Meow?

Well I wanted to write honestly in our blog. I wanted to be totally open so when we are old and grey and our memories are fading we can look back on our written history of this time and remember the details.

So in that vein, I would be remiss if I didn’t capture the ongoing debate that Greg and I have with ourselves about our living situation.

Any guesses?

The great catamaran debate.

Oh yes, gather ‘round children, the great catamaran debate dates back to before you were…well…living full time on a monohull :P

During 2018 and even some of 2017 Greg and I had many a conversation about what kind of boat would be right for our family. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of conversations. And then a few more.

Why did we buy a monohull?

We were most comfortable with a monohull that was for sure. We raced on one, we played on one, we raised babies on one, Greg grew up spending summers on one. Catamarans were one of those fancy and fantasy boats that we really couldn’t identify with. So big, so clunky…like a floating elephant. That isn’t sailing! (we told ourselves) That’s what old folks have! (we told ourselves) And then there were all the horror stories of them going ass over tea kettle in big winds (stories that old monohullers tell each other as they are on a 30 degree lean)…

Our familiarity with monohulls to some extent felt like safety and when you are still living on land and just preparing to move onboard full-time you get 1000 questions about safety, some self-inflicted and many from other people, and so something that feels more safe feels more right. I can't tell you how many (kind, well-intentioned) people at home warned us against catamarans. Either they are too slow, can't point well enough, too risky if you don't sail by the numbers (i.e. you don't reduce canvas at set wind-speeds...catamarans don't heel like monohulls so they don't spill excess wind and round up like monos do when over powered, they tip over)...and certainly catamarans are expensive.

But of course we know a bit more now.

Familiarity isn't necessarily safety and everything that is new becomes familiar eventually. Even more so, we’ve learned that the big bad fears around catamarans were largely misplaced. Sure bad things can happen if you are an idiot. But we aren't idiots who would fly a spinnaker in 30knots or put out full sail with squalls all around us. Also those things are equally bad for monos and cats; though the way the bad plays out might look different. Also, sure they can't be sluggish or point poorly into the wind (monos can sail very nicely between 30-40 degrees to the wind and many cats can't do much above 50...makes a big difference if you are on anything other than downwind routes)...but there are some cats out there that do sail beautifully.

And the space…the glorious space. It is always shocking when we get onboard a friends cat. There is so much space! And you live mostly above the water which is lovely as well. Keep in mind we have a center cockpit - awesome for passage, safe and dry - less awesome for being at anchor, tight and crowded. And don’t even get me started on the aft decks and trampolines on cats SO MUCH USABLE OUTDOOR SPACE. Like a loungy where-did-my-kids-go-because-I-can’t-see-or-hear-them amount of space. Talking with my family the other day my sister laughed when I talked about how huge a 50ft Lagoon was that we were on recently…she compared it to a room in her house LOL. Fair enough, but to sailors that’s a lot of space!

But let’s not forget that space comes at a price. They are expensive...there is no debate about that. Probably 2x. (e.g. a high quality 50ft mono is likely 1/2 the price of a 50ft cat at the same quality, at used prices)...though it does makes sense because a 50ft cat has 2 engines, 2 hulls, 2x the through hulls, and 2x the interior space and finishings. The cost was a big factor for us. Not just purchase price but the cost of maintaining a boat with 2x the number of things that can go wrong. And will, given enough time. Guaranteed. Since we decided we wanted to keep our house and rent it out we wanted a boat that wasn't going to make us boat-poor. Making this move was stressful enough, we knew we weren't going to enjoy it if we were constantly stressed about cash. Also, to be honest, at the time not selling the house and not spending more on a boat made sense because heck we didn't even know if we would like this lifestyle and we really didn't want to go "all in" right away.

We aren’t hurting for space right now…we can store everything and stow everything ok. We aren’t tripping over each other and they kids and adults are happy. We even made room for guests back when that was a thing. But these kids keep growing…

So fast forward to now.

We love our Hallbery Rassy. She is exactly what we were hoping for in a monohull. Performs well in big and light winds. Comfortable for a family of 5. Heavy, safe, high quality. Full of fixes and problems that are common to all boats. (Currently struggling with a water maker pump). And really there are only a few things we worry about...actually only one. We are a bit worried we are going to out-grow this boat.

The kids are growing like well-fed weeds in the sun. Which is basically what they are. Aden (just turned 10) has women's size 8 feet. Liam is nearly as tall as Greg (who admittedly isn't super tall at 5'8") and can wear his shirts. At 8, Grace is as tall (actually a little taller) than her 10 year old friend. Over course as parents we are thrilled they are obviously so healthy. But then when we imagine being here with 3 adult-sized teens we break a sweat and start to think about a boat where they have a bit more privacy and a lot more space.

Right now. This moment. Buying at catamaran would be more of a sacrifice than a gain I think for us - which is not how most people see a change from mono to cat. Most people see it as an upgrade (“space as a luxury!”)...but we'd be letting go of the (relative) simplicity of a monohull, the type of sailing we enjoy, and a whole lotta money.

Everyone always raves about cats being "more comfortable motion" as well. The motion is interesting. More like a cork bobbing on water…more chaotic and seemingly random (jerky?) movements in our opinion (not better or worse, just different). But the movements are generally very small compared to the big everything-pitches-around-that-isn’t-tied-down movements on our mono. Lots more belly slapping with a cat and that can get quite loud. Obviously they don't heel (unless you are in big trouble) so that means passages are a bit easier physically (the toll of walking sideways for days is significant on a mono). Aden gets seasick on both so no big win there.

And for now we all fit just fine. The girls just switched cabins with Liam. They moved into the bunks to help Grace-the-extrovert go to sleep faster, help Aden the night-hawk not keep her sister awake with her book-light and help Liam spread his limbs in all directions up in the V-berth on his own. They were on the fence about the move - the V-berth is harder to get dressed in; the bunks are harder to play in; but now they love it and see how this gives some added comfort to their lives. It's been 2 years onboard in the previous cabin arrangement and this change will be a good one (and one that was a huge job and required a LOT of moving of stuff around and we need to try on every single piece of clothing before moving it from one room to the other to make sure we aren’t keeping stuff that won’t fit anymore).

We are planning a refit for this boat (which I have mentioned several times before) and it will not be cheap. But even refitted this beautiful HR will come in less than the catamarans we'd be looking at (remember quality, sailing angle, etc.). We've done the math...over and over to be sure.

So for now we are continuing with our plan to refit and stay in this boat. We will continue to get rid of stuff we don't need and limit what we bring on board that isn't consumable (food and parts). We will keep getting off the boat for some added space. We will take encouragement from other boat families we know who live on similar sized boats with 3 teens.

But every now and then we browse the listings, consider what we would want / need and remember that finding our current boat took us years...

…and the great cat debate will continue.

MH