Leopard 44: Two cockpits accessible from the saloon!

Catamaran builders had got us used to the idea of a forward cockpit... accessible from on deck. With the Leopard 44, a Robertson & Caine design, there is access through from inside the saloon. This new configuration left no-one indifferent, and it has since become a feature on all the yard’s models.

Robertson & Caine is a yard like no other. The largest manufacturer in South Africa, established in 1991, first produced custom-made sailboats from 36 to 70 feet before signing an exclusive partnership agreement with The Moorings - today part of same group as Sunsail. Since then, they have offered catamarans under the Leopard brand that correspond very precisely to the requirements of the charterer. Early on, the focus was on sturdiness - when you are bringing cats from Cape Town, this is a good idea! Other priorities were ease of use and optimization of maintenance operations, not to mention performance. But Leopard did not content themselves with being just "charter cats". They are also true owner’s catamarans and have brought real innovations, like the famous forward cockpit, accessible from the nacelle. Quite a story! When this famous “front door” was first presented in 2010 on the Leopard 44 (the model replaced by the 45 a year ago), competitors and skeptics of all kinds hastened to knock the idea. The risk? Taking a big wave over the bows that would explode everything... This is a fear that makes the yard managers smile. With their previous 700 catamarans equipped with a f...