Large multihulls are getting bigger and faster, but how do you handle them? Pro skipper Mike Kopman has top advice for anyone sailing powerful catamaransPhoto: Sailing Energy\/Multihull CupIt\u2019s safe to say that the catamaran is truly out of the bag when it comes to the appeal of multihulls as cruising platforms, and not just for a week-long charter in the BVI\u2019s. The mono vs cat debate has long raged, and while there will always be those who will never consider a yacht without ballast as seaworthy, the number of long-term cruisers crossing the world\u2019s oceans on catamarans is increasing steadily.
\nAs they\u2019ve become more popular, they\u2019ve also moved beyond the charter-style offerings of mass production catamarans. While Gunboat remains the brand that defines the performance breed, the likes of HH, McConaghy, Marsaudon Composites, Outremer, Balance, Kinetic and several smaller boutique brands are building multihulls that seem to demand little compromise in comfort yet offer near-raceboat levels of performance.
\nBoards down and powered up to weather on the first GB80 Highland Fling XV111. Photo: Sailing Energy\/Multihull Cup
\nIt\u2019s hard to deny the appeal \u2013 this new generation of fast cruising cats offers an unrivalled blend of performance and livability that monohulls struggle to match.
\nAnd as we can see from the preceding Supersail World pages, they\u2019re growing, in size, comfort, power, and performance terms.
\nBut as Spiderman Peter Parker knows, with great power comes great responsibility. If you\u2019re going to be safe and comfortable on a big cat you need to develop a certain amount of Spidery sense for the boat. Cats don\u2019t talk back the way monos do, and they\u2019re a lot less forgiving. When a gust hits a monohull, you know about it immediately. She heels over, spills some wind, might round up and flog the sails. On a cat, with its huge righting moment, the structure absorbs all that extra load.
\nKopman\u2019s wife and friends line handling. Photo: Mike Kopman
\nThere\u2019s no tell-tale increase in heel, and no way for the boat to automatically shed that power. If it\u2019s sailed well, and not overloaded, that power will quickly translate into speed \u2013 which is great when you want it, but not so great if you\u2019re already sailing close to the edge of your comfort zone. The old adage of reefing when you first think about it is doubly true for performance cats. In fact, you need to reef before you think about it!
\nSailing large catamarans: Exit strategies
\nWhen the boat is really lit up, it\u2019s crucial that everyone aboard knows the plan for if you get overpowered. Whether you\u2019re going to head up and feather your way through a big gust or bear away and ride it out needs to be decided on beforehand, because in sketchy conditions, there\u2019s no time to freeze and think about it.
\nIf you\u2019re already in upwind or downwind mode just keep going. Luffing up or running off works well on cats. But it\u2019s when reaching fast in the so-called \u2018death zone\u2019 of 80\u00b0-110\u00b0 true wind angle that things become less clear. Heading up increases apparent wind, which increases boat speed, while bearing away increases boat speed, then apparent wind.
\n\u2018Sailors agree that flying a hull has no place in cruising\u2019. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget
\nEither way, loads spike fast, the yacht feels squirrelly and steering can become difficult. If you\u2019re in gusty conditions or expecting an increase, then err on the side of being underpowered. This means boards up, traveller down, leeches open and twisted off.
\nIf your \u2018exit\u2019 is to head up, you want both main and jib to start luffing evenly. Once you\u2019re almost head to wind and the boat has slowed right down, sheet the jib on (to help with the bear away), dump the main, and turn the boat deep downwind aggressively before she can build speed again. Once you\u2019re sailing deep, slowly and in control, you can plan to reduce sail.
\nTrimming and reefing
\nModern multis tend to have the rig stepped further aft and carry higher aspect mains, with multiple headsails on furlers. This means changing gear quickly is a lot easier, but with the main further aft in the boat, it can act like a great big rudder and prevent you from bearing away, even with the sheet eased, so make sure you remember to dump the traveller too.
\nKopman\u2019s daughters at anchor. Photo: Mike Kopman
\nIf you\u2019re not familiar with sailing a cat with daggerboards it helps to think of them as another sail, and that means they can be reefed. Upwind, of course, you want a board down, but as the breeze builds \u2018reefing\u2019 the daggerboards is as important as reducing sail. In fact, it\u2019s remarkable how much you can depower a cat on a beam reach by pulling the boards up. They can be hard to move on a reach due to the lateral load on them, but once they\u2019re out of the water, the boat will be making considerably more leeway and generating a lot less power.
\nMy family and I were sailing our own 20m cat, Komotion, off the south-east coast of Sardinia on the tail end of a Mistral. We\u2019d headed offshore a little to avoid wind shadow, and pretty quickly the wind built into the high 20s, putting our apparent wind over 40 knots.
