Stylish cats love the water

The 14.3m Leopard 4600 has been customised by Robertson & Caine for Moorings. It has four double cabins and carries 148sqm (1593ft) of sail and can take up to 10 passengers. The American-built Gemini states its own case for cruising catamarans.

The catamaran versus monohull argument has been going on for years. Cat-fanciers go for speed and performance. Those of a traditional disposition say they are always tipping over and one hull is best.

There is some truth in both views. The advantages of high-speed catamarans and trimarans are now well proven, with multis holding heaps of coastal and blue-water sailing records.

However, occasionally during the course of races where boats were being sailed to their limits and beyond, some high-profile capsizes and subsequent rescues have followed. The first race of this year's Simrad Barrier series was a good example, with a couple of cats getting into trouble, one of them in a life-threatening way.

Each camp is made up of true believers. But in between there is a growing band of boaters who believe catamarans are best for cruising. They can be found sailing in our waters and around the world. The Mediterranean, Florida, the Caribbean, Thailand, Tonga and Tahiti, the Whitsundays in Australia.

Aucklander Peter Sefton is a dedicated cat-man.

"While trimarans mostly continue to be performance-oriented, there is a new breed of production catamaran gaining in popularity," he says. "The emphasis in on moderate speed, safety, stability and comfort, coupled with space both on deck and below."

He lists builders such as Fountaine Pajot (France), Performance Cruising (United States), Robertson & Caine and SA Cats (South Africa) and Seawind (Australia) as leaders in the field of builders catering for the growing demand for more civilised cruising under sail.

The figures stack up with demand for these yachts now outstripping that for monohull keelboats in some areas, particularly the Eastern United States, where Performance Cruising has built just on 1000 of its 10.2m Gemini models. The Gemini is unashamedly aimed at lifestyle sailors, particularly couples. It is easily handled, practical, spacious and can sail around 20 per cent quicker than a monohull of equivalent cost.

Sefton lists some of the other advantages of the relatively small Gemini:

* Space: there is 56sqm on deck and in the cockpit. Three double cabins, a big main saloon, separate galley with 2m of bench space, walk-through navigation and storage area plus a separate shower/head. Then there is almost 2m of headroom coupled with ease of access to the cabin from the cockpit rather that going down a companionway. The Gemini will fit a 12m marina berth and can be hauled out on a standard travel lift.

* Comfort: Non-sailors or those who have experienced being under sail in a keeling monohull yacht appreciate the stability and comfort of catamarans. They are also stable at anchor. They don't roll with passing wakes, simply lifting gently up and down on swells.

* Draft: The shallow draft is a great advantage for cruising in bays, coastal waters and estuaries. The Gemini draws only 0.5m with boards and rudders up - it anchors in the most sheltered part of the bay.

These attributes apply across the range of cruising catamarans, which has made the boats popular with charter operators.

Shane Walker, managing director of The Moorings group in New Zealand and Tonga, says performance added to creature comfort is why the Robertson & Caine Leopards are in the company's fleets around the world, including Auckland. He believes chartering a cruising cat is the best way for keelboat sailors to experience the sort of advantages Sefton expounds.