Key takeaways
- A catamaran's width is what keeps it level in swell, so you can walk around the deck rather than bracing against the motion.
- Trampoline nets at the bow, a shaded cockpit amidships and a saloon with proper seating, so you can move as the sun does.
- Onboard bathrooms are among the listed inclusions, which is not something every three-hour boat trip can say.
- Guests describe groups of around twenty to twenty-five, which is small enough that everybody gets to the rail.
What the second hull is actually for
A monohull boat resists rolling by being deep and heavy. A catamaran resists it by being wide. Two slender hulls set well apart mean that tipping the boat requires lifting one of them clear of the water, and the sea has to work considerably harder to do that than it does to rock a single keel from side to side.
The practical result is a deck that stays roughly level. On the Atlantic south of Madeira, where there is almost always some swell running even in fine weather, that difference is not subtle. You can put a drink down. You can walk from the stern to the bow while the boat is moving. People who are nervous about boats generally find a catamaran the easiest kind to be on.
The trampoline nets
Between the two bows, where a monohull would have a foredeck, a catamaran has netting stretched across the gap. It takes a moment to trust it and then it becomes the most popular place on the boat. You lie on it, the sea passes directly underneath you through the mesh, and when dolphins come to ride the bow wave they are a couple of metres below your face.
It is worth knowing that the nets get spray. On a calm day almost none; when the boat is moving into any sort of chop, enough to be refreshing rather than a problem. If you want to stay entirely dry, the cockpit is the answer, and it is only a few steps back.
Shade, which matters more than you think
Madeira sits at the latitude of Morocco and the summer sun over open water is stronger than it feels, because the sea breeze keeps taking the heat off your skin while the ultraviolet carries on regardless. Three hours is long enough to burn badly if you spend all of it on the nets.
The boat solves this by giving you options rather than forcing one. The cockpit is permanently shaded by the bimini above it and has cushioned seating. The saloon is indoors, out of the wind, with windows on all sides so you are not cut off from what is happening. Most people rotate through all three positions over the trip, and that is the intended use.
The catamaran under sail off the Madeiran coast
The saloon and the practical bits
Inside there is a proper saloon: a table, bench seating around it, a galley and large windows. It is a comfortable place to sit if the sun becomes too much, and it is where people tend to end up on a day with more cloud than usual.
Onboard bathrooms are listed among the inclusions, which is worth stating plainly because it is a real consideration on a three-hour trip and many smaller boats have nothing. There is also a bar, where you can buy soft drinks, still and sparkling water, beer and white, red or Madeira wine. Drinks are not part of the ticket, so bring a card if you want one.
Getting in and out of the water
At the swim stop the boat anchors and a ladder goes down at the stern. That is the only way in and out, and it is the reason the operator states plainly that the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users. Getting up a boarding ladder out of open water takes ordinary arm and leg strength.
For anyone comfortable with that, it is straightforward: down the ladder, into deep clear water, and back up the same way when you have had enough. The crew are at the stern the whole time the swim stop is running. Nobody is required to get in, and the deck is a perfectly good place to spend that half hour instead.
How many people are on board
Small enough to matter, and this comes up in review after review. One guest describes a group of twenty to twenty-five and specifically contrasts it with boats where a hundred people are packed in. Another mentions that the catamaran was not too big and not crowded as one of the reasons the trip worked.
The consequence is practical rather than atmospheric. On a small boat, when dolphins appear on the port side, everybody who wants to see them can get to the port side. There is no scrum and no queue for the rail, and the crew can actually answer individual questions rather than broadcasting at a crowd.
Sailing, or motoring
The boat is a sailing catamaran with a full rig, and when the wind is right the sails go up, which is a quieter and considerably more pleasant way to move than under engine. Whether that happens on your particular afternoon depends entirely on the wind, and around Madeira the wind is famously local: a cliff can shadow it completely.
It is worth setting expectations honestly. This is a wildlife and swimming trip that sails when conditions allow, not a sailing lesson. If the wind is absent or wrong the boat motors, which also happens to be the more reliable way to hold position near a pod of dolphins.
