Sailing the ULTIMATE Performance Cruising Catamarans - Our Next Boat? (Patrons, check email)

[@geoffcook2180]

I have been following Chris White and his designs for years. He seems to be a bit camera shy as there are not many interviews with him. This one is the best I have seen. Congratulations on getting 'the legend' in front of your lens and talking at length. Enjoyed it immensely. Also I think there have been 2 of the 72 ft Atlantics built and no information online about them. So kudos on getting this one on film and scoring a ride to boot. Jackpot!

[@testmalik]

Where do you find boats like these that one can restore?

[@geoffcook2180]

@@testmalik There are no Chris White yachts to restore. They are custom built so well they don't need restoring. These yachts are all EPOXY. Most others are Vinylester or worse, Polyester. The sailing channels never talk about the resins used. Epoxy is expensive and will never get osmosis. They do come up on the used market occasionally. According to Chris's web site there have only been 2 Atlantic 72's built. I would love to have one with Mast Foils!

[@Parr4theCourse]

AWESOME STORY at the end, Unbelievable . . . LOVED it, LOVED it, LOVED it!!!

[@TheOKellys]

Thank you, we agree 1000%!

[@josephc3364]

Can I come and crew with you? On your new sailboat ….

[@chadbantner3012]

Hi Clarity. We are on an 1998 Atlantic 42 built by John Lombardi Yachts out of Virginia. We are in love. We sold a Lagoon 450F and downsized to single hand the 42' with two children. Chris White really has it dialed in for the sailor and the cruiser. We feel very lucky. You two have huge smiles sailing the two designs.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

I am extremely impressed with how well thought out Chris' designs are. I'd wager that the 42 way outperforms the chunky Lagoon AND is easier to sail at the same time. Obviously it's a bit more spartan, but oddly as we get older we sometimes value simplicity and purity of sailing and life experience even more. Less is often more. And clean and simple design can be its own luxury. It's one thing to know and understand the many issues involved in successful sailing/cruising, and it's another thing to come up with brilliant solutions to most of them. Chris has done both. Sadly many/most designs do neither.

[@suhan8382]

Chris White is a man who knows what he is doing.Great catamarans 🇹🇷🫡 Greetings from Turkey

[@cliffmainor4255]

I LOVE Chris White and his sailing mind. I also appreciate the stalwart defender he was of the multihull back when they were bashed by the sailing community. His design concepts really come to life in this episode - thank you O'Kellys. Beautiful boats - and it sounds like you two are going to own one. ;-) Good for you. Looking forward to living through that transition alongside you!

[@peteracke2209]

Very very interesting to watch...especially the story and explanation at the end of what survived and how ,plus materials used..very impressive..Chris white was excellent to listen to..humble and extremely knowledgeable

[@bowlinggreenoil]

Much respect for Chris White. I'm very jealous that you got to sail with him. Good luck with your sailboat search. Thanks

[@TheOKellys]

Good guy! Really enjoyed our time with him.

[@catlanticsail]

@@pred7949 nah, Elcie is 2009 vintage. Was on her shortly after Paul bought her, lovely boat. I own a 2002 Atlantic 55 (hull 3) which is virtually indistinguishable from Leopard and the 55 is several iterations into Chris White’s forward cockpit designs. Amazing how he nailed it and has made only the most nuanced refinements even twenty-something years later.

[@dancarter482]

@@pred7949 _C.W._ Was doing this stuff back in the 80's! "Elcie" was David D.'s _first_ multihull and he copied the idea from what was popular (C.W./ IRENS - Johnstone - Gunboat) - at the time.

[@scottysscandinavia5793]

Just excellent people. There really is nothing like spending time with true experts. No hyperbole, no nonsense, just solid knowledge. Thanks again.

[@robertmunafo5039]

I cant think of another cat brand (boutique or otherwise) that would hold up as well as this one did. Heck, the boat did more than hold up, it seems like it easily handled being in some very rough conditions over 7 months with areas being submersed that were never designed to. Granted CW did spend over 6 months cleaning/refitting the boat but its so impressive how most of what you see is still original! A true testament to a very well built boat!. Love the content you guys bring, thanks!

[@davidbrunton1333]

Yes truly a wonderment what a story . . . . sustainability at a stratospheric level !

