Performance Sailing: Techniques for Catamarans & Multihulls
Welcome to our practical guide to high-performance multihull sailing. This page collects the on-the-water knowledge we’ve gathered from ocean crossings, Caribbean regattas, America’s Cup campaigns, and 25+ years of professional sailing. Whether you’re new to catamarans or looking to refine your trim, you’ll find video tutorials, daggerboard techniques, and real-world sail handling here.
On-the-Water Skills Library
Practical Sailing Videos
Watch as we share tips and tricks on how to sail a large catamaran on board our Catana 42, Paikea. These videos cover everything from basic trim to advanced offshore maneuvers.
Daggerboard Mastery
Daggerboards are the key to unlocking a catamaran’s upwind performance. These short videos show exactly how we configure our boards for different wind and sea conditions.
Large Multihull Handling
Performance multihulls behave differently than monohulls. This series draws from our experience delivering Gunboat 68s, racing a Chris White Atlantic 72, and managing grand-prix catamarans. Learn how apparent wind, sail trim, and hull design work together.
Our Sail Inventory: How & When We Use Them
We sail with a versatile inventory of new and recycled race sails. This table shows how we use them. For the build and recutting stories, visit the Paikea’s Refit Log
| Sail | Conditions | Wind Range | True Wind Angle | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainsail | All-round | 5–35+ kts | All points | Square-top, recut from a mini maxi 72ft race boat. |
| J1 (Jib) | Upwind / light to moderate | 0–25 kts | 30°–70° | Carbon 3DI recut from a 72ft race boat headsail. |
| Code 0 | Reaching / light air | 0–12 kts | 60°–100° | Recut from an America’s Cup spinnaker staysail. |
| Asymmetric Spinnaker (Big A) | Downwind / light to moderate | 0–10 kts | 80°–180° | Recut from an RC 44 spinnaker. Use with caution in higher winds. |
| Fractional Asymmetric (Frankie) | Downwind / moderate breeze | 10–25 kts | 80°–180° | Smaller, more manageable than Big A. |
| Storm Sail | Heavy weather / upwind | 25–45+ kts | 30°–70° | Carbon 3DI recut from a Carkeek 47. Deployed on inner forestay. |
For the complete story—including how we recut a mini maxi mainsail, engineered a Code 0 from America’s Cup cloth, and built our storm sail system—visit the Sail Inventory section in Paikea’s Refit Log
Ready for More?
This page focuses on on-the-water skills. For the tools behind the techniques—weather routing, navigation systems, and performance analysis software—visit our Navigation & Weather Tools