Things like this don’t happen. This is just a nightmare, right?

On July 2, I was scrolling through Facebook while waiting for a doctor’s appointment. What did I see?

FIRE UNDERWAY AT THE CATANA SHIPYARD

I watched the video several times.  My mind tried to rationalize that this was just an over-dramatization of a small fire, not a big deal.  But the more I watched, the more real it became. It was posted by a boat broker that is located across the river from the Catana shipyard in Canet en Roussillon in the South of France.  We had been there – we knew the lay of the land.  This was real.  

I called Stephen, but no answer.

I called our contact at the Catana broker, Catamaran Guru, in Florida.  “Steele, what’s going on in France?  Is Catana factory on fire?  Where is our boat?  Please tell me our boat is in the water and won’t be impacted.”  Steele did not have good news.  This was real.  Our boat was in the assembly building, getting Copper Coat applied.

Our boat was likely destroyed.  It was too soon to know any exact details.  The team in France was scrambling to save what they could. But they were told to evacuate by the Fire fighters.

The next picture I saw was a beautiful Catana OC50-2 fully engulfed in flames in front of the assembly building.  From what we had learned during our visit, usually the boats outside the building were getting their masts on stepped in preparation for the water launch.  Was this our boat? 

I google searched for more pictures to learn more.  Gradually, as the news trickled in, our cold hard reality emerged.  Our Catana OC50-2, which we were due to pick up mid July was gone.   Our dreams gone.  Our sailing plans changed.  Our life plans changed.  We had spent months researching the best performance catamaran to carry us around the world.  We had taken the risk of investing in a brand new boat, customized to our exact specifications.  We spent months optimizing the boat specifications for our needs.  Everything changed in that one moment. 

How did this happen?  Most would assume that the fire started inside the Catana building, but they would be wrong. 

Behind the Catana complex, is the Le Tet River, a campground, cabins and agricultural fields.  Someone had been cooking over an open fire, when the high winds and extremely dry conditions caught the surrounding brush and woods on fire.  They thought it would stop at the river – a natural barrier for fires.  The Catana team was aware of the situation.  The firefighters were engaged.  Everyone thought the fire was under control.  Catana personnel went out for lunch and when they returned, they were evacuated immediately.  The fire had jumped the river. 

Our future boat was in the Catana building getting the Coppercoat applied.  She was almost ready.  Catana was going to deliver our new boat 100% on schedule. She was beautiful.  Lean mean sailing machine on the outside combined with comfort and convenience on the inside for our liveaboard lifestyle.  She would have all the latest and greatest tech – a 48V electrical system with Integrel chargers, high capacity watermaker, redundant auto pilot and so many more features.  She would carry Stephen and I across the Atlantic and across the Pacific for the next 3-4 years.  A boat becomes part of you.  To lose your boat, 2 weeks before delivery was just unthinkable.  But here we were.

What Happened Next? After the Fire that Destroyed our Future

For the next 2 months, we waited in anguish as Catana Group went through the necessary steps for insurance claims and deciding how to handle the boats that were destroyed (we think it was 7), as well as how and when to restart production.  As with any new boat purchase, we had made significant progress payments, which only made the waiting worse.  More pictures came in of the fire after math.

We had numerous conversations with Catana to try and ease our distress. And then, finally, on August 28, we received the official letter offering either our money back or to wait for a new boat to be built in the future – timeline undefined but not before 2028 Q1.  We now had a decision to make.  Through it all, Catana handled the matter most professionally even in the midst of their own turmoil. Catana did the right thing. So, how long could we wait for our dream boat?  Our age being a key factor,  we decided to take the refund and then begin our search again – this time for an existing used performance catamaran. 

Boats We Are Considering – Please Help Find Our New Boat

We are on the hunt for one of several boats.

1. HH50
2. HH52
3. Balance 526

We would like to ask for your help.  Besides the ones that are already listed,  if you own one of these models you would like to sell, please contact us asap.  We would love to hear from you.