Caribbean Catamaran Vacations

Why a Catamaran Vacation? Catamarans have stability WITHOUT the Tilt or heeling of traditional sailboats.

	Mono Hull Boat	Catamaran
Avg Width (beam)	12 ft	22ft up to 56 feet wide
Tilting during sailing
	Even a light breeze can heel a sailboat	Very Stable in all conditions
Space to roam / relax	Limited without odd or uneven walking conditions. Mono-Hulls are typically designed for cursing NOT leisure.	Catamarans are designed to be spacious and comfortable with an abundance of easy to get around outdoor space with luxurious comfort.

Here is a small break down of the history of the modern catamaran phenomenon, a short history of how the charter industry has been revolutionised by this wonderful vessel we call the new modern luxury catamaran.

In late 1990 there was one term catamaran based in the British Virgin Islands (Splendidum 43 feet , this catamaran belonged to myself and my wife). There were two other " day " catamarans that were linked to hotels. These were the years when the successful Irwin mono-hulls designed by Ted Irwin and Barry Rice dominated the charter industry. At a guess there were some 80-100 Mono hulls chartering in the Virgin Islands and most were based in the USVI under the Flagship banner.

In early 1993 the second modern catamaran arrived to commence chartering; her name was "Take Two" . 1994 saw the next few and so the popularity grew. Today I can easily count 73 fully crewed catamarans operating private yacht charters in the BVI and all 73 are fully crewed.

Why did this change occur?
It was the first time in history where a sailing yacht appealed to the woman/wives of our lives. No more was a private sailing yacht a camping trip, for the first time in history the new modern catamaran offered the general public hotel COMFORT, hotel STABILITY and hotel SPACE.

1). Yachts (mono hulls) are 14-16 feet wide-- Catamarans start at 22 feet wide and one is 56 feet wide!!!

2). Yachts heel over at 45 degrees when sailing? Catamarans remain almost 100% upright when sailing.

3). Yachts have cabins which are normally squeezed into her narrow beam making all cabins different sizes, some cabins have bunk beds to save valuable space.

Not so with spacious catamarans, all cabins are equal, all cabins have queen sized beds, all cabins have their own private toilets, their own private showers and wash hand basins, hot and cold running water 24/7 fully air conditioned. (naturally there are one or two variables to this).
A huge salon/dining area with plenty of head room for the tall people and a modern kitchen with all the bells and whistles. These huge Salons, kitchens and sleeping accommodation cannot be found on any yacht of one and a half the length of a catamaran.

Luxury Catamaran Vacations

Some catamarans boast 4 king sized beds in their cabins, most catamarans are very luxurious, but in 2006 along came the next big step up in our industry, the gorgeous Zingara. Zingara is a mile stone to our industry in this modern time, the first vessel to boast 5 walk round beds to her cabins. A king sized cabin that feels and looks better than a HOJO/Hilton Hotel. Such high end luxury that catamarans now rival the top 120-140 feet luxury power yachts of the world, the rate for these top power yachts per week is $90,000 and higher.