Patagonia Cruising

Patagonia Argentina, yesterday…

Pablo Querol from Puerto Madryn, Argentina is sailing his RC since Dec 2006. Before sailing cats, Pablo and his friend Felipe Tomassi (Pandiani´s crew in his Puerto Montt-Ilha Bela cruise in two Hobies 21) were making this type of of cruise with windsurf boards along the Patagonian coast.
This weekend Pablo made Madryn-Puerto Pirámides-Playa Unión (Rawson) without any support. Conditions down there can get pretty hard.
The cat is a modified Racecat F18 platform:
– 2,90 width beams,
– 8mts mast,
– roller furler for Jib
– roller furler for Main with a rotating boom and
– Dacron sails.
– Wings

In Puerto Madryn you have constant wind ranges from 20 to 40knots , so having a stable paltform is a must, the boat is also laminated with extra reinforcements.


He is training for a bigger cruise next year, maybe all down to Ushuaia.

Here is Pablo in managing breaking waves and strong winds a year ago.
I think wave piercing cats are doomed in this conditions, here you need that extra reserve volume up front.