Hakuna Matata 3

After Their Atlantic Circuit, Next Comes the Pacific!

Matthieu’s first Hakuna Matata was a Windelo 50, aboard which he completed an impressive Atlantic circuit with his family. Then came HM2 — Hakuna Matata II — a Windelo 54. In a few months, number three will be launched: a Windelo 55 Sport whose program is already taking shape with plans for a new voyage — this time a circuit of the Pacific Ocean.

Hakuna Matata 3

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Published 03/07/2026

By Gilles Ruffet

Issue: SP26

Published: sept. / oct. 2026

Discover this issue

Who: Matthieu
Where: Pacific Loop
Multihull: Windelo 55 Sport
Contact: matthieu.leclercq1406@gmail.com

During our first voyage aboard the 50, we completed an Atlantic circuit as a family in 2021 and 2022, including a passage north to New York before exploring Newfoundland and then turning our bows toward Cape Farewell, at the southern tip of Greenland, and onward to Iceland. We enjoyed some exceptional cruising, well outside the usual routes (especially for a multihull) in waters where temperatures in Iceland during summer barely reach 39°F (4°C).
Before eventually returning to the Mediterranean, we also sailed to the Isle of Man, Wales, and the Isles of Scilly. Aboard this first multihull - hull number one from the Windelo yard -
there were inevitably some early challenges to overcome, particularly regarding the electric propulsion system and the interaction between the various onboard electrical systems, including the battery management system and the watermaker. Fortunately, we benefited from extremely reliable after-sales support, something especially important aboard an innovative yacht. Among the distinctive features was the forward cockpit located at the base of the mast, positioned close to the catamaran’s center of gravity. It quickly became indispensable.

After around 20,000 nautical miles aboard the first 50 Adventure, we moved on to a second catamaran from the same builder, a Windelo 54. With this boat, we sailed north to Norway before heading for Scotland and transiting the Caledonian Canal in the wake of the Loch Ness Monster. We later continued on to the Cape Verde archipelago.

The new catamaran, a Windelo 55 Sport, is due to be launched soon. Aboard the third Hakuna Matata, the program is ambitious. HM3 will first take part in the ARC, the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, between Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Beyond simply participating, the crew intends to target a top result in the rally. (This transatlantic passage aboard HM3 will be covered by Multihulls World – Ed.)

Then in the spring of 2027, the plan is to compete in the Heineken Regatta in Saint Martin before crossing into the Pacific Ocean for a three-year loop. While the first part of the itinerary follows a relatively classic route - from the Galápagos to French Polynesia and then New Zealand - the idea afterward is to return toward Panama by completing a large circuit around the North Pacific. The exact route is still under consideration, but attention is already turning toward New Caledonia and Micronesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan before continuing to the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, including Glacier Bay. From there, the logical route would continue south via the California coast and Baja California in Mexico before heading back toward the Panama Canal, re-entering the Atlantic, and eventually returning to Europe.
Perhaps some Multihulls World readers may be interested in joining part of the voyage as a flotilla?