[@dal8963]

It could have been a negative thing for his design to have such a freak accident as it could be looked at as possibly a design issue or something but it became a wonderful testimony of how well it was designed to have withstood even the most unlikely of things

[@zacharydouglas7794]

Incredible build quality but I would still find it a bit spooky to be on a boat with the propensity to capsize.

[@catlanticsail]

@@zacharydouglas7794 these boats are out there being sailed. They don’t sit at the dock. The week the O’Ks filmed this there were seven CW catamarans in Georgetown. What’s scary is the extreme bit of weather that could have rolled any catamaran, or monohull for that matter. Chris’ boats are wide and robust, believe me that they’re no more likely to flip than any other cat in similar circumstances.

[@ripharwood4138]

Extraordinarily cool video featuring 2 amazing cats. I looked long and hard at Chris White cats before buying my second hand Hinckley SW 59 monohull, but I simply couldn’t afford a multi big enough to give me the interior space I needed. If money was no issue, Penmanship is a no brained dream boat. Chris White’s boats are so innovative, strong and fast. An extra treat to listen to a master designer like him talk about his design philosophy.

[@ottotimmons]

That was a terrific video! What an unexpected pleasure to see you sail with Chris White on his rescued Atlantic 57. Really great to hear his perspective on catamaran design. It would be awesome if you could do more with him. And to top it off, you gave us an excellent tour and ride-along of the new Atlantic 72! There is so much information there that I will have to rewatch it several times. Great storytelling!

[@Four_Words_And_Much_More]

This is an amazing boat with a more incredible story. I was blown away by how well the boat survived the upside down cruise north. This is an amazing story about the value of S-glass. I used a lot of it in building airplanes at Boeing. Kevlar is another high quality fiber and the ability to design great things is not all about the high ultimate strength of carbon. One more time, Balance is the idea. I call it one of the oxygen of living ideas. Oxygen has such wide application to so many things in life. The Balance evident in the design of this boat is a great example. TY for sharing a great story.

[@leonply]

That semi-centered cockpit is the best! Isn't it wonderful when you're moving like a scalded cat and you KNOW that you're in complete control of absolutely everything? That "King/Queen of the World" feeling is incomparable, regardless of a little bit of water splashing here and there. The story of this boat is one of those tales for the ages, and I'm thinking that you just might have been bitten by the speed bug. Thank you for sharing!

[@TheOKellys]

It is true. There is only one cure.

[@SailingBlownAway]

I love how happy and excited you both are riding on Chris' boat and then on the dream machine! WOW! The story of the boat floating upside for 7 months and not requiring a complete overhaul of cabinetry, etc. is astonishing. Clearly, this is a well made boat and I had no idea about the different classes of fiberglass. I hope one of these beauts is in your future. Beautifully documented!

[@RobertFullStop]

I've watched this video countless times... I wish there were a part II series to this. Awesome edit and choice of music too!

[@edgarmuller6652]

Makes so much sense to have the cockpit right after the mast where you can see everything. Thanks for the episode.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

And it's also an extremely logical place to centrally run all the lines. Arguably even better than monohulls too.

[@AndrewMoizer]

Great episode. I've been a fan of Atlantic catamarans since the first A47 came out. I was lucky enough to visit Chris while he was designing the A42 and it immediately became my dream/goal boat. I had an A42 drawing on the wall in front of my desk at the office as a vision statement. Unfortunately events didn't pan out so I was never able to get one (one case in my life where with 20-20 hindsight I would make some different decisions). The layout just makes sense. It seems most people who criticize it have never sailed on one. This video really brings home just how well the layout works, and what great boats they are. We drove down to Annapolis to look at an A42 9 years ago and as soon as we went aboard it felt "right". Susan felt immediately safe and confident. Thanks for sharing this. I remember Chris saying that the A42 was originally meant to be a low cost/simple A47. For instance, it originally had keels and no boards. But people couldn't resist wanting all the bells so it ended up drifting away from that simplicity. After following a number of people off sailing over the years, my current dream boat would want to get back to that simplicity wherever possible. As Chris says you have to keep things light, and that really comes down to stuff (or lack of it). It's one reason he's drifted towards bigger boats he said, because for the stuff that people want that's the size you need to carry it. I'd want to do a real value engineering job on everything that went into the boat. I think it was Colin Chapman who said "when in doubt, add lightness". I'll be really interested where you end up boat wise.

