catamaran capsize isle of wight

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Gunboat 66 catamaran CoCo de Mer capsizes at Round the Island Race

A photographer has captured the moment a 20-metre Gunboat 66 sailing catamaran named CoCo de Mer capsized during the Round the Island race on 1 July off the Isle of Wight, England. 

The competing yacht was carrying 14 crewmembers and a dog at the time of the incident, and it is understood that she was rounding a mark upwind off the coast of Bembridge when she unexpectedly heeled at a 90-degree angle.

An eyewitness account reports that "those on deck were literally grabbing anything they could to stop themselves from falling" while the pair of hulls continued to lift "until the mast splashed down onto the sea".

A passing six-metre RIB was the first respondent, followed by a support rib for the competing yacht Gladiator and a Border Force cutter. All passengers were safely brought into boats, including a crew member who remained on the port hull that was above the water.

First responders took floating debris into their boats, and fifty minutes after the initial incident the mast snapped and the yacht capsized entirely. Three crewmembers suffered from the effects of cold water immersion and were transferred to Bembridge RNLI lifeboat station for further medical attention.

John Keyworth, lifeboat operations manager of Royal National Lifeboat Institution Bembridge, confirmed that the yacht was removed the day after the incident and taken to a shipyard for repairs. She is expected to be fully operational after the repairs are completed.

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Incident packed Round the Island Race as wind and waves cause trouble

• Toby Heppell
• July 3, 2023

The Round the Island Race 2023 saw a number of incidents with several dismastings, capsizes and knockdowns. Volvo 70 Tschuss 2 took overall victory

It was a wet and wild Round the Island Race, which saw Volvo 70 Tschuss 2 romping to a line honours win completing the course in in 4 hours, 11 minutes and 18 seconds and taking the Gold Roman Bowl for the handicap win too. However, the bigger story of the day was that of multiple incidents as the 1,100 competitors struggled with the wild conditions, particularly on the southern side of the island where the sea state was a significant factor.

All the events have yet to be officially reported but the coastguard were called to a number of incidents with the worst seeing a sailor reportedly lifted from a boat off St. Catherine’s Point on the south side of the island and taken by helicopter to St Mary’s Hospital in Newport. Yachting World currently does not have information on the extent of this injury.

There were also two reported multihull capsizes and a number of knockdowns which required assistance in addition to several boats which were dismasted during the course of the race. The wind was blowing between 20-25 knots for most of the day, which would not usually see quite so much damage in a race such as this, but the significant seas round the back of the island, coupled with gusty conditions where the key factors in the difficulties faces by some in the fleet.

Dave Atkinson, Race Director, said: “We were carefully monitoring the weather and knew it was going to be a challenge especially for the smaller and less experienced boats. The whole of the Race Team are incredibly proud of the determination of the competitors to complete the race but with a high regard for safety which is paramount for a race of this kind. A huge thanks to the support services of the RNLI, independent lifeboat crews and the Coastguard who worked closely with our team before and during the race.”

Tschuss 2 on their way to line honours and overall victory in the Round the Island Race

Windy and wavy weather will usually see the biggest, and fastest boats to the fore in the handicap standings as they take advantage of their size to make the most of the conditions, so it is not a surprise to see an ex-Volvo Ocean Race boat,  Tschuss 2  taking the win. Second overall was the GP42 Dark’n’Stormy , with the recently launched Carkeek 45, Ino Noir rounding out the podium positions.

Christian Zugel, owner and skipper of Tschuss 2  said: “We are delighted with our race performance today and securing line honours is fantastic – what better way to start a new programme on our new boat! Great sailing, great competition and a fantastic welcome from the Island Sailing Club.”

Tschuss 2 has been training for the last ten days on the Solent and a practice race around the Isle of Wight but they did it clockwise – like the original America’s Cup route in 1851.

The tactician onboard, Neal McDonald said: “I’ve competed in the race a number of times and can say it was perfect conditions for Tschuss 2  today. It’s such an iconic race in a wonderful setting.”

