Power-Cruising Leopard 43

[webejammin]

Were moored on the Cloumbia River 3.5 miles upstream of the confluence of the Snake river and we have a new neighbor, a 43 ft Leopard sailing catamaran. They came up the river without there rigging or mast to get under the 65 ft bridges just to enjoy our high desert summer weather of 90's and 55 % humidity with no clouds or rain like Portland. The Leopard cat is out of Florida and had sailed from there thru the Panama to Hawaii and then headed to Seattle when last year they got hit by a rogue wave that knocked out the foward windows ( where the little hatches open foward within the windows) and dumped over 1000 gal of water into the boat. They had to be rescued because the flooding got into there electronics and the boat had been brought up to Portland Or for work last fall and we saw it in the same boat yard when we launched our boat. The appearence of our Gemini 105MC cat and the Leopard is really turning heads.

[sailgirl2]

Okay this makes me nervous! We are thinking about switching from a monohull to a cat and are looking at the Leopard 39. Is this the norm or just a fluke thing that happened?

[webejammin]

The folks have replaced the foward facing windows, that was the weak spot (the little vent windows within the bigger windows). I guess the folks got hurt ( I think a broken leg ) from the wave and the rush of water coming thru there boat. I'm sure they are still cussing the weak windows that are ok I guess in the Atlantic ocean but not the Pacific and especially the north Pacific.

[lhsmith]

Originally Posted by sailgirl2

Okay this makes me nervous! We are thinking about switching from a monohull to a cat and are looking at the Leopard 39. Is this the norm or just a fluke thing that happened?

I am acquainted with the owner of this 43, and they were off the coast of Oregon in one helluva storm when the event took place. From the sound of their description of the storm, they shouldn't have been there. The windows issue is not quite so simple. Yes, the opening ports probably weaken the window, but the windows slant aft significantly and are shielded by beefy slats/steps. Compare that configuration, for instance, with the vertical windows of a Lagoon, which might have had its whole vertical face shattered by such a wave. I suspect that you never hear about such a thing because very few people venture out in such conditions.

[ArtM]

Consider what it would have been like to be in that same condition with a monohull, and you'll get your answer.

You either would have been below deck getting tossed around like a bean in a can, or you would have been topdeck getting 1000 gallons of water swept over the top of you, possibly getting carried to sea if you were not tied in. Certainly some of that would have made it into your saloon

The owners of this Leopard had the option of sitting inside their salon, tidy and dry but with full visibility until that rogue wave came along and blew them out of it. If it hadn't been for that incident, though, they would have come through the storm dry and happy.

It sounds like a storm nobody would have chosen to be in, but if you plan to be in heavy seas a lot, sailing in known difficult waters, then a 39' catamaran is likely not the best choice for you. There are boats - BIG ones - specifically designed for that kind of passage.

[ArtM]

The part of this story that concerns me is They had to be rescued because the flooding got into there electronics.

There's something wrong with this story.