[@TheOKellys]

Yes, most cruisers end up trying for simplicity with later boats. Us included. A Chris White for us would be a dream machine. You never know!

[@AndrewMoizer]

@@TheOKellys I'll be really interested where you end up. It would be super interesting if you went through the exercise of 'what you currently have' vs. 'what you'd keep' in a simplified boat. You've got the real world experience. It's a tough exercise (at least for me), as there's so many 'what if' type scenarios that creep in. One great quote that came up in an interview I was listening to decades ago (that was getting a bit boring and I was about to switch off) was "measure how rich you are not by how much you have, but by how little you need". It's a perspective that has been front and centre for me ever since. I think there's a lot that can be done to eliminate needs (e.g. electric solar cooking so you wouldn't need propane is one that comes to mind. Obviously having a great sailing boat means you don't need to motor.)

[@Aquaholic3-MarcRobic]

Really great episode. What a wealth of sound logical knowledge from Mr. White.

[@simonhantler8062]

forward cockpit has always made sense, better vision, everythings there incl anchor controls and its a cool place to hang out in the tropical breeze. add an inside helm and why would you have anything else??

[@steveo9408]

He said it best himself (CW)…”it’s pretty amazing.” Thank you SO much for sharing and keeping all of our dreams alive!

[@elliotcurry2284]

Great video, thank you for all the effort you put into these, it shows. This had me glued start to finish, but I especially enjoyed learning of E and S glass and the drawbacks around carbon fibers conductivity property. Matching wind speed at 15 knots in total comfort... I mean, what's not to love.

[@danmallery9142]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this episode!!! Atlantics are the "halo" boat for me. The 42, 48 and 57 have always had me drooling. I had not seen the 72 in this detail before. Absolutely phenomenal. The one slight downside about the other CW boats I have seen is they are just a bit too utilitarian. That 72 was luxurious and comfortable looking. I also like the Kinetics boat you showed. It is amazing as well. Funny, because the first time I saw one, I thought, wow, that looks like an Atlantic! 😃Of course, what made this episode special was hearing Chris speak. You did an incredible job just letting him tell the stories and teach us all about his boats. I think your journalistic background really helped you balance the interview. I never will be able to afford one, but to see it and hear about it and see the performance just makes me love and appreciate his boats even more! Thanks again!

[@TheOKellys]

Thanks Dan. All credit goes to Chris. Amazing boats.

[@williamfennell8175]

I know everyone else is absolutely gobsmacked with this video. And I couldn’t resist adding a plus 1 for myself. …awesome episode! Best to all.

[@fernandosousa4657]

i SKIPPERED ONE OF HIS BEST CREATIONS. THE HAMMERHEAD 54 "AVALANCHE" FROM LA PAZ TO CULEBRA BAY IN COSTA RICA. YEAH...THE MAN IS A GENIUS.

[@deniseterrell2515]

I love this video so much I had to rewatch it a few times. Chris White, just WOW! I missed this episode… now I know why you want to sell Clarity. What a brilliant man. “Leopard” is such a beautiful boat!

[@ricksusanosterlund2901]

Great story about the recovery of Leopard. We saw Ashley (two masts, two Jibs) in Bimini and talked to the owner about his boat and the design. Talk about thinking outside the box. Chris White, would love to sit down and talk! Thanks Clarity for a great video!

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

SO LUCKY to get to see multiple Atlantics, meet Chris and Katie, etc. Chris' designs are so thoughtful and were so different when they came out that they're almost revolutionary in an otherwise evolutionary space. I am so impressed with his designs. And of course he inspired Peter Johnstone's Gunboats and their descendants like HH. The forward cockpit is actually very logical and safe and relatively dry, plus there's an inside helm for really bad weather. The MasterVolt battery is Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry, which is highly unlikely to catch on fire. The jib boom is unconventional, but the sail shape looks great. Not too different from poling out, but much more convenient and adjustable.