You can find the full results at the Round the Island Race website .

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Portsmouth Harbour – Ryde

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Portsmouth Harbour – Ryde Pier Head

About the route

If you’re travelling on foot, Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head  is our quickest route, crossing the waters between the Isle of Wight and mainland in just 22 minutes.  

Our reliable, high-speed  FastCat  catamarans serve this route and come with spacious passenger  lounges , bicycle racks   and a sun deck, perfect for taking in the views during the  day .  

Check our TripAdvisor page to see what others have said about this route.

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The crossing is around 22 minutes on board one of Wightlink's spacious ferries.

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No, this route is only for foot passengers.

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Departure and destination.

This route links  Portsmouth Harbour –  with great rail ,  bus  and coach  connections  and  moments from  Gunwharf Quays shopping outlet , and Ryde – a beautiful seaside town on the north-east coast of the Island.  

Island Line trains run directly into our Ryde Pier Head port and there’s a bus  station  and taxi rank at the other end of the pier, so it’s ideal for onward  travel  around the whole Island.  

Portsmouth Harbour FastCat passenger ferry port

Portsmouth Harbour FastCat Passenger Terminal, Portsmouth, PO1 3PS

Ryde Pier Head FastCat passenger ferry port

Ryde Pier Head, The Esplanade, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 2HF

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Wight Ryder I

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Why Catamarans Capsize, A Scientific Explanation (For Beginners)

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When people see a catamaran, many think of capsizing, which has proven to be a way less common event than your average forum thread would lead you to believe. This article will use a scientific approach to look at the data available for stability incidents with catamarans. 

This article is based on a study made by the UK government concerning recommendations for regulating catamarans. I have used that knowledge to discuss some of the common misunderstandings considering catamaran stability. Let’s get to the short answer! 

A Catamaran will capsize when rotational forces overcome the stability of the boat. Capsizing can happen in two ways, either the ship overtakes a wave and sinks it bows into the next one, inducing something called pitch-poling. Or a breaking wave, with the same height as the boat’s length, hits the vessel’s side, making it roll over to its side(a.ka. flipping).

Are you like me and need to understand why? Read on! 

What Does It Mean to Capsize?

In the context of boats, to capsize means to flip the boat upside down unintentionally.

On a small dingy, it is part of the sailing experience, and the boat can quickly be righted, but on a cruising cat, it can be the difference between life and death.

This can happen in numerous ways that will be discussed in great detail below. The most common is a combination of high seas, strong winds, and sailor error.

Not only is it dangerous to be in the middle of the sea stuck on what has now become a very expensive chunk of plastic, but the act of capsizing is also hazardous. Depending on where you are, inside, outside, or in one of the hulls, you may face the risk of getting thrown overboard, stuck in a hull upside down in the dark, or getting hurt by flying objects.

Much of the discussion around capsizing and what to do after it has happened is theoretical. In this article, I will show you the science behind catamaran stability and how that interacts with the power of the sea.

Why Does a Catamaran Capsize?

Catamaran stability can sometimes be a little tricky to understand. To get us off to a good start, here is some terminology that will be useful;

• Wind heeling moment is the effect wind has on the rotational(heeling) movement of the boat.
• Apparent wind angle is the angle of the wind when the boat is moving; this can differ from true wind, which is measured in a fixed position.

The study reaches a couple of conclusions, some of which are of interest to this discussion.

Heeling Is Greatly Dependent on Apparent Wind Angle and Sheeting of the Sails

This means that a catamaran (or any other sailboat, for that matter) will have a greater rotational force if the sails are sheeted in hard. This is because the wind gets “caught” in the sails, and the forces act directly on the sails, mast, standing rigging, and onto the hulls.

If, instead, the sails were loosened or “sloppy,” the amount of wind “caught” would be less, and therefore, more wind would be able to pass around the sails, thus decreasing the heel.

