6 Charter Destinations to Explore on a Multihull
Six charter destinations that are great for exploring on two hulls
Six charter destinations that are great for exploring on two hulls
Modern cruising catamarans make it easy to head off into the wild blue…
Picolé comes from Europe to Cape Town in a container, and my sailing partner, Beto Pandiani, and I arrive by plane. Back in 2008, Beto and I sailed an open sport catamaran from Spain to Australia in search of adventure and in the hopes of promoting clean energy.
From a family of five cruising the South Pacific, to a pair of exercise fanatics filming work-out videos on their Caribbean-based cat, to a solo sailor exploring the Exumas on his trimaran, these liveaboard cruisers decided that two (or three) hulls were better than one when it came to creating a life at sea.
Here’s a game I invented at the 2013 Corsair Nationals. Ask the owner of any of Corsair’s folding trailerable trimarans for an opinion of the boat—and take a step back. You’ll need some extra space to absorb the superlatives. These people don’t just like their boats: they bear the passions of the misunderstood.
My first multihull experience came one summer day as some friends and I were enjoying the sun on a pontoon boat in the middle of a lake near landlocked Orlando, Florida, where I used to hang out as a kid.
When pushed, even sailmakers will admit that, more than fancy new sails, a low-drag prop is the most effective way to improve a cruising boat’s performance.
If you want to know what’s happening in cruising catamaran design, just take a stroll down the docks of a charter company. Especially in those warm, shallow-water areas that appeal to big groups—and where catamarans abound—you’ll be sure to find a fleet that’s constantly evolving as it adapts to trends in customer preferences, whether it be boats that are bigger, faster, prettier, cooler or all of the above. Here are some of the current trends driving the market.
Although multihulls have been around for thousands of years, the beach cat is a relatively new invention—the brainchild of a generation of sailors, surfers and Navy vets all taking advantage of the new boatbuilding materials that became widely available in the wake of World War II.
For five years, Marlene and I have left Kansas City each May to board Different Drummer, our 39-foot Prout Escale catamaran, at the River Dunes, North Carolina, and set out for six months of sailing. It’s not always blueberries and chocolate ice cream, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

A little know how will save you a lot of stress on passage.

The wind built faster than it was forecasted to. We ate dinner with full sail, close-reaching on a building SSW’ly breeze. Before dark we had

Sailing on a schedule is famously a recipe for disaster, but on charter you don’t have much of a choice. The adventure is what you make of it.

Francesca Clapcich has announced the onboard crew roster for the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic. First up is Will Harris (Great Britain) who was Clapcich’s co-skipper

A spin around the steaming cauldron of the Aeolian Islands makes a bewitching visit to the heart of the Mediterranean.

After a long absence, one sailor finds herself sailing the waters of her youth and contemplating years of change in all its forms.

The 52nd annual St. Thomas International Regatta (April 3-5) wrapped up on Easter Sunday with nearly 40 boats from all three U.S. Virgin Islands, the

Spring is in the air and warmer weather is right around the corner. Get ready for the season with SAIL’s adventure issue! Through the Eyes

15 years after the original First 30 debuted, this re-imagined update proves a winner.

When several members of our Florida sailing club, the West Coast Trailer Sailors Squadron, decided to get together for a group daysail on a recent