[@DD-xx8wh]

what a great sailing experience episode and video editing/tech! It's obvious (constant smiles!) you guys were wowed! ... us too - I hope there's more follow up especially designer's thoughts, sailing characteristics, innovative design aspects and your detailed practical comments relative to your Clarity and other SV experiences. I know you were invited aboard but maybe a dedicated walk thru's episode even?!

[@N0body247]

You guys got to sit and sail with a legend.... Someone pinch me. Jesus the knowledge of that man and his designs.. That story blew my mind. I didnt even know they made s glass.... wow. What knowledge.

[@deewight9040]

I am refitting my 15 yo 80' cat TopKat from day charter to private use.. His cat's simplicity and ruggedness have been inspirational...

[@landonhillyard]

I really like the direction you guys are going. Thank you for staying humble and living a life we could possibly achieve.

[@misterad4782]

I was fortunate to sail on "Cerulean" (A57) down in the Grenadines. Best sail of my life. Great video.

[@careylogan7639]

Of all the Chris White designs I have seen and read about, the Hammerhead 54 is my favorite. a no frills rocket ship.

[@Boody523]

Fascinated by the boat design, the strength, and especially the speed. How it stood up to the capsizing is amazing. But at the same time, it seemed like it didn't take much to flip it, especially with a reef in. That is wild.

[@TheOKellys]

A tornado on the water….that will flip a lot of boats.

[@johnkeegan6646]

What a boat! We know an expert when we see him, or her! I can see you two on the shorter of the two boats! Perfect fit! 300+ miles per day in a sailing vessel - say what?!

[@TheOKellys]

Thank you so much John, we agree, Chris White is the real deal!

[@dadthegrappler4125]

Wow! Always an absolutely top notch production. I'm impressed with how you come up with such interesting new ideas and new storylines every week. Well done!

[@TheOKellys]

Thanks. It’s a lot of work but so rewarding.

[@kevio6868]

@@TheOKellys Journalist background is my guess?

[@cigarmann]

Have always loved CW boats. He clearly thinks outside the box, pure genius.

[@janneville7765]

What a great story from Chris White. A testament to his design and engineering.

[@thomasnorman7016]

This is what I love most about your channel! This kind of content is simply amazing. So much good information, and explained with such (dare I say) "Clarity"!

[@ogrehunter8614]

What a great video. Was in LO recently and couldn’t help but think about you guys. Keep it right side up.

[@robertlemoine3500]

That was a tremendous story , Thankyou Megan and Nick ,love the program.

[@leifraaen1770]

I could have watched a 2hr documentary on that boat.

[@TheOKellys]

Me too. We’ve got about ten hours of footage….so….possibly. Lol

[@AndrewMoizer]

@@TheOKellys Do it!! Please. When time allows.

[@meadmaker4525]

Would've loved to see mastfoils on that 72. Makes me wonder if the performance would've been any different or about the same. Certainly wasn't a slouch with her current rig doing wind speed, though.

[@paulakin7779]

I helped Art Piver build his Trimarans many many years ago in the fiberglass over marine plywood designs. . In comparison to this, Art would be proud of the accomplishment in design and function. I am very impressed and wish I could afford this beautiful yacht. Thanks for sharing.

[@JB-xi2yv]

Think I'm in love. You were able to talk to the man who designed some of the most exceptional boats ever, green with envy. Great show. Keep it up! I know I've an eye for a similar boat. Never knew that about the fiberglass vs. Carbon. I would love to just crew and listen to this man's wisdom.

[@stephanhaase8731]

CW - a legend. Brilliant design and involvement with the shipyards.

[@perryhaddix407]

Very informative! I especially appreciated the information on the differences of carbon fiber and S Class. A very helpful episode.

[@AORD72]

More please. The engineering details are very interesting.

[@timmitchell8784]

Absolutely amazing!!! Thanks guys you knocked it outa the park again. Awesome video.

[@idlidiblack1352]

Please bring more features about Chris White's boats! Also more interviews with him! I like his quality standard! He and his boats are absolutely amazing!!!!

[@jodymooney255]

What an amazing boat and story! Well done and thank you for taking us along!

[@troybabs]

Wow. Incredible story! Great episode Nick & Megan. Cheers from Nova Scotia.

[@davidgshore]

Thanks!

