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The Boat |
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Cabin Layout
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Our current boat is a Lagoon catamaran. Bill became sold on cats after sailing a Fountaine-Pajot Athena 38 from Puerto Rico to Dover in the English Channel. This is a very similar vessel. "Monohull vs. multihull" is a hot controversy among sailors, of course, with lots of good arguments on both sides, but I am a convert. I love the way cats sail and living aboard is a relative dream with lots of deck and cockpit space outside and a cabin layout that allows much more privacy than all but the biggest monohulls. The cabins are substantial, with two doubles in the bows and two more at the stern. Also in the "amas" (catamaranese for "hulls") are two heads with showers as well as navigation, communication, and storage areas. The bridge deck area is divided into a salon and a galley. There is tons of room for lounging and dining in the cockpit, as well as lots of deck space including the traditional catamaran trampoline at the bows. Normally we have guests only in the two large front cabins, reserving the stern cabins for captain and work area. This ensures that everyone has some privacy and adequate elbow room. In certain circumstances, such as for children, for three singles, or for a group of bosum buddies, we will bend a little and also allow guests in one of the stern cabins. For those who want to know more about the boat, here is a review from "Cruising World:" "When French mega-builder Jeanneau announced in November of 1990 that it would embark on a joint production venture with TPI in Warren, Rhode Island, to manufacture Lagoon cruising catamarans, multihull enthusiasts and the industry at large took sharp notice. The Lagoon series cat, at the time formidably represented by an ultrasleek 55-footer already in production, signified an extensive commitment to the multihull field by a major monohull enterprise. And plans for TPI's inaugural effort -- the fashionable Lagoon 42 ultimately introduced a year later in the fall of 1991 -- suggested to the cruising public that the ongoing rise in multihull popularity was more than a passing fancy. The 42 went on to enjoy a successful debut, garnering Sailing Worldmagazine's multihull and overall Boat Of The Year awards in 1991. Jeanneau's next ploy was to have designers Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prevost reproduce the winning formula in a smaller boat. What resulted was Lagoon 37, not so much a downsized version of the 42 as a striking cruising catamaran in its own right. Developed for private ownership or charter service, the 37 features the Lagoon series' familiar curvilinear orientation and round, podlike cabin structure. Aesthetically the look is simple and modern. The designers have controlled the tendency of most cruising catamarans under 40 feet to appear ungainly and overfed by sculpting into the hulls a good measure of subtle sheer. Below, the contemporary theme is pursued in an airy, well-lit, oval-shaped saloon and in spacious, uncluttered sleeping cabins.
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In the Lesser Antilles
On A Beat