20 years ago, Magic Cat was launched at MULTIPLAST

____________________________________________________________________

Magic Cat

Last weekend, in the Gulf of St Tropez, Frédérique and Jean-Marc Leygue (the current owners) and Bruno Mabire (the skipper) celebrated the 20th anniversary of Magic Cat . It was a blast !

Flash Back

Summer '96... After 15 months of design and construction, Multiplast unveiled an iconic catamaran called Magic Cat.

This catamaran was launched in Vannes under the supervision of Gilles Ollier and his small team of 25 colleagues. The 25 m cruising cat had been ordered by two brothers with the same passion for sailing. They were looking not only for top performance, but for the finest quality in terms of the build, the boat's functions and in the way its systems were to be optimized.

Magic Cat certainly didn't lack of innovation: Hulls from vaccum-pressed sandwich carbon, mast in high modulus carbon, kevlar shrouds, an "avant-garde" beam configuration and the intensive use of titanium instead of stainless steel. Futhermore, and this a rare thing on a cruising catamaran in those days, Magic Cat had and has two dagger boards, giving good up-wind performance.

Magic Cat's DNA can be found in Commodore Explorer, the first boat to win the Jules Verne Trophy three years earlier in 1993, with Bruno Peyron. The cruising cat used the same construction material, rigging design, mast mold and dagger board, but most importantly it was designed and built by a team of purists driven by quality. To quote Gilles Ollier : "We can only be proud, because in '95, it was a bold thing to do."

In 2009, after two trips around the world, the boat was sold to Mr and Mrs Leygue. After a thorough check, a makeover of the interior and a new crew, she was ready again for several months of cruising. Destination : The Antilles, the Polynesia through Panama, and then back to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, with stops at Corsica, Sardinia, Croatia, Greece and Turkey.

Fast forward 20 years ...

The main participants in this adventure - the owners, Dominique Dubois, CEO of Groupe Carboman, Yann Penfornis, the naval architect by Gilles Ollier's side, as well as the previous crew members - were welcomed by Bruno Mabire and his crew to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Magic Cat. It was a day full of emotion.

While waiting for the wind to build up, a fantastic lunch was served at the mooring area facing Pampelonne Beach. Then, Bruno and Gwen set up the sails for a three hour return trip where 20 knots were achieved entering the St Tropez bay.

A delicious gourmet dinner was served to beautifully end a day marked with interesting encounters. Frédérique and Jean-Marc Leygue were clearly delighted to share the life that Magic Cat can offer.

Magic cat navigation