Cruising on a catamaran

When someone says cruise, you imagine large cruise ships carrying 2-3-5 thousand passengers which are like moving cities.  They are so big and have stabilizers, thereby making their movement non-perceptible unless you think about it.  Those ships usually make motion sickness a non-issue.

Boats operating in the Galapagos are much smaller.  Largest mono-hulls have 120 passengers.  Double hulled catamarans like ours are more common and carry far fewer passengers - ours had a capacity of 14.

From December to May, the seas are calm in Galapagos.  The shallow shelf surrounded by islands from all sides, make it look like a giant lake with hardly any waves.  Even so, on smaller boats, you have to consider the possibility of motion sickness.

In case you want to know more, here are the key differences between catamarans and mono-hulls:

• Level Sailing - The most noticeable thing about sailing a catamaran vs a traditional mono-hull is the lack of heeling.  Even when powered up, a cat will rarely heel more than 5-10 degrees - gone are the days of bracing yourself in the cockpit, and living your life underway at 20+ degrees of angle. It’s a much more relaxing and convenient way to sail.
• Speed/Sailing Performance - Cruising catamarans will typically be 25-30% faster than a cruising mono-hull of the same length.  You basically get near racing mono-hull speeds, but with all the creature comforts that come with a cat.  During calm periods (no wind), cats are powered by twin engines.
• Safety – Unsinkability - there are many aspects to safety where catamarans shine. Often overlooked is the safety margin introduced with level sailing. It is much easier to keep crew aboard in rough weather when the boat stays level and is pitching less.
  - The speed of a multi-hull is another safety factor, as with decent weather information, it’s relatively easy to sail around severe weather systems before they can bear down on you. Should something go horribly awry, and the boat gets flipped, the lack of ballast, and additional positive flotation, means that nearly every catamaran will remain on the surface of the water, right-side up or not, until a rescue can be made.  Nearly all cruising cats have a substantial amount of reserve buoyancy, in the form of closed-cell foam, stashed in the nooks and crannies of the boat.  Because of this, most could literally be cut into pieces and all pieces would still float. (This makes fire your biggest safety concern aboard a cat.)
  - Can my catamaran flip over? - Theoretically, yes, and has happened in very rare heavy-weather situations when EVERY vessel is in distress.  It takes very high winds, too much sail, and large breaking waves to flip a modern cruising cat.  Multi-hull sailors find it reassuring to know that their cat will remain on the surface, as a big liferaft and spotting target, while ballasted mono-hulls caught in the same situation are more likely to end up at the bottom of the sea, with their crew bobbing around (if they are lucky) in an inflatable liferaft.
• Motoring Performance/ Maneuverability - Cruising catamarans, with their easily driven hull forms and light weight, enjoy excellent fuel efficiency as compared to mono-hulls, and track very straight.  Cats almost always have twin engines, set many feet apart, which allow for tremendous control in tight situations. In fact, the boat can be spun in place or crabbed sideways without any way on.
• Crew and Living Space - No doubt you’ve already realized the enormous gains in living space afforded by modern cruising cats. Typically a cat will have the space below equivalent to a mono-hull 10+ feet larger. When combined with added cockpit space, possibly a flybridge, and more than doubling the deck space, it becomes a whole different ball game. It’s important to note that you not only gain a tremendous amount of space, but nearly all of that space is very livable and comfortable, whether at anchor or underway. 
• Shallow Draft/Beachability - Because multi-hulls’ stability comes from the beam and extra hulls (form stability), there is no need for ballast or a substantial keel. This reduces overall weight and, importantly, draft as well. It is common for a 40+ foot cruising cat to have a draft less than 4 feet, allowing sailors to explore shallow areas mono-hullers fear to tread.

For reference, here are the details of Nemo I: http://galapagosinformation.com/nemo-i-galapagos-cruise.html