{"id":429,"date":"2025-10-30T15:05:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T15:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=429"},"modified":"2025-10-30T15:05:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T15:05:04","slug":"how-to-sail-a-fast-catamaran-mastering-the-art-of-quick-cruising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=429","title":{"rendered":"How To Sail A Fast Catamaran: Mastering the Art of Quick Cruising"},"content":{"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 catamarans<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"A
Photo: Sailing Energy\/Multihull Cup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\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<\/a> 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<\/a> is increasing steadily.<\/p>\n

As 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<\/a> that seem to demand little compromise in comfort yet offer near-raceboat levels of performance.<\/p>\n

\"Boards\n

Boards down and powered up to weather on the first GB80 Highland Fling XV111. Photo: Sailing Energy\/Multihull Cup<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s hard to deny the appeal \u2013 this new generation of fast cruising cats offers an unrivalled blend of performance and livability that monohulls<\/a> struggle to match.<\/p>\n

And as we can see from the preceding Supersail World pages, they\u2019re growing, in size, comfort, power, and performance terms.<\/p>\n

But 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<\/a>. On a cat, with its huge righting moment, the structure absorbs all that extra load.<\/p>\n

\"Kopman\u2019s\n

Kopman\u2019s wife and friends line handling. Photo: Mike Kopman<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

There\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<\/a> 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!<\/p>\n

Sailing large catamarans: Exit strategies<\/h2>\n

When 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.<\/p>\n

If 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.<\/p>\n

\"A\n

\u2018Sailors agree that flying a hull has no place in cruising\u2019. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Either 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.<\/p>\n

If 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.<\/p>\n

Trimming and reefing<\/a><\/h2>\n

Modern multis tend to have the rig<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\"Kopman\u2019s\n

Kopman\u2019s daughters at anchor. Photo: Mike Kopman<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with sailing a cat with daggerboards<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

My 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.<\/p>\n

\"Mike\n

Mike Kopman is an MCA commercial captain with 25 years and 300,000 sea miles experience on yachts. Photo: Mike Kopman<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While 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.<\/p>\n

We 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.<\/p>\n

Article continues below\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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MODX: An electric 70ft catamaran with inflatable wingsails!<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n
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Every now and again something really different comes along, and this was one of those concepts you don\u2019t think will\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n