[@jaymacpherson8167]

Wonderful, in the very meaning of the word. Every aspect of this video, the craft, the story…wonderful. I’m even watching the Patreon list!

[@-bnqe-3119]

Chris White the LEGEND !!! Thank you O'Kelly's ... What an amazing Story with a Happy Ending ...

[@jamesboulton2722]

I have been looking at Chris white designs, they seem to click with me (I’m an engineer). I am intrigued with his Atlantic47 mastfoil, which I think would be my dream boat.

[@RogerWilco1]

There were about 12 Mastfoils built, the last ones were 49 feet, FYI.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

Chris' designs are so well thought out and well-suited to cruising/sailing. The Mastfoil is indeed interesting. Chris has some KZbin videos about it, if you haven't seen them already, of course in addition to his web site, reviews, etc.

[@malibuchakra]

Wow, what a privilege to have seen this video. I am in awe. Thank you for sharing. I am so in love with the sailing community. So much knowledge and good will. You are setting the bar very high. How can one not copy some of the design features. Brilliant is brilliant. 🌸🙏🏻🌸

[@sgoverno1352]

What an incredible story! Thanks for documenting this.

[@jvphelan1]

Loved listening to Chris White

[@rice0009]

WOW! Quite the testimonial to how well that boat was constructed. I do woodworking as a hobby, and I'm going to look into the Nomex Honeycomb Core material for making large panels!

[@SGudur]

Trust me O'Kelly's!! I am obsessed with this boat... Wow is the the only word that I say... Watching the Ep again...

[@soloflight75]

I am going to enjoy all the different reviews you are going to do. I really like the speed vs comfort graphics. I have been hunting myself and all the information like this really helps. Kudos. 👏

[@dukedirtywork620]

I'm 3 minutes in an all I can say is brilliant, this is even better than the gunboat setup IMO.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

Peter Johnstone was inspired by Chris' designs. I actually like Chris' cockpit better than Gunboat too. The Gunboat is a bit simpler and leaner. Chris' is a bit safer and more practical.

[@fekkim1]

Great episode and storytelling! Chris is amazing.

[@laughingReed]

Thank you for the vid. CW designs are amazing (and nor enough recognized in Europe)

[@redneckman454]

very informative as always, seems more tubers are talking about performance/safety now than creature comforts. That is what we need more of, THANK YOU!

[@andrewbaillie6291]

Chris White designed a dream boat. Can't think of a better layout for a boat.

[@yachticus]

that jib boom is something else - a really clever piece of kit.

[@wolfchild66]

Ok im a convert, the extra cost of sGlass is well worth it in the long run in my book. Jeese for that boat to not only survive but remain water tight after the event is nothing short of amazing. Why do we use carbon and eGlass???. As always a fun and informative video, thanks to all involved

[@gavinwehlburg8084]

Super interesting and a life time of knowledge. Would loved to have seen more and the why build / designed this way. Thank you so much. Kind regards Gavin

[@AORD72]

Amazing boats. Very interesting hearing the logic of the systems on performance cats.

[@SGudur]

Is there a way on YT to tell that you double like the Ep? Penmanship!! What a boat he has built!! Windows in place even after all that impact she has taken? I watched Sailing Dauntless rebuild their boat from scratch.. But, that was hell of a job!! Yes, surely this is no DIY project for even engineers with no focus!! Loved both boats.. I think, I will watch it again! I just introduced the sailing community to a kid..

[@sumobear2031]

oNE OF THE BEST VIDEO'S I'VE SEEN FOR A WHILE. STUNNING RANGE OF CATS, DESIGNED BY A MASTER OF HIS TRADE

[@LifeBetweenTheDash]

Learned so much and had so much fun doing so. Wow! What a sail.

[@kaywarren6788]

Wow, great info on types of glass. I knew carbon fiber could be brittle, but I didn't know all the bolts had to be isolated. Wild.

[@jeffreystaley5266]

Excellent video. Chris is an amazing designer. Really like these boats.

[@enigmity]

Thanks

[@TheOKellys]

Hey thank you!

[@RiverWoods111]

OMG! That was the most amazing story at the end. Those are cool boats!

[@TheOKellys]

Right?!

