SINT MAARTEN (SIMPSON BAY – By Herb McCormick) – Built in France as a light, high-performance catamaran that will be equally at home racing in premier inshore and offshore events, or cruising in exotic locales, the TS5 cat Addictive Sailing is a state-of-the-art 50-footer ready for just about any waterborne adventure. And, fresh from her recent launch in France, where she was built by the renowned boatyard Marsaudon Composites, she’s coming to the Caribbean.
Yes, Addictive Sailing, which is available for charter through the British-based company LV Yachting—the go-to source for booking racing charter boats on both sides of the Atlantic—will be on the starting lines this February for both the Caribbean Multihull Challenge and the Caribbean 600. Following those events, she’ll be open for cruising in the islands and up the East Coast of the U.S., or for other spring Caribbean events (Sint Maarten Heineken Regatta anyone?).
For the CMC and the 600, Addictive Sailing will compete with a highly experienced international crew assembled by multihull sailor Petro Jonker, who was looking to charter a cat for both events. Using the CMC as a tune-up regatta prior to the Caribbean 600 is a proven formula for success, as demonstrated earlier this year when the high-tech cat Fujin won the former event and placed second in the latter. The cat’s all-star team will also include Addictive Sailing’s owner, vastly experienced offshore French sailor Brieuc Maisonneuve.
“Addictive Sailing is a cruiser/racer, not an all-out racing boat,” said Jonker. “But with a rotating carbon rig and top-end sails, she sure looks quick. She only weighs 8.5 tons, which is light for a 50-footer. We’re expecting to be quite competitive.”
The handsome catamaran is one of the first multihulls available through LV Yachting, which was founded by veteran racing sailor and boat owner Lucy Jackson, who brokers a wide range of race boats for events ranging from the famous Fastnet Race to the many regattas based in the Caribbean. To say Jackson is excited about the prospect of representing performance cats like Addictive Sailing would be an understatement.
“With a cat like Addictive Sailing, you can cover a vast amount more miles in a day,” said Jackson. “If you’re sailing a 50-foot monohull, a good day might be 200 miles. On a similar size cat, you can do 400 miles with great ease. So, there’s a lot more speed potential, which is quite attractive. Plus, the cat is comfortable to sail, it’s relative flat and it’s a dryer ride.”
There are other benefits as well, noted Jackson. “I think back to when I started sailing, and compared to then, nowadays cats are so much safer, stronger and more reliable. And from a chartering point of view, if you charter a monohull you’re generally going to need a crew house. With a big cat like Addictive Sailing, you can stay aboard if you wish and don’t need to spend the additional money for accommodations. To me, that’s another really attractive feature.
“Multihull racing may be the direction the sport’s going in,” she concluded. “Monohull sailors may think they’re the clever ones, but it’s probably multihull sailors who are ahead of the curve.”
To learn more about Addictive Sailing, or for chartering rates and information, visit the LV Yachting website: www.lvyachting.com.
About the Caribbean Multihull Challenge Sint Maarten:
The Sint Maarten Yacht Club will host the second annual Caribbean Multihull Challenge from February 14-16, 2020. The event is open to all multihull sailors on racing catamarans and trimarans as well as chartered cats and cruising multis. For more information visit www.smyc.com/caribbean-multihull-challenge.
Source: Souliga Newsday https://www.soualiganewsday.com/index.php?option=com-k2&view=item&id=29109:the-versatile-ts5-catamaran-available-to-compete-in-caribbean-multihull-challenge-and-caribbean-600&Itemid=450
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