A catamaran for three weeks
The home that sails to the Canaries
A 2023 Bali Catspace: four cabins with showers, saloon and cockpit as one space, a flybridge on top. There are seven of us — and a berth for you.
Layout
Two hulls with the saloon and galley between them. Each hull has two cabins and two heads; up top is the flybridge with the helm station.
Specifications
- Model
- Bali Catspace — Catana Group, France. Launched in 2023
- Length
- 12.33 m (40 ft)
- Beam
- 6.59 m (22 ft) — almost square
- Draught
- 1.10 m — we can anchor almost up to the beach
- Displacement
- 9.2 t light
- Sails
- mainsail 49 m² (full batten), self-tacking jib 30 m²
- Engines
- 2 × 40 hp — 10 hp more than the factory standard
- Fuel
- 700 L according to the charter listing, 400 L according to the builder — we’ll check at handover. Plus four 20 L jerrycans from the base, and possibly our own
- Water
- 400 L according to the listing, 700 L according to the builder — plus a watermaker, so water is not a limit
- Berths
- 8 + 2: four double cabins and the saloon sofa
- Heads
- 4 — a shower and an electric toilet in every cabin, plus a stern shower
- Electrics
- generator, 220 V inverter, air conditioning
- Connectivity
- Starlink Mini on board: Roam Unlimited within 12 miles of the coast, pay-per-gigabyte beyond
The boat in photos
Tap a photo to open it large, then browse with the arrow keys. Photos: the boat’s listing at Charterbar Yachting / Sailme Charter
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“navégame” from the air — mainsail and self-tacking jib -
The stern at the pontoon in Ibiza, her name on the hull -
The bow: a solid deck instead of a trampoline -
The bow lounge -
The forward cockpit: table and sunbeds -
Sunbeds on the bow -
The flybridge under the boom — a second lounge up top -
The flybridge: sofas and sunbeds -
The aft sofa under the hardtop -
The stern: sofa and the dinghy on davits -
The saloon, looking forward to the galley -
The chart table -
The dining table: saloon and cockpit are one space -
The saloon sofa -
Three gas burners and the Nespresso -
The hob and chopping boards -
Fridge and freezer -
Crockery for eight -
The sink and the cutlery drawer -
Galley cupboards -
Microwave and plates -
A cabin: double bed -
A cabin with a small sofa and hull windows -
The head: shower, basin, electric toilet
What’s on board
Deck
- plancha grill in the cockpit
- cockpit table
- stern shower
- dinghy with outboard
- sunbeds on the bow and flybridge
Galley
- gas hob, 3 burners
- oven
- microwave
- fridge
- freezer
- Nespresso
Inside
- convertible saloon table
- air conditioning
- 220 V inverter
- bed linen and towels provided
Six legs under sail
Bar length is the leg’s miles. Next to it: hours underway and average speed. Dark bars are passages with a night at sea.
-
Ibiza → Cartagena
159 nm
-
Cartagena → Gibraltar
259 nm
-
Gibraltar → Cádiz
75 nm
-
Cádiz → Lanzarote
610 nm
-
Lanzarote → Gran Canaria
138 nm
-
Gran Canaria → Tenerife
51 nm
How much of the time we’re moving
225hours underway out of 480
The rest of the time the boat is in a marina or at anchor: towns, beaches, provisioning, sleep without motion.
21 nights on board
- 17.10 — by the shore
- 18.10 — at sea
- 19.10 — by the shore
- 20.10 — by the shore
- 21.10 — at sea
- 22.10 — at sea
- 23.10 — by the shore
- 24.10 — by the shore
- 25.10 — by the shore
- 26.10 — at sea
- 27.10 — at sea
- 28.10 — at sea
- 29.10 — at sea
- 30.10 — at sea
- 31.10 — by the shore
- 01.11 — by the shore
- 02.11 — at sea
- 03.11 — by the shore
- 04.11 — by the shore
- 05.11 — by the shore
- 06.11 — by the shore
- 12 by the shore — in a marina or at anchor
- 9 at sea — with watches
Life on board
Three weeks in “home on the water” mode: a passage by day, a marina or a bay in the evening, dinner on board or in town. And five days in the middle of the ocean, where the day is split into watches, sleep and meals.
