ULTREIA

CATANA 431 — A SAILING CATAMARAN FOR THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF MALLORCA, FROM PORT ANDRATX The Catana 431 belongs to a line of cruising catamarans built around a simple premise: that comfort at sea and genuine sailing ability need not be traded against one another. Wide of beam and shallow of draft, she holds her line calmly as conditions shift — the kind of platform that lets guests keep a glass on the table and their attention on the coastline rather than on the motion of the yacht. A refit completed in 2023 keeps her presentation and systems current. Accommodation is arranged across two cabins, each with a double bed, for four guests. The twin-hull layout does what monohulls of comparable length cannot: it separates the sleeping quarters into their own hulls, and it opens up living space both inside and out. Saloon, cockpit and foredeck flow into one another, so a group can spread out through the day and gather again for lunch without anyone feeling they are stepping over someone else. She is based at Port Andratx, which puts the best of the island's southwest within easy reach. Isla Dragonera and the anchorages off Sant Elm make for an unhurried day; the quieter coves along the Tramuntana coastline reward those who keep going. For longer bookings, the same base opens the wider Balearics to island-hopping at a pace you set yourself. A professional skipper handles the navigation and knows these waters and their moorings well — where the swell dies down in the afternoon, which cove empties out by six. The role is practical rather than ceremonial: you sail where the day suggests, and someone competent is reading the water while you do.