When it comes to apparent wind angle, the study shows that the forces are most significant when the wind is forward of the beam. This is primarily due to the aerodynamic effectiveness decreases aft of the beam.

Large Waves From the Side or Aft

Large waves are always a factor con safety at sea; they can be divided into  breaking waves,  waves whose amplitude (basically when waves get so big that they start coming apart(breaking) reach a threshold where the shape of the waves suddenly changes.

The other category is  non-breaking waves  or rolly waves. These are more gentle and cannot change shape in a violent and uncontrolled manner.

The study concludes that (1)catamarans have less roll response than monohulls during non-breaking waves, which means a catamaran will generally follow the motion and wave shape as it goes up and down it in a predictable manner, and that (2) this behavior shows no indications of being dangerous.

A monohull will instead rock from side to side and show a pendulum-like behavior.

On the other hand, breaking waves pose a real threat and are something to be aware of if traveling on a smaller catamaran. The test showed that a sufficient beam-to-wave ratio is needed to avoid capsizing.

A common beam-to-length ratio is 50%; that is, the length of the boat is at least double the size of its width.

Together with wind forces, breaking waves seem to be the most significant factor affecting the risk of capsizing.

Breaking waves with a height equivalent to the beam of a catamaran, half the beam of a trimaran may be sufficient to cause a capsize. Smaller or narrower yachts are, therefore, more vulnerable.

What makes breaking waves dangerous is their ability to bring the boat past its tipping point (or range of stability); much of this is due to the steepness of the wave. A 30ft non-breaking wave will act as a rolling hill in the English countryside, while a 15ft breaking wave is more of a black slope in a French ski resort.

The closer a boat comes to its tipping point, the less energy is needed to move past it. This is why the combination of factors is essential, large breaking waves, high apparent wind forward of the beam, and a minor error from the cockpit, and disaster is around the corner.

Effect of Keels (Daggerboards, Centerboards)

When a catamaran is hit with a breaking wave from its side, one factor that reduces rotational forces is the ability to move sideways with the wave, in other words, to slide sideways.

Usually, this is not wanted since it reduces the cat’s ability to go windward; this issue is sometimes addressed by adding mini keels, dagger, or centerboards.

The issue with keels is that the crew cannot withdraw them into the hull to reduce drag; this means that they can become a security issue when hit by large breaking waves to the side. It will hinder the sideways sliding actions and increase the risk of capsizing, as the study indicates.

Here’s an article I wrote comparing daggerboards to centerboards .

Placement of Weight (Vertical Center of Gravity, Vcg)

We have already discussed the importance of having a big enough beam to create sufficient stability. Moving the hulls wider apart will lower the center of gravity (or center of weight) and increase stability; this is true if all other factors are the same.

I f we move the hulls closer to each other, the catamaran becomes narrower, and the center of gravity will move upwards. What happens then? You guessed it, removing the wide base makes it less stable and more prone to heeling.

The same effect can be had by moving weight on the ship vertically (VGC); lower = more stable, and vice versa (a monohull moves it below the surface using a heavy keel).

Pitchpoling (Frontflip)

Pitchpoling is when a catamaran sails with the winds and waves, and the speed of the boat increases to levels above the wave speed. When this happens, there is a risk that the catamaran will semi-surf down the wave and hit the next one. This will slow the boat down, increase apparent wind, and create a rotational force that will make the boat invert if big enough.

Pitchpoling can happen in two ways, symmetrically or asymmetrically. According to the testing in the study, it is more common for one of the bows to dig down into the water and then diagonally flip.

Factors That Affect Pitchpoling

To increase the rotational forces needed for pitchpoling to happen, the center of weighing needs to be shifted aft. This means that a catamaran that is improperly balanced, for example, the bows filled with gear instead of empty, will increase the risk of burying the bows and potentially flipping over. More on weigh issues below!

Another way to offset your balance is to allow water inside the bows; this can happen after repeated slamming of waves onto the hatches. Once filled up, they can hold tons of water and be a severe threat due to buoyancy loss and shift in the center of weight.

