Two Hulls, Two Big Mahi

Last fall Tropical Cyclone Winston nailed Fiji, and one of the unfortunate results was something like 21 holes being put in the hull of the Voyager 43 cat Quixote. When the boat came up for sale on salvage, Lewis Allen and Alyssa Alexopolous of the Redwood City-based Tartan 37 Eleutheria took a deep breath and made the plunge into the project.

After four months of incredibly hard work on their part and that of their team, and about 30% more money than they’d figured, they’ve got the boat back in the water and sailing. It took so much time they haven’t even had a chance to update their website to reflect the fact they have a new boat. You can read about the details of their restoration and launch in the October issue of Latitude.

The accompanying photos were taken during their first sail, a 40-mile passage along the windward coast of Taveuni. The young couple are absolutely loving their new cat. As with all new cat owners, they are thrilled with all the space they now have, and with being able to sail flat.

Based on the photos, it would seem that catamarans have two other advantages. First, it would appear that the number of fish you catch depends on how many hulls you have. Lewis and Alyssa now have two hulls, so they got two huge mahi, not just one. Second, most cats, Quixote included, have back steps, which make an ideal place to clean fish. Too bad cats cost so much.

Have you caught a mahi or other fish as big as these from your boat? If so, we’d like to see photographic evidence and a very brief description of who, when and where. And, with the Mexico cruising season in full swing, does anybody have any tips for first-time cruiser/fisherpeople?