I duly broke my post-operative duck last Friday when I gave the Mahe 36 catamaran a run out in the Solent. The stability of a cat was a good reintroduction to basically unstable platforms and, with a Force 6 blowing I was glad of the sense of security it gave me.

The Mahe is, in my view, an important design, not just for Fountaine Pajot but for the cruising cat market in general. The fact that the company is building and selling one every four days at the moment rather reinforces my thoughts.

Not since the Prout Snowgoose has there really been a mainstream cruising cat of this size aimed at the family sailor. FP expect this model to be as successful with private owners as with charterers. We gave her a searching examination in a bouncy conditions and a full report will appear in YM shortly. In short, though, she was not as fast as my Dazcat 10 but she has a whole lot more space and comfort.