\nMike Kopman is an MCA commercial captain with 25 years and 300,000 sea miles experience on yachts. Photo: Mike Kopman
\nWhile putting a few rolls in the jib, the lashing on the furling line turning block failed, and with a bang the jib unfurled and we were under full sail again. The boat speed jumped to over 20 knots and we suddenly had a bit of a situation on our hands.
\nWe dumped the traveller, and my wife, Sarah, steered off deep to slow the boat, while I went up onto the trampoline and lashed the block back in place. Broken gear is not something you can usually anticipate, but having a way out of a difficult situation before it arises can be invaluable.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMODX: An electric 70ft catamaran with inflatable wingsails!<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEvery now and again something really different comes along, and this was one of those concepts you don\u2019t think will\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSupercats, Maxicats, Megacats: 16 new high-performance luxury multihulls<\/p>\n
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Speed on
\n\u2018They suck going upwind!\u2019 is still the oft-repeated criticism of sailing cats, and while it might be true for some designs where volume has been prioritised over performance, it\u2019s clearly not true for all cats. With daggerboards down and quality, flat sails, it\u2019s a case of sheeting in and hanging on. Cracking off a few degrees results in a smoother ride and the sharp increase in speed gives a nice return in VMG.
\nFine bows and hulls on Mike Kopman\u2019s 72ft fast cruising cat Komotion. Photo: Mike Kopman
\nWhen it comes to tacking, a few small points can help you avoid resorting to the \u2018charter tack\u2019, ie starting an engine to get the boat through the wind. Firstly, bear away a little to build speed (don\u2019t try to tack when you\u2019re pinching). Then come upwind sharply and decisively, but don\u2019t stall the rudders. Ease the mainsheet a bit as you\u2019re about to come head to wind. This will reduce the mainsail\u2019s \u2018weathervane\u2019 effect that can keep the boat in irons.
\nAs the bows come through the wind, hold off on releasing the jib sheet for a few moments. Letting it back will push the bows down on the new tack. Then ease it across onto the new tack, build speed, sheet in the main again and you\u2019re off.
\nOcean sailing at dusk aboard the author\u2019s liveaboard performance cat. Photo: Mike Kopman
\nA quick note on flying a hull. On a true performance cat that is designed to be able to fly a hull, best boat speed generally comes from just skimming the water with the windward hull. If there\u2019s any more air under there, that\u2019s a sign you\u2019re pushing hard and might consider dialling it back. That said, pretty much every big performance cat sailor would agree that flying a hull has no place in cruising. If you\u2019re not on the racecourse, the risks are simply not worth it.
\nKeeping check
\nWhere maintenance on a performance catamaran differs most from a mono is in the rigging. Visual inspections of the mast base and crossbeam area should be more frequent on cats. Don\u2019t over-tension shrouds; the wide spreader base on cats mean rigs don\u2019t need to be piano-wire tight.
\nDiamond stays and spreaders, though, take serious loads and need close monitoring for cracks, play, or corrosion. Mast base fittings and beam interfaces are under high stress and must be checked for elongation or wear. Check chainplates on hulls for symmetry and signs of creep or elongation.
\nSight lines and crew communications become really important, especially if you can\u2019t see all four corners of the boat. Photo: PKC Media\/Tosca
\nAutopilots also work harder on a cat for all the same reasons. Without the ability to heel as a \u2018pressure relief\u2019, a catamaran\u2019s autopilot feels a lot more sailing loads. The autopilot experiences higher loads, especially at speed, where shifts in apparent wind come quickly and unbalanced sails can throw the boat off course.
\nShoal tactics
\nOne of the attractions of a multihull is that the shallow draught allows you to anchor in places not accessible to monohulls, but this can have its own challenges. A big boat needs a lot of room to swing, and a big cat needs even more, so keep that in mind when picking a spot.
\nThe usual rule of scope applies as much to multis as it does to monos, but it\u2019s worth thinking about the extra windage of some bigger volume cats. Flybridges, solid bimini tops and acres of solar can add a lot of drag, and, as the saying goes, chain does nothing when it\u2019s left in the locker.
\nAlex Thomson helming the Gunboat 68 Tosca mid-Atlantic. Photo: PKC Media\/Tosca
\nGoing one size up on your anchor will help you sleep better. Multihulls sail around at anchor a lot more than most monos, so it\u2019s really important to have a good bridle system. Generally, if you\u2019re swinging around like an excited puppy on a lead then setting out a longer bridle will help. And while Dyneema is super strong, its lack of stretch means it\u2019s not ideal for this purpose. Good old three-strand is an ideal material, with eyes spliced at the anchor end shackled to a good chain hook. Simple whipped ends inboard means the length can easily be adjusted.
