boats with two engines so it’s double the price.  Then you end up paying substantially more in marinas – often double.  And they don’t go to windward as well as a monohull – one boat on this Pacific crossing isn’t even bothering going to NZ because of that.  But on those days when we hear similar size boats making much better speeds in much more comfort they suddenly start looking appealing.

 

All of this chat about catamarans vs monohull is to avoid any chat about sailing and weather as neither are good. The wind has deserted us and it’s been incredibly frustrating to wallow in lumpy seas going about 4 knots sometimes less, sometimes more.  It would be easy to motor but we’ve come this far without doing so and we’re determined to stick it out.  Looks like an early very morning arrival on Easter Monday.