Crew and watches
There are seven of us: Ivan and Masha, Sasha — a skipper with ocean delivery experience, Vladimir (from Gibraltar), Katya and Egor (from the Canaries) and Robert. Five days on the ocean need 5–6 people so that watches don’t eat all your sleep. Two nights along the coast and five on the ocean — watches of 2–3 hours at the helm, then rest; the other legs are sailed by day with nights in marinas.
Internet and work
The Starlink Mini is already on board: unlimited within 12 miles of the coast, pay-per-gigabyte further out on the ocean. It handles Zoom calls and work messengers; along the coast 4G is the backup. A realistic norm is 5–6 hours of work on coastal days and 3–4 on the ocean, if you feel like it. The skipper is honest about it: there are days on the ocean when you’re not yourself and no Starlink will help.
Motion
A catamaran doesn’t heel, a glass stays put on the table. In the Med and between the islands the waves are short; on the ocean the swell is long and following. If in doubt — seasickness tablets for the first day, after that your body adapts.
Water, power, showers
The watermaker turns seawater into fresh water, so a short shower every day is normal, not a luxury. The generator and inverter supply 220 V for laptops and chargers; the air conditioning runs off the generator in the marina and at anchor.
Food
We cook ourselves, taking turns: three gas burners, an oven, a microwave, a big fridge and freezer, a grill in the cockpit, Nespresso. For the ocean we provision in Gibraltar for five days ahead plus a reserve.
Cabins
Four double cabins, each with its own shower and toilet. The forward ones have a bed across the hull, the aft ones lengthwise. Linen and towels are provided. Wardrobe space is small: a soft bag instead of a suitcase.
Weather in late October
Mediterranean: water 21–23 °C, air 18–25. Canaries: water 22–23, air 22–26. Nights on the ocean are cool and damp — a warm layer and a waterproof jacket are a must. The daytime sun is harsh: SPF 50 and a cap with a strap.
What to bring
A soft bag. Shoes with non-marking light soles. A head torch with red light for night watches. Gloves. A warm jumper and a beanie. Swimwear, a snorkelling mask. No laundry for three weeks — merino clothing is a lifesaver. Downloaded films: on the ocean the internet is for work only.
A day at sea
Day legs have no watch rota: everyone is on deck or working in the saloon, and the night is spent in a marina. On the four overnight passages — Ibiza → Cartagena, Cartagena → Gibraltar (two days non-stop), five days of ocean and Lanzarote → Gran Canaria, 9 nights at sea in total — watches rotate, 2–3 hours each; on the first night, in pairs. The skipper doesn’t stand a scheduled watch — he backs everyone up and sleeps in snatches, which is why an extra crew member matters to him more than to anyone.
- Watchkeeper 1 20:00–22:00, 06:00–08:00
- Watchkeeper 2 22:00–00:00, 08:00–11:00
- Watchkeeper 3 00:00–02:00, 11:00–14:00
- Watchkeeper 4 02:00–04:00, 14:00–17:00
- Watchkeeper 5 04:00–06:00, 17:00–20:00
Starlink
12 miles from the coast
The Starlink Mini is already on board. The Roam Unlimited plan is unlimited within 12 miles of the coast; beyond that we switch on Ocean Mode and data is billed per gigabyte.
- Ibiza → Cartagena 159 nm beyond 12 miles — per gigabyte
- Cartagena → Gibraltar 259 nm within 12 miles of the coast — unlimited
- Gibraltar → Cádiz 75 nm within 12 miles of the coast — unlimited
- Cádiz → Lanzarote 610 nm beyond 12 miles — per gigabyte
- Lanzarote → Gran Canaria 138 nm beyond 12 miles — per gigabyte
- Gran Canaria → Tenerife 51 nm partly beyond 12 miles
We switch Ocean Mode on only when needed — above all on the Atlantic — and off again right away; along the coast 4G is the backup.