Surfing a wave is cool, but it is much safer to lower the speed through reefing early; this reduction in speed makes it less likely to sail into the next wave or trough and risk pitchpoling.

If the boat speed is still too high, the next option is to deploy a drogue that will break the boat and add some directional stability. If this, for some reason is not possible, the study suggests that the vessel should hit the waves head-on.

What is a drogue?

Trampolines

We have already discussed the issue of burying the bows; the effect is massively increased with a solid deck that almost makes the boat into a spoon(a terrible thing if you do want thousands of kilos of water onboard). A better way to dissipate water is with trampolines that lets the water through in a much faster way, like eating soup with a fork.

The effect of having trampolines is twofold; firstly, it will reduce the time the bows are submerged. Secondly, it will decrease the weight of the water on top of the bows and, therefore, how deep the bows will dive.

What is a trampoline on a catamaran?

Hull Shape and Freeboard

There is a discussion that too narrow hulls can increase pitchpoling risk since the hulls might easier dive into the water. I understand the logic, but I am unavailable to find any data to support that claim.

You could also make the claim that wider hulls would increase the braking effect and therefore add to rotational forces. As said, we need more data on this!

Freeboard is the distance between the water and the deck; the bigger this is, the less chance of burying the bows, and vice versa. Same here, It makes sense logically, but there are little data to understand what is enough freeboard.

Real Cases of Catamarans Capsizing

Some news sites have reported on catamarans flipping in different parts of the world. Unfortunately, there is not much data, so drawing well-grounded conclusions is hard.

The previously named study mentions only one report of a catamaran capsizing due to waves hitting its side precisely at the moment of breaking. The cat was 9 m long, and the owner had modified the boat by adding keels.

The study consists of a data set of over 120 incidents reported, of which only 33 are catamarans showing that catamaran capsizing is something very uncommon.

The reason for a catamaran sailboat capsizes;

• 28% Gust of wind
• 16% wave and wind
• 12% Pitchpoled
• 4% Braking Wave

It is also worth noting that most catamaran incidents happened in the range between 6-9 of wind force(Beaufort). Most incidents were on boats smaller than 11m.

News reporting and other articles

While researching this piece, I came across several relevant news articles regarding incidents and a few well-written case studies. I have incorporated these in this article as a point of discussion rather than factual claims. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find the links if you want to read the articles in full length.

2019 Australia, 39ft catamaran capsizes. The daggerboards can be seen and appear to be fully extended; considering the discussion above with keels, daggerboards will decrease the possibility of sideways movement even further. This is also indicated in the study.

There is a discussion on whether or not to leave one daggerboard deployed and one raised, but once again, the discussions of which one and when vary. And I have not been able to find any scientific support for these claims.

2010 Tonga, 57 ft Atlantic catamaran. The crew describes the situation to be very gusty, with winds up to 60kts! A full report on this incident would be very interesting and could really add to the knowledge database. 57ft is a huge ship, but a boat of this size also has a lot of sail area, and during this incident, the autopilot was steering the ship under reefed sails.

A ship of this size should be wide enough to be able to handle some very big waves, and it would be interesting to see whether the crew stuck to the wind charts. I think there is a lesson to be taught here on autopilot and being on the lookout for bad weather.

You should definitely be behind the helm if there is a squall coming so that you are ready to compensate for a change in wind pattern and quickly put in another reef if the initial assessment was wrong.

Chris White, the designer of Atlantic Catamarans shares his thought on this incident;

To summarize: 1) Neither captain thought capsize was even a possibility until way too late 2) Both boats were under autopilot, which had the helm all the way through the capsize 3) The main sheet was never eased or released Chris White of Chriswhitedesigns.com

Mythbusting!

The first part of this article takes its trustworthiness from a scientific study backed by the United Kingdom government; in this next section, I will use that knowledge to address some common myths and misconceptions.

A Charter Is Harder to Flip Than a Performance Cat.

