1 – For you, a boat is:
A: A pleasant means of transport which allows you to live your dream of travelling...
B: Your passion, your reason for living and your ultimate pleasure on this pretty blue planet, which you like exploring in all directions...
C: A rocket, pleasure in its purest form, an adrenaline machine… A machine capable of covering over 300 miles in a day, in normal conditions, and with which you can do 20 knots if necessary.
2 – The voyage is:
A: A dream, an aim, a real necessity. The means aren't important; it's the result which counts.
B: A means of enjoying your boat to the full and living at sea!
C: Isn't that the strange moment between the start and finish of a transatlantic race?
3 – The boat, especially on a long cruise, will also require maintenance work. And that means:
A: It's not the best part of the programme, but we have no choice, it has to be done!
B: Maintaining, preparing, improving, there is always something...
C: Preparation happens before the start; afterwards you just have to know how to deal with the damage!
4 – Meal time!
A: At sea, most of the time is spent preparing and thinking up the next meal… It's the basis of the crew's good morale!
B: The only problem is that at over 10 knots, you can't fish with a trailing line!
C: There has been incredible progress in dehydrated foods in just a few years; they are nice, and easy to stow.
5 – At anchor, you like:
A: To invite all your boat-friends for an aperitif.
B: Get as close as possible to the beach... Hoorah for daggerboards!
C: Arrive first! Nothing is as nice as victory:)
6 – Encounters go with the voyage. What do you think?
A: Why go away if it's not to get to know and exchange with others? It's really an aim to be achieved!
B: We leave to discover other worlds, other cultures and above all, lots of people. The more there are, the better it is.
C: We can't imagine cruising and sailing without exchanging with other sailors. Otherwise, why leave?
7 – A successful manoeuvre is:
A:With all control lines returned to the cockpit; it's so easy, your eldest son looks after them...
B: A moment of pleasure shared with the crew. Well prepared and well executed, manoeuvring brings the crew closer together.
C: A fast manoeuvre executed like a ballet. Aboard, it is a pleasure.
8 – For you, a nice passage is firstly:
A: Memories galore, aperitifs with friends at sunset, warm night watches in the saloon.
B: A crossing with an average speed of over 10 knots, under full sail, even at night…
C: Free the sheets, you're a coward!
9 – In a wonderful world with no time or budget limits, what would be your ideal itinerary?
A: Round the world of course, in 5 years, to enjoy it to the full.
B: Round the world in three years. Once completed, return to our favourite destinations, with more time to enjoy them...
C: No doubt: the Rhum or the English Transat, singlehanded!
10 – Your ideal boat?
A: A boat in which my family feels good and safe, and enjoys the cruise to the full!
B: A boat in which the crew feels comfortable, to enjoy the cruise to the full!
C: A boat in which the skipper really feels at home…
THE ANSWERS
You have a maximum number of As
No doubt, the boat for you is a comfortable cruising catamaran, which is also fast enough for you to be able to live your dream fully. Several-week cruises in the summer, an Atlantic or Mediterranean circuit, long trips in the West Indies or even round the world – your boat must be able to do everything, and do it well! A modern production catamaran is easily capable of fulfilling your programme. All that remains is the size: your boat should be over 40', to be pleasant and reassuring on long crossings, whilst you should be aware that a typical family ocean cruising boat, which will allow you to carry a heavy load without affecting performance too much is around 40 – 45 feet long. The good news is that there is a wide choice in the builders' ranges…
You have a maximum number of Bs
You are and will always remain a sailor. You like voyages, of course, and discovering other cultures, other landscapes, and especially sharing, but above all, you like being at sea and getting off the beaten track. Your boat will therefore be a seaworthy catamaran or trimaran, capable of facing up to the unusual conditions that only the ultimate destinations can offer you. Your proud vessel must be able to sail fast, to escape bad weather, sail to windward whilst remaining comfortable, and tackle big seas in safety and comfort. To enjoy your beautiful boat to the full, it should be at least 50' long, to allow you to sail far and fast, whilst retaining good comfort aboard.
You have a maximum number of Cs
Your creed: speed! You would love to sail far, and even round the world if you had to, but not necessarily to enjoy life in the sublime lagoons (however this remains very pleasant), but to arrive first! Cruising, ok, but at less than 20 knots, it has no meaning. You like the adrenaline speed provides and the pleasure of competition. A few (rare) production catamarans exist which could appeal to you, unless you live your dream to the full and fall for a former racing boat which has been converted without adding too much weight, for (very fast) cruising...