[@nonyayet1379]

i am glad to see ya'll getting that girl. I was eyeballing them hard (wishful thinking...). I'm sure i'm not the only one thats curious about how solid and sleek they really are. he is, like a few others, an amazing designer/builder. In the end i bought a cheap mono . when i'm done with the upgrades, i figure ya'll might get to humiliate me in a race :) I have a small list of youtubers that I have learned from. I finalized my dream back in 2012. it took a long minute.... in that time I have digested every good video i could find., being from the power world, (mostly) i figure i owe ya'll (certain youtubers that provided solid and reliable content, including ya'll a on the deck handshake and sincere thank you.

[@TheOKellys]

Well thank you. Glad you got a ride! Hope we see ya out there one day.

[@tn9753]

This was a very interesting and wonderful video that introduced a new design to me . Thanks.

[@rustie4242]

These are true blue water cruising cats.... I have very fond memories of sailing Bass Strait at 20 knots on a CW 48 called Peccadillo. Incredible boats.

[@WOWOKWOWOK]

That was terrific. Great job. That is what sailors want to see!

[@zackworrell]

I like the extensive use of wood trims, something missing on most catamarans

[@helicart]

That's a stunning story about the waterspout flipping the cat.....and then restoring it! Very interesting video. Thanks

[@ZoneTelevision]

Chris Whites are brilliant. Wow you actually got to meet a legend. Cheers.

[@cahtx8607]

That was a great video. That story at the end was crazy. Amazing boat.

[@MFeezor]

Amazing! Thanks for capturing the genius that is Chris White.

[@keysersmoze]

Great episode. Good to hear interesting stories and real experts.

[@AndrewMoizer]

Just watched this again, especially in light of recent and current events. When I watched this before I got a bit of a sense that an 'ah ha' moment had happened. Now 6 months later, it all makes sense. Sure hope things work out for you guys, and was also reminded that you said you had a whole pile more Chris White material. Sure hope you get/find/make the time to make it available to us all.

[@davidgshore]

Thank you soooo much for this extremely entertaining and informative video. One of the very best I've watched and I spend far too much time watching many of these performance catamaran videos

[@TheOKellys]

Well thank you and thank you!

[@barbapapa4520]

J'adore le concept de ce catamaran.👏👍

[@s.v.naniola3170]

amazing story and a testament to the fine build

[@talush41]

My favourite, not mentioned here, is by far "Sailing Yacht Florence". I have learned a lot about sailing from them and I have learned a lot about the cultures they visit. A One sailing channel.

[@richardstubbs6484]

Epic video ! That story about a "funnel" coming down on the boat is really scary, but obviously extremely rare ,like a mini tornado. How unlucky. Even if they didn't have any sails up it probably would have flipped the boat ....

[@viddywatchin]

another very intriguing video! y’all have great content, i must say. my only gripe is that i hate wanting something this bad that i know i’ll never have (not your fault)

[@gregorymcgrath9236]

Amazing! I love the history of that boat! Thank you.

[@thewedword]

Wow...great episode, wonderful talk with a real legend, he knows his stuff for sure. Loved listening to everything he had to say, kudos 👏👏 priceless interview! Thx for sharing.

[@TheOKellys]

May need another side episode with more of Chris!

[@thewedword]

Absolutely! So much knowledge! Value added episode! The way he talked about weight and sail plan, the materials and compositions...omg...geeking out for real! Loved it

[@SailSurfROAM]

Awesome video! So little Chris White content on KZbin. You guys got to sail a A57 and an A72 with the man himself 😎 there is no coming back from there.

[@TheOKellys]

Nope. We are ruined. Awesome boats.

[@labattomy]

Happy St. Patricks Day! Wonderful video and wonderful ship. It makes sense. We are looking foward to taking our ASA course in mid April for bareboat and catamaran chartering in the Exumas. Getting excited. Just bought your book ‘Get Her Onboard’! I am slightly in that situation as it has been my dream, yet she signed us up for the course without my input. How about that?? We live and sail on Lake Ontario and are looking forward to ocean sailing. Cheers, Dan

[@TheOKellys]

You’re in good shape. Instruction a great idea to instill confidence for everyone. The view around here not bad either…

[@racer193wr]

Beautiful boat with a great story... was there any documentation of the refresh of the boat??