As far as I understand, this argument is based on the following premises;  the charter boat is heavier than the racing cat; therefore, it is more stable . As we have come to understand from above, it is a matter of total kilograms and where it is located.

A low and centered center of gravity means better stability. A cruising cat can easily be weighed in the wrong places due to all the extra gear that is usually brought along, such as generators or extra food for a long passage.

Moving the center of weight forward increases pitchpoling risk, and moving the weight up makes it vulnerable to breaching by breaking waves.

There is no need to believe a cruising cat is safer in that aspect inherently. Another common argument I hear is that the rigging would never be able to flip a fully loaded cruising cat since the standing rigging will break before lifting a hull.

What is standing and running rigging?

In theory, this might be true (I don’t have the data available), but in reality, this is certainly not the case; the data in the study clearly shows that catamarans can flip with their rigging intact.

Taking the combined factors of wind, waves, and the keels’ braking effect, there is not necessarily much force needed on the rigging for the boat to capsize. Yes (once again, in theory), a lighter catamaran will be easier to flip under some circumstances, but I would then argue that is more of a sailor error than due to the boat’s construction or weight.

Capsizing a Catamaran vs. Monohull

These two types of boats work in very different ways when it comes to stability; one significant factor is the ability of self-righting of a monohull due to its large and heavy keel.

On the other hand, the catamaran will stay bottom-up and mast down until intentionally righted by another ship.

Once the monohull starts leaning to its side, it will start to dissipate the pushing force that the wind acts upon the sails. This is an automatic way for a monohull not to become overpowered.

This lack of feedback (no or little heeling) on a catamaran means the sailor needs to rely on wind speed charts to tell him or her when to reef. If these charts are not followed, chances are the cat will get overpowered.

Another interesting aspect is that even though a catamaran is flipped upside down, it will still float due to the massive air compartments and low weight, something that a monohull will not. It will even stay afloat if there is a hole in one of the hulls.

What are the differences between monohulls and catamarans?

Catamarans Capsize More Often Than Monohulls

This is a wild debate in many online forums; some argue that it is less safe since it doesn’t have a keel, and some argue that I would rather be floating atop my inverted catamaran than alone in the middle of the ocean with a sunken monohull (while obviously totally missing the point of the discussion).

The truth is that there are no real data to back these claims, at least not that I am aware of. I have tried the insurance companies, but there doesn’t seem to be any big data available, only stories and myths.

The Skills of the Crew

When trying to avoid a catastrophe like a capsize, the most critical aspect is avoiding putting yourself in a bad spot, sailing above your skillset, and more winds and waves than the boat can handle.

This is evident, of course, but it is worth mentioning in detail what this actually means; planning to avoid bad weather and learning how to plan a sail safely and not rush is one of the best safety skills you can have. Once you’re out on the water, surprises will always come your way, so when that happens, use the radar to try to stay away and outrun the weather.

Outrun, you say, no boat is that fast. Well, the idea is to outrun it at an angle, not outrun it like Indiana Jones outruns a rolling stone. At least try to hit the part of the squall or bad weather with lower wind speeds.

Reef Often, Reef Early

Considering the data above, that most boats capsize during gusts of wind, there is a need to respect that data and make that old saying more accurate than ever. Reef early reef often. Make sure you turn off your autopilot; if there is a squall coming, you better be behind the helm to control your ship. Autopilot is stupid, your not!

Also, remember that reefing not automatically reduces speed!

As mentioned above, reducing sail area doesn’t necessarily reduce speed, but it reduces the area where the wind’s pushing can turn into rotational forces. Keep your speed so that you do not overtake the weaves and risk burying the bows.

Keels, Daggerboards, Centerboards

Before you decide on your standing operating procedures for heavy weather, make sure that you understand how your daggerboards will affect the boat handling. The research suggests that you might want to raise them, but make sure you understand why you do it and when.

Using fully deployed daggerboards while getting hit by a breaking wave to the side will increase the rotational force making a capsize more likely.

