WANG’AP: A Catamaran Circumnavigation, Twenty Years in the Making

Twenty years ago, Catherine and Bertrand sailed an Atlantic loop with their three children and watched Outremer catamarans sail by, out of reach. Today their Outremer 52 is called WANG’AP, it already has nearly 3,000 nautical miles in its wake, and the couple is preparing a three- to four-year catamaran circumnavigation.

A Project Born from a Sabbatical Year

Catherine and Bertrand’s project started long before their boat. More than twenty years ago, they took a sabbatical year with their three children, to spend time together as a family and step out of their routine. They spent it sailing an Atlantic loop.

That year stayed with the whole family. “Our kids still talk about it, twenty years later,” Catherine says. Since then, the children have grown up and married, and grandchildren have arrived. As their working lives came to an end, the urge came back as strong as ever: to find those feelings again and launch another bluewater cruising project.

An Outremer, Twenty Years Later

On that Atlantic loop, they were already crossing paths with Outremer catamarans. “We dreamed of owning an Outremer. We just couldn’t afford one,” Catherine recalls. Back then, they had their eye on an Outremer 45.

Once home, they chartered a boat every year to sail with their children, including an older-generation Outremer 55. For Bertrand, going back to Outremer became a no-brainer.

In May 2023, just after their daughter’s wedding, they came to La Grande-Motte to test-sail the new Outremer 45. Once there, Matthieu from the sales team suggested they try the Outremer 52, which had just been launched. They went out with their son. They never sailed the Outremer 45. “No, this is the one we need,” Bertrand sums up.

WANG’AP, the Name of a New Cycle

Catherine and Bertrand lived in Korea for three years. There, hwangap is the big celebration of a person’s 60th birthday, the one that opens a new cycle of life. The couple recently reached that milestone, just as they were changing their lives.

“It’s something new: a new life, a new cycle, and a lot of joy,” Catherine explains. For the boat’s name, they simply adapted the Korean spelling so everyone could read it: WANG’AP.

Getting Ready Long Before Launch

Between signing in 2023 and launch in summer 2026, the couple turned preparation into a project of its own. With their project manager at the yard, they worked through the boat’s configuration: autopilot type, sail inventory, technical equipment.

To make those choices with confidence, they sailed and trained as much as they could. They attended several O’Weeks, Outremer’s owner training weeks, and even came back from abroad for the Extra Sailing Days. Technical skills, medical training, seamanship: the couple learned a lot. “I loved that period because it’s very reassuring,” Catherine says. “I was much less experienced than Bertrand as a sailor, so I learned a lot.”

She also took part in the three-day Ladies Only training, sailing with other women and women skippers. “It really reassured me right from the start. It’s reassuring, it’s fun, and it really makes you want to go.”

For Bertrand, the time on the water mostly served the configuration. “You get to see the different configurations, test them under sail, and meet specialists who help and guide you.” A week aboard another Outremer 52 with a different crew helped them picture themselves even more clearly and finalize their configuration.

Along the way, they built a network of buddy boats, some already gone, others about to leave. “We’re still in touch, and we learn from each other’s experience,” Bertrand says. These trainings, sailing days and connections now all come together in the Outremer Ready program.

Owners Before the Build Even Started

When do you really start to feel like you own your boat? For Bertrand, long before launch. “You imagine it, you ask yourself: should we take this, should we take that, how many fridges should we get… Before construction even starts, you make it yours.”

During the build, the couple was living abroad and received photos from the yard. “Every Friday, we couldn’t wait to get those photos. […] It wasn’t even fully born yet, and it already felt like ours.”

2,900 Miles to Get Acquainted

WANG’AP was launched in La Grande-Motte this summer. In two to three months, Catherine and Bertrand logged 2,900 nautical miles in the Mediterranean: to Greece and back, then a round trip to the Balearic Islands. “We kept busy! […] We really sailed a lot, but that was the whole point,” Catherine says with a smile.

For the first two weeks, they brought a female skipper aboard. Maneuvers, how the sails work, rigging, trim: she helped them find their footing as a couple. “Our boat tamed us,” says Bertrand. “You really save time,” Catherine adds. “It was even exhausting, because we never stopped, but it was exactly what we needed to do. After that, you know your boat well and you feel ready to welcome other crews.”

That pace came at a cost. Between the end of a demanding career and moving aboard, there was no break. “I think we may have overestimated ourselves,” Bertrand admits. After three months of sailing, fatigue set in. The couple stopped for a month, then set off again.

Back in La Grande-Motte, the boat is now in the hands of the Outremer post-delivery team before departure. “It’s very comforting to know the boat has been proven. We’ve done the shakedown,” Catherine says.

Confidence from the First Miles

What struck them first? “The comfort is undeniable, but its seaworthiness is truly exceptional. We trusted the boat right away,” Bertrand answers.

Catherine remembers her first impressions below deck. “When you’re in your cabin, you think: ‘We’re flying, we’re flying!’ Then you go up on deck and you think: ‘No, everything’s fine.’ We’re only doing 12 to 15 knots. You get used to it after a while.”

For Bertrand, the difference shows on night watch. “You feel it speed up a little, and the boat, you can feel it, it’s right where it should be. Well balanced, no strain. […] We love that.”

Heading Around the World

When we met them in early October, Catherine and Bertrand were getting ready to sail down to the Canary Islands, then on to Cape Verde and Martinique. They will sail with one or two crew. “Four people is quite comfortable on the boat: not too many, not too few,” Catherine explains. Crew share the experience and lighten the night watches.

The Atlantic crossing is only the first leg. The couple plans three to four years to sail around the world, taking their time. Bertrand mentions French Polynesia and New Zealand, but what matters to him is the project as a whole. Catherine thinks first about the people they will meet: “The idea is really to take our time, to explore, to meet people along the way.”

The pace also leaves room to fly home and see parents, children and grandchildren. “We’ll be able to do that whenever we need to,” Bertrand concludes.

Watch Catherine and Bertrand’s story on video: Owner’s story WANG’AP