Build Shed

If you are prone to a little sea sickness or it is your first charter adventure, a catamaran is probably the better choice. The debate still rages fiercely among sailors trying to decide which is the better boat and although I have always sailed on mono hulls, there is no doubt that for most people doing their first charter, the catamaran is the way to go.

Today’s modern well designed catamarans are a joy to sail on and with the huge amount of space available to move about, it’s the ideal charter boat. The 38ft to 50ft cats can easily accommodate between 6 to 10 guests without feeling crowded. These boats usually have 4 to 5 cabins each with there own heads (bathroom).

If you need quiet time then there are plenty of places to make yourself comfortable and away from the crowd. You can choose from the saloon (lounge), the cockpit, the fly bridge if you boat has one or anywhere on deck including the popular trampolines up front. Your cabin is also a great place to hang out in but you won’t stay there for long. When you hear your fellow guests whooping it up on deck I can guarantee that your curiosity will get the better of you and you wiil want to join in the fun.

Because this is a first time experience for many guests, the first two days are usually spent familiarizing themselves with all there is to know on the boat leaving the crew to run the ship by themselves. However, there are many guests that come hoping to get more involved in the deck work, steering, hoisting of sails etc. and the crew generally will welcome any participation, not only for the benefit of the guests enjoyment but it’s a lot fun for the crew as well.

How wonderful it is to see and hear how tense and excited the guests get when the sailboat turns into the wind for the first time after leaving the dock and the sails are hoisted. Hopefully the trade winds are blowing their usual 15 to 20 knots so that as boat the turns off the wind and the sheets are tensioned, the sails fill out with a loud sharp crack causing the catamaran to leap ahead with all the beauty and raw power of a race horse leaving the starting gate. Suddenly all is quiet except for the hiss of the sea racing along the hull and the boat is surging ahead gathering speed and quickly reaching speeds of over 7 knots.

For many of the guests it’s their first sailing experience and this moment is embedded in their minds for ever. For some it is life changing and by embracing the sailing life forever they will continue to enjoy all it has to offer.

So give it a try and at the end of your trip you to can end up writing your entry into the ships guest log book. Like many other comments already entered, I have no doubt that you to will write that this was the greatest holiday /life experience - ever.