Heavy Weather Strategies

The boat’s performance is one thing; the crew’s skills are another; make sure you practice those skills and read up on the actual data that exists instead of reading too many forums and listening to know-it-alls. Ensure that your drills are based on science and not someone’s best guess! I encourage you to read the full article, it will be linked below, and go out there and look for more high-quality content.

• https://catamaranguru.com/top-6-characteristics-of-a-good-catamaran/
• http://www.wumtia.soton.ac.uk/sites/default/files/1441_merged.pdf
• https://shuttleworthdesign.com/NESTalk.html
• https://www.chriswhitedesigns.com/25-news/112-what-we-can-learn-from-anna-s-capsize
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250304001_Model_Tests_To_Study_Capsize_and_Stability_of_Sailing_Multihulls

News articles

• 2020 https://voilesetvoiliers.ouest-france.fr/securite-en-mer/disparition-en-mer/le-catamaran-hallucine-de-regis-guillemot-chavire-au-large-de-vigo-un-mort-trois-rescapes-491bc45c-237e-11eb-97e1-64af5fb563fa
• 2019 https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/three-dead-two-rescued-after-catamaran-capsized-in-newcastle/news-story/8f94be3543c41368a4fd83b9b661033b
• 2010 https://www.chriswhitedesigns.com/25-news/112-what-we-can-learn-from-anna-s-capsize
• https://www.sailingtoday.co.uk/uncategorized/bullimores-33m-catamaran-capsized/

Owner of CatamaranFreedom.com. A minimalist that has lived in a caravan in Sweden, 35ft Monohull in the Bahamas, and right now in his self-built Van. He just started the next adventure, to circumnavigate the world on a Catamaran!

2 thoughts on “ Why Catamarans Capsize, A Scientific Explanation (For Beginners) ”

Hi , Thanks for the advice, very good to know. Look forward to having a look at links. Best of luck on the trip, have fun. Mike

Thanks, Mike! Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂

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From-Latitudes and Attitudes, August 2006

Before discussing the Eclipse, indeed before even outlining why a catamaran makes a great cruising boat, let's first agree on what we all want from an ocean cruiser. One good double bunk, plus a sea berth useable when sailing to windward in 25 knots, is enough, although maybe a spare for friends or family is useful. More important are a big galley and a good heads compartment.

Absolutely essential is a comfortable saloon with an all round view. After all, when on land we don't choose to live in a basement, so why shouldn't cruisers, who spend most of their time at anchor, be able to look out at views of white sandy beaches and coconut palms? We also want a large, safe deck area and a boat that can look after us in bad weather. Shallow draft and good light-wind speed are further priorities.

Above all, a comfortable home on the water.

These requirements help explain why catamarans are now so popular as live-aboard cruising boats, for they offer fast, level sailing, with no heeling at sea and no rolling at anchor. One goes "inside" not "down below" and there will be all round vision from the saloon. Finally, there is an incredible level of comfort and useable space, both on deck and below, when compared to a similar length monohull.

Multihull critics will say, "Yes, that's all very well, but what about capsize?" In fact statistics collected by the MCA (the UK equivalent to the US Coastguard) list only a couple of hundred cruising catamaran capsizes world-wide during the last 40 years. Most were during races in the 1960-70's. Today the incidence of capsize is very low and is reducing steadily. These days it seems one is much more likely to hear of a monohull that has lost its keel (as recently happened to several Bavaria yachts, not to mention to most of the swing keel race boats) than a live-aboard catamaran capsizing. Don't forget that ballasted monohulls are the only vessels in history that can theoretically recover from a knockdown. Fishing boats, motor yachts and traditional sailing ships can't. Furthermore, a monohull will only self right if it doesn't sink first through an open companionway hatch.

