Logbook: Is Two Better Than One?

Seeing the growing trend in the multihull market, Power & Motoryacht and Sail magazine have teamed up to produce the all-new Multihull Power & Sail.

Seeing the growing trend in the multihull market, Power & Motoryacht and Sail magazine have teamed up to produce the all-new Multihull Power & Sail.

My first experience really cruising a power cat was in the BVI in the wake of Hurricane Irma. My colleagues from the various AIM Marine Group titles and I were reporting on the islands as they were rebuilt from the 2017 storm. The devastation around us was hard to comprehend, as was the resilience of the people who lived through hell and were determined to build back their little slice of heaven.

During this reporting there were no modern amenities. No shore power, no marinas, no provisions on many of the islands, save maybe a couple of open restaurants, if that. Still, my colleagues and I were nestled aboard an Aquila from MarineMax and a sailing cat and power cat from The Moorings, and wanted for nothing. Comfortable accommodations, all the creature comforts of home (and then some in my case), a reliable means of propulsion and enough volume for a dozen or more to work and live together.

Facing significant chop on one leg of our trip, I learned firsthand how surefooted a cat could be at sea. Our purpose-built fleet proved to my colleagues and I that when it comes to spending long stints at sea with coworkers, it’s hard to beat a cat.

There was also the time I took Marine Group President Gary De Sanctis’ small cat (don’t make the mistake of calling it a kitten) from Mamaroneck, New York to Essex in snotty conditions, but that’s a story for another day.

Since those trips five short years ago, the power cat market has grown fiercely. Aquila alone now offers a range from 32 to 70 feet and the Leopard fleet that feeds The Moorings’ charter program seems to be launching a new model every year. Marine industry juggernaut Groupe Beneteau launched the TH36 Four Winns and the Prestige M48. Yes, a Prestige multihull, certainly that’s proof that these cats are sticking around. Then of course, there’s Silent Yachts—the solar and kite powered builder bridging the gap between wind, sun and motor. The list goes on…

Noticing this trend, my team has reached a hand across the aisle to join forces with our colleagues at Sail magazine to relaunch their Multihull Sailor magazine as Multihull Power & Sail, a unique product that focuses on both sides of this growing segment of the market.

Power and sailboats coming together—surely Tom Fexas would be rolling in his grave if he got the press release. And I would be lying if I said I wasn’t apprehensive about working alongside colleagues from our wind-driven sister publication. What would it be like to work with people who cruise at 6 knots … by choice!? Us power boaters, we’ve got places to go, people to see and fuel to burn. We don’t just have one Mercury 600, we have five! Would the different pace of our chosen recreational time translate into a workplace rivalry akin to the Yankees vs. Red Sox (I’ll let you decide which side is which).

My concerns would be short-lived. At the end of the day, my colleagues at Sail were incredible professionals who would crack the whip on the power editors more often than not. And our unified passion for storytelling and spending time on the water gave us plenty to talk about around the virtual water cooler.

In the end I think I may have even convinced Sail’s Managing Editor Lydia Mullan (Multihull’s Editor-in-Chief) that she would enjoy the thrill of pushing on a pair of throttles and getting to a destination with a couple overnights. She in turn tried (key word) to convince me that there’s nothing wrong with slowing down once in a while. Regardless of our differences in preferred cruising speed, I think it’s the beginning of a long friendship and an even better new magazine. Power & Motoryacht readers can subscribe to Multihull Power & Sail for free (yes, free, you have my word) at pmymag.com/multihull.

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This article originally appeared in the December 2022 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.

Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/column/logbook-is-two-better-than-one