\nIf you\u2019re tying up to a mooring, don\u2019t run a line from one hull through the mooring eye and back to the other hull. The yawing of the boat will chafe through the line, so always use two separate lines, one for each hull.
\nWhen it comes to getting underway again, remember the steering effect of your mainsail if you\u2019re going to do the increasingly popular \u2018hoist the main at anchor\u2019 move in a crowded mooring field or anchorage. Keep the sheet eased, traveller loose, and get the jib out as soon as you can to help pull the bow down. Or better yet, motor to where you have plenty of room around you first. It may not look as cool, but then neither does ploughing into another anchored boat!
\nManoeuvring
\nSight lines on some catamarans are not as clear as on monohulls, so good communication among crew is really important when docking and anchoring. If engine controls aren\u2019t ideally placed you\u2019re going to need people calling distances. As is the same on any large yacht or superyacht, marine headsets make a lot of sense when anchoring and manoeuvring, particularly on cats with large blind spots. However, it\u2019s still prudent to have backup hand signals, so make sure you agree on what distance one finger means beforehand!
\nCruising mode engaged: big, fast cats offer long legs for passages and plenty of space at rest in shallows. Photo: Mike Kopman
\nFortunately, twin props set far apart mean cats are really manoeuvrable, but the bows can blow off just like on any other boat and bow thrusters are not that common on cats. The key is to think through any close-quarters manoeuvre carefully in advance, and always have an escape route in mind. Weaving a tennis court through a crowded anchorage in gusty conditions can be pretty nerve-wracking. Daggerboards are just as effective at reducing leeway under power, so if the water is deep enough, then stick them down if it\u2019s windy.
\nA little trick we sometimes use when picking up a mooring is to back up to it rather than approaching it bow on. Instead of standing up on the forward beam trying to guide the helmsman to the buoy (and then having to reach way down to pass a line through), we find it\u2019s much easier for the line handler to stand on the transom where they\u2019re lower to the water and within talking distance of the helm.
\nThere\u2019s much better visibility aft, the helmsman can bring the transom right up to the buoy, and a long line from the bow can then simply be passed through and brought back aboard as you spin around.
\nMotion
\nThe motion of a cat offshore can come as quite a surprise to those used to sailing half boats. The sensation is more jerky, less predictable, and this motion can be quite fatiguing for the crew. If bridgedeck clearance on your particular design has been compromised, then expect sudden wave slaps from below that can make that much vaunted unspilled G&T leap right off the saloon table. The first time I experienced one of these I thought the whole structure had split in half.
\nCrew communications become really important, especially if you can\u2019t see all four corners of the boat. Photo: PKC Media\/Tosca
\nOn Komotion, we find we are frequently slowing the boat down to keep our crew more comfortable, especially on longer passages and overnight. It\u2019s important to manage fatigue and comfort across the length of the trip.
\nIt\u2019s great fun blasting along at 20 knots in flat water in the lee of an island, or for a wet and wild squirt across open water to the next one, but for passages longer than half a day or so the speed, the motion and even the adrenaline can become quite draining (although, that said, I\u2019ll never get tired of watching the spray smoke off Komotion\u2019s lee bow as we send it at 20+ knots!).
\nNoise in the hulls of a full GRP performance cat can be another fatiguing factor. Even aboard Komotion\u2019s cedar-cored hulls, it sounds like a freight train down below when we\u2019re doing more than 15 knots, and noise increases stress (no wonder, then, that some IMOCA 60 sailors use earplugs).
\nSight lines become vital for sailing a big catamaran. Photo: PKC Media\/Tosca
\nAs a family we often find it more relaxing to sleep in the saloon on two- or three-day trips. Again, the key is knowing when to back off a bit. If you\u2019re not racing, take your foot off the gas, reduce sail and enjoy the easy speeds that a large performance cat can maintain with less sail up. My wife and I will often sail through the night with a couple of reefs in the main and just switch between jib and staysail as conditions change.
\nFor most of the long-term cruisers we\u2019ve met sailing on larger performance cats, their choice of boat is more about enjoying the ability to keep sailing in light breeze, when everyone else is motoring, than sheer flat-out speed. This blend of performance and practicality is exactly why more families, ours included, are choosing to cruise fast, flat, and far.<\/p>\n
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The post How To Sail A Fast Catamaran: Mastering the Art of Quick Cruising appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Large multihulls are getting bigger and faster, but how do you handle them? Pro skipper Mike Kopman has top advice for anyone sailing powerful catamaransPhoto: Sailing Energy\/Multihull CupIt\u2019s safe to say that the catamaran is truly out of the bag … <\/p>\n