Most production catamarans are now designed for the charter market and not for cruising, thus they tend to be larger than strictly needed for a liveaboard couple. That's why the Maine Cat 30 and, especially, the Gemini 105 have been so successful. Now joining these two mid-30ft designs is a catamaran designed and built in the UK - the Richard Woods designed 32ft Eclipse. Richard Woods has been sailing for nearly 50 years, and catamaran sailing for over 30. During this time he has lived on all sizes of both monohulls and multihulls, from snow-decked British anchorages to the heat of the tropics. He is one of the world's most successful multihull designers and has sold nearly 2,000 designs.

Eclipse comes in two versions.

Either the version maximising performance, as seen in the prototype, which has daggerboards, tiller steering and a 9.9hp outboard engine. Or the cruising version fitted with shallow keels for windward work, twin 18hp diesel engines and wheel steering.

Clearly the daggerboarded boat will offer better performance while the cruising version is easier to sail, but still no slouch. Both versions use the same flared, round bilge hulls with a pronounced knuckle just above the waterline. This knuckle both increases the space inside and reduces wave slap under the bridgedeck. This starts well back and has 21in clearance even when loaded. The two versions also share essentially the same interior, deck layout and rig.

The rig follows the modern norm of a large fully battened mainsail and small, just overlapping, genoa. Halyards and reefing lines are all led aft, so there is never any need to go to the mast for reefing or sail handling. Forward are big sail and anchor lockers - the prototype carries 8 sails, 3 anchors, plus two 30 lb propane bottles.

Aft, the cockpit can seat twelve, while the wrap around cockpit seats are cushioned with 4in foam, making Eclipse one of the most comfortable of all sailboats. Think about it, when did you last drive a car with wooden seats?

Inside there is standing headroom in the saloon with all round vision. Six people can sit comfortably round the table, while the saloon also boasts a fixed 3ft x 2ft chart table with lots of space for electronics, charts and pilot books. The wet locker is also here, complete with a small seat, which makes putting on boots so much easier. The whole cabin is well ventilated with 7 opening ports and hatches. Book shelves total 8ft for paperbacks and 3 ft for large pilot books. Other shelves hold racks of CD's, DVD's, even potted plants.

The galley is centrally located in the starboard hull. A built-in oven and 3 burner stove, together with 20 sq ft of work top and masses of stowage space make the Eclipse galley bigger than those found on most 40fters. A large fridge-freezer is located under the forward bunk.

Overall, it has proven more than enough for two people living on board full time for 3 years and even cooking a roast Christmas dinner for 5 was no problem.

There is a 4ft wide double bunk aft in each hull. A bookshelf runs its full length. A hanging wardrobe for shore clothes is hidden behind the daggerboard case, while open lockers hold most sea-going wear. A large locker under each bunk can be used for dried food and spare bedding.

Many boats boast "vanity units", but Eclipse's is one of the few that can genuinely be used as such, as it's fitted with a mirror, a makeup table and a seat. The heads compartment is over 20 sq ft and has a moulded-in basin and large shower sump. A locker forward gives easy access to seacocks and can be used for stowing things like the vacuum cleaner, swimming gear and laundry.

Richard Woods built the prototype Eclipse for his own use. It has been well proven since launching in early 2001, as it has now raced and cruised over 15,000 miles and visited over 25 countries.

Everyone claims that their boat is faster than the competition, but in Eclipse's case that is no idle boast. Shortly after launching, when the boat was empty and sails new, Eclipse recorded its highest ever speed of 21 knots. Eclipse is naturally slower now, but even so GPS recorded speeds of 16 knots or more are still common, even when loaded for cruising.

It's rare for magazine boat tests to be sailed in ideal conditions, rarer yet for them to last more than a couple of hours. So in reality a magazine report doesn't give a very good impression of sailing performance. A far better test is to race a boat against its competitors on the race course.

The UK's Round the Island race is one of the biggest races in the world with typically 1700 starters, including over 50 multihulls. It is a 60 mile race starting and finishing at Cowes in the Solent and boats race right round the Isle of Wight so are certain to sail both to windward and off wind. Furthermore they will be sailed hard in the lumpy overfalls off the Needles and at high speed in flat water through the Solent.

