Search for a 1st boat
When Quentin moved into a house 100 m from a slipway along a river in Southern Brittany, he quickly decided to buy a boat. A windsurfing enthusiast who grew up in a family that sailed sailboats, though not the most experienced, he wanted to find the right boat to take to the water when conditions didn't allow windsurfing.
Quentin explains: "The criteria were as follows: a boat that was easy to maintain, as I'm not a handyman, and one that looked good. It also had to be easy to handle on its own, but still be able to be sailed by a family of 4. On the other hand, I didn't need a cabin, as the program was for day trips. And, of course, I had to be able to park it in front of my house."
The Berny Cat
Setting himself a budget of between ?10,000 and ?20,000, he looked at the ad sites and asked around. He finally fell for the Berny Cat, but a new boat was out of his budget. He finally found a Berny Cat for sale on the Golfe du Morbihan, at 10,000 euros. Quentin explains: "The boat was in good condition, as was the trailer. The motor was also included, all for 10,000 euros. The owner was friendly and so I bought the boat."
A neo-classic dinghy
Launched in 1998 to designs by architect Jacques Fauroux, the Berny Cat is a dinghy measuring 4.85 m at the waterline and 2 m wide. Built in 60 units, production began in Ireland and is now handled by Carboboa in La Forêt Fouesnant.
It combines a fiberglass and polyester resin hull with a wooden mast and boom, as well as a carbon horn on Quentin's boat. Depending on choice and budget, carbon spars are also available.
The Berny Cat is rigged in houari, with a small headsail amurated on the bow. Teak coamings complete the neo-retro style.
Sailing solo or with the family
When choosing his boat, Quentin wondered how comfortable it would be to sail with his family. Now he's convinced: "The boat's habitability was a real pleasant surprise. We went to Groix with 4 people, two adults and two teenagers, and were really comfortable. The benches and the boat are wide. Next to that, sailing a cat-boat, just with the mainsail, it works well solo for my sailing."
Thanks to its pivoting centreboard, the Berny Cat's draft is reduced from 1 metre to 20 cm. This means it can take to the river without fear.
Quentin was also positively surprised by the performance of the dinghy and its 17.50 m2 of sail area: "The boat works in very light airs, and I can sail with little wind. I still don't use the spinnaker much, as I'm not comfortable enough."
Launches that remain complex
Weighing in at 250 kilos, the Berny Cat is a bit tricky to launch on its own," concedes its owner in conclusion: "It's still a bit heavy, and maybe I'm still lacking experience. The same goes for the mast, but nonetheless, the boat is transportable, and my goal is to be able to discover the rest of Brittany by boat, not just to launch on the river in front of my house."
