From one building to two!

We anchored in Admiralty Bay on Bequia Island, the Grenadines - at our first stop after finishing Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, from Gran Canaria to Santa Lucia via Cape Verde. As night fell, we watched the masthead lights of the monohull yachts anchored not far from us, swaying measuredly on the ocean swell. Archer, indifferent to the movement of the sea, stood almost motionless.

Four months earlier, after more than 30 years of sailing monohulls across the oceans, into the Caribbean, and along the East Coast of the States, we began our journey into the world of catamarans. We were looking for change - and new challenges. We believed that in the future we would be sailing on a catamaran, and we wanted to be able to receive our children and grandchildren on board, in the comfort of the large living space of a multihull.

Sailing and living on board a catamaran is, in a way, very similar to sailing on a monohull yacht. After all, yachting is yachting and the same principles apply to both types of boats. But still, all yachts are different, which we felt when we switched from monohulls to catamarans.

Speed has always been important to us. We, of course, are not racers, but a yacht that goes faster gets to port earlier. A yacht that enters the port earlier avoids another squall or an approaching front. Fast boat cruisers have more time to walk and explore their destination than those who spend longer at sea. With our latest monohull yacht, the Saga 48 called Altair, we were constantly in port among the first 10-15% boats we sailed with. Archer met our similar expectations during Atlantic Rally for Cruisers in 2014.

It should be mentioned that Archer is a cruising catamaran built in Outremer yachting, and combines performance-oriented solutions (such as lifting centerboards) with comfortable interiors designed for the traveling couple and their guests. On our voyages, we don't walk on the same float, denying gravity, and we're definitely not a fan of hanging bunks and cramped living spaces. Outremer gave us full comfort and space.

The ability to walk equally well in all conditions and on all courses is a guarantee of constant speed on long passages, both on a catamaran and on a monohull. On a full course on the Archer, we can set butterfly sails and use a symmetrical spinnaker just like we did on the Altair. For fresh weather we have a jib and a mainsail with three reefs. Just like on the Altair, the reef pendants are brought into the cockpit. On our OutremerAs on Altair, some of the winches are electric, some are manual.

On Archer we take reefs at about the same wind strength as on Altair. And on both yachts, often the corrugation does not decrease the speed - it only makes the speed more comfortable. The difference is that the monohull, with its roll and load on the rigging, tells you when to groove. On a catamaran, however, you take the reefs at the prescribed wind strength indicated on the instruments, since the load on the rigging is less obvious and the boat always runs on an even keel.

An essential contribution to Archer's performance is the centerboard built into the hulls. In order to operate the catamaran efficiently, we had to learn how to work with centerboards. Raising and lowering centerboards adds one extra element to the tack change procedure, but this is easy enough to do with electric winches. In addition, lowering the centerboards has been found to help stabilize the yacht in swell or broken waves.

In the passages we always walk together, or, if the passage is long, with the third member of the crew. At night we usually use a three-hour single watch system. If squalls are foreseen, then before dark we take the reef on the mainsail and change the gennaker to genoa. One person may well twist the genoa. Rick sleeps in the cabin, where he can be easily awakened by the helmsman if necessary. All of these procedures are identical to what we have practiced for many years on our monohulls.

Our commitment to sailing as “green” as possible has not changed in the least since the transition from Altair to catamaran. On both yachts we use solar panels and a hydroelectric generator to charge the batteries. Watt & Sea... The Altair had more energy consumption, so the boat was additionally equipped with a wind turbine and a 7-kilowatt diesel generator. In the case of Archer, we had the opportunity to order a complete set of the boat at the shipyard. Outremer on our own, and we decided to simplify the electrical system and abandoned the wind and diesel generators.

On the move, a catamaran is different from a monohull yacht. At times, the boat is noisier. Often, waves hit one float at one angle and another float at a different angle. As our assistant Tim explains: “As soon as you catch 'it' - the faster, shorter movement of the yacht .. you understand that this is also a sailing yacht, but on it all the routine procedures are much easier, and the movement is much more comfortable. There is a lot of place to be alone and a lot of place to be in company. " Before sailing on OutremerTim closed the Atlantic Circle in his Saga 43 and has many thousands of miles of ocean in his luggage.

The catamaran goes without a roll, which is physically much easier than roll in a monohull boat. You lie down and get out of bed, without a fence, without any effort. The stove in the galley does not have a gimbal, and we cook without fear of dousing with boiling water. We often cook during the transition instead of preparing and freezing food ahead of time. Turning the winches while standing firmly with both feet on a level deck is much more efficient than turning them while balancing the yacht under the bank. The nets between the floats are work platforms that allow us to change sails or work with a spinnaker easily and safely.

When we sailed on a monohull yacht, we felt comfortable with the bow-tie head sails. Usually we removed the mainsail, and went with the genoa carried out on the yard to the windward side, and the staysail on the leeward side. On the Archer we do not have a yard - most catamaran drivers do not use it - so we sail with our bright red gennaker on the leeward side, and the mainsail (with block-hoists) on the windward side. In stronger winds or in anticipation of squalls, we change the gennaker to genoa, and start the Barber guy to control the clew height. 

Controlling a catamaran, to a much greater extent than on a monohull, consists in observing the instruments. We steer the catamaran on autopilot, carefully adding one degree at a time to steer the boat as much downwind as possible and keep the sails full. However, sometimes we also use the tiller, for a better feeling of the yacht's movement and its reaction to the wind. This is somewhat closer to the feeling of a monohull.

Outremer pulls perfectly in true winds of less than 10 knots when most yachts in the ocean run diesel. For the entire transatlantic voyage to Santa Lucia, we walked under the motor for only about five hours - significantly less than it could have been on the Altair, with its 6-foot keel and large displacement. Generally speaking, weight is extremely important for a catamaran. Excessive weight degrades the working qualities of a catamaran much faster and more significantly than a monohull. We set up the Archer as simply as possible - a 12-volt electrical system, no generators, washers, dryers, ice makers, and just one cabin air conditioner that we use when connected to shore power.

After one year and many thousands of nautical miles on a catamaran, we are still learning the science of boat handling, discovering new ways of it every day. A catamaran, like any yacht, has its pros and cons, trade-offs and concessions, but ultimately the biggest difference is that on average we sail 2 knots faster than we did Altair and we make it easier. and more comfortable. This advantage cannot be disputed!

(Rick and Julia Palm have sailed several monohulls together since the 1980s before diving into the multihull world.)

Translated from http://www.sailmagazine.com/

Julie palm | June 7, 2016      Photo by Tim Wright

15.06.2016