Eclipse entered the 2002 event held in 15-20 knot winds and was easily the first cruising catamaran to finish. The next production catamaran was a 43ft Belize, which finished over one hour later. Eclipse also beat several F27 and Dragonfly trimarans boat for boat. Possibly a greater feat though, was to overtake Mumm30 racing monohulls to windward in the closing stages of the race. Who says multihulls don't go to windward? Boats like the J92 (racing monohulls the same length as Eclipse) were left far behind.

Under power the outboard version will cruise at 5.5 knots and motor flat out at 6. In comparison the twin diesel version reaches 7+ knots flat out. But more importantly, the twin diesels allow Eclipse to not just turn in its own length, but pivot on the spot.

There is no point having a fast boat if it is difficult or frightening to sail. Cruisers often say, "I don't want a fast boat" when they really mean "I don't want to be frightened" for no one, when pressed, ever admits to wanting a slow boat. Fortunately Eclipse is indeed safe and easy to sail. A small autopilot, Raymarine's ST1000, has steered Eclipse for thousands of miles in all conditions. When hand steered the twin tiller extensions are ones normally seen on a dinghy. So steering is always light; in fact Eclipse can usually be steered with just two fingers. Tacking is quick and positive, yet Eclipse will also sail "hands off" for long periods.

Normally Eclipse is reefed in 25 knots apparent wind. Under double reefed mainsail and a much reduced genoa, Eclipse has day-sailed to windward in 50 knots. Offshore, Eclipse coped well in over 40 knots when crossing Biscay (the crew stayed below, steering using the remote-controlled autopilot - all round vision helped of course).

Following its successes on the race course, for the last three years the prototype Eclipse has been used as a live aboard cruiser. Eclipse left the UK in late 2002 and sailed two-handed across a stormy Bay of Biscay to the Canaries. From there, and now with three on board, Eclipse sailed across the Atlantic to the West Indies in 18 days. A single handed cruise through the West Indies and Bahamas followed, then double handed along the whole US eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine before heading south again, via Cuba, to Central America.

The main drawback for all small catamarans, and yes, there has to be one, is limited load carrying capacity. Having said that, the prototype Eclipse carries a sewing machine, watermaker, generator, 3 anchors, parachute sea anchor, Christmas tree, probably enough tools to rebuild the boat if necessary, and 3 computers (plus scanner, printer etc). Not to mention all the normal paraphernalia that a liveaboard couple need. There is even a rigid dinghy hung in davits, a solid fuel stove and a built-in safe. So load carrying is probably sufficient!

Eclipse can be home built from plans, while it is also available as a production boat.

The production Eclipse uses biaxial and quadraxial non-crimp glassfibre and a Divinycell foam core, thus making the boat unsinkable. For extra security Eclipse is also double bottomed, thanks to the interior tray moulding. This was first used on Eclipse's smaller sister, the 30ft Sagitta, one of which dragged anchors in a gale and ended up on a rocky beach minus a keel. Despite a 10ft long hole below the waterline the Sagitta made it 20 miles back to port - floating on the inner tray.

The production Eclipse is built by the longest established multihull boatyard in the world - The Multihull Centre (www.multihullcentre.co.uk ). Formed in 1968, and specializing in the refit and building of multihulls, the Multihull Centre also regularly stores 100 multihulls in its 5 acre boatyard. Prices start at USD160,000 which sounds high when compared to a 32 ft monohull, but for the extra space and comfort offered, it is excellent value for money. Add in performance, and it's outstanding.

Maybe Eclipse can best be summed up in the words of the reporter from Practical Boat Owner (the UK's largest yachting magazine) who, after testing Eclipse extensively, wrote: "Eclipse makes you realise the value of a designer's practical, hands on experience. Everything works....Whatever your inclinations it's hard to deny the practicality of the Eclipse for long distance sailing. Or even for a quick whizz round the Isle of Wight"