The Mares 38 High Performance Powercat is advertised as a great poker run boat.  This is one of the only high performance catamarans which features a full cabin with a double bed and an enclosed head.  The cockpit area is also large, with plenty of room for entertaining and sunbathing.  The 38 foot length of the Mares 38 makes it perfect for offshore cruising.  For more information, see the Mares Powercats website.

Manta Catamarans has built custom catamarans since 1993. Located in Sarasota, Florida, Manta has been recognized by Cruising World magazine as one of the top manufacturers of sailing yachts. In 2005, Manta introduced the Manta 44 Powercat. This motor yacht is designed for long-range, fuel-efficient offshore cruising. The custom built cabin makes this is a yacht you can also live aboard. Find out the specs for the 44 Powercat on the Manta website.

With the ninth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race complete, Ericsson 4 is the winner of the round–the-world title after winning 5 of the 9 legs. A final leg and an in port race remain to be run; the results of those events will determine second place. For Ericsson 4 skipper Torben Grael, the victory was all the sweeter since he came in third skippering Brasil 1 the last time he participated in the Volvo Ocean Race. Grael is a five-time Olympic Gold Medalist and sailed with the same 11-member crew throughout the entire race.

“We are finishing Ericsson 4′s circumnavigation,” Grael said after finishing leg 9 in Stockholm in third place behind American boat PUMA and Ericsson 3. “The boat was built here and left here nearly a year ago, so she’s back after sailing around the world and winning the race. It couldn’t be any better. We have a wonderful crew with a lot of experience.”

World Cat is a top manufacturer of world class powercats for fishing and cruising. The World Cat website at www.worldcat.com lists these benefits of a power catamaran:

• Greater stability, since a powercat doesn’t pivot on a centerline the way a mono hull does.

• Allows fishing from one side without listing.

• Shallow draft allows greater access to areas unreachable by conventional hulls.

• Wider footprint facilitates navigation of rolling seas.

To see a World Cat in action in big waves, check out this video:

Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race completed on May 24. The transatlantic crossing race from Boston to Galway was won by Ericsson 4, which is the current overall leader. Next is Leg 8, starting on June 6 in Galway and finishing in Marstrand, Sweden. The entire event finishes in St. Petersburg on June 25.