Sailing Nautitech Open 40 - doing 20 knots in heavy weather - yes, she is FAST !!

Rooster tails in our wake doing close to 20 knots ! Incredible especially looking backwards to see such speed generated without big powerboat style engines. Having sailed many types of multihulls in my life, I did not believe a cruising cat with full comfortable bridgedeck accommodation could really be a 12 knot plus machine. The Marc Lombard designed Nautitech open 40 is ... we touched on 20 knots and were doing 14-16 knots often, and did not go below 11 knots in 25-35 knots of wind. With two reefs in the main and a - selftacking ! - jib it was a fun, relaxed experience. Unthinkable on any monohull - where shorthanding would not be possible ... nor would having a relaxed lunch be ! It really is a 36 footer though and has very little space inside. Also, make sure you do NOT buy it in the UK and know that Nautitech do not build well and provide zero customer support ...........! Jan 15.