{"id":39844,"date":"2026-11-02T17:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/?p=39844"},"modified":"2026-11-02T15:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T13:23:10","slug":"wangap-a-catamaran-circumnavigation-twenty-years-in-the-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wangap-a-catamaran-circumnavigation-twenty-years-in-the-making\/","title":{"rendered":"WANG’AP: A Catamaran Circumnavigation, Twenty Years in the Making"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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.<\/em><\/p>\n

A Project Born from a Sabbatical Year<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

That year stayed with the whole family. \u201cOur kids still talk about it, twenty years later,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

An Outremer, Twenty Years Later<\/h2>\n

On that Atlantic loop, they were already crossing paths with Outremer catamarans. \u201cWe dreamed of owning an Outremer. We just couldn’t afford one,\u201d Catherine recalls. Back then, they had their eye on an Outremer 45.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong><\/a>, which had just been launched. They went out with their son. They never sailed the Outremer 45. \u201cNo, this is the one we need,\u201d Bertrand sums up.<\/p>\n

WANG’AP, the Name of a New Cycle<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s something new: a new life, a new cycle, and a lot of joy,\u201d Catherine explains. For the boat’s name, they simply adapted the Korean spelling so everyone could read it: WANG’AP.<\/p>\n

Getting Ready Long Before Launch<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cI loved that period because it’s very reassuring,\u201d Catherine says. \u201cI was much less experienced than Bertrand as a sailor, so I learned a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also took part in the three-day Ladies Only training, sailing with other women and women skippers. \u201cIt really reassured me right from the start. It’s reassuring, it’s fun, and it really makes you want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Bertrand, the time on the water mostly served the configuration. \u201cYou get to see the different configurations, test them under sail, and meet specialists who help and guide you.\u201d A week aboard another Outremer 52 with a different crew helped them picture themselves even more clearly and finalize their configuration.<\/p>\n

Along the way, they built a network of buddy boats, some already gone, others about to leave. \u201cWe’re still in touch, and we learn from each other’s experience,\u201d Bertrand says. These trainings, sailing days and connections now all come together in the Outremer Ready program<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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Owners Before the Build Even Started<\/h2>\n

When do you really start to feel like you own your boat? For Bertrand, long before launch. \u201cYou imagine it, you ask yourself: should we take this, should we take that, how many fridges should we get\u2026 Before construction even starts, you make it yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the build, the couple was living abroad and received photos from the yard. \u201cEvery Friday, we couldn’t wait to get those photos. [\u2026] It wasn’t even fully born yet, and it already felt like ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

2,900 Miles to Get Acquainted<\/h2>\n

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. \u201cWe kept busy! [\u2026] We really sailed a lot, but that was the whole point,\u201d Catherine says with a smile.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cOur boat tamed us,\u201d says Bertrand. \u201cYou really save time,\u201d Catherine adds. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

That pace came at a cost. Between the end of a demanding career and moving aboard, there was no break. \u201cI think we may have overestimated ourselves,\u201d Bertrand admits. After three months of sailing, fatigue set in. The couple stopped for a month, then set off again.<\/p>\n

Back in La Grande-Motte, the boat is now in the hands of the Outremer post-delivery team before departure. \u201cIt’s very comforting to know the boat has been proven. We’ve done the shakedown,\u201d Catherine says.<\/p>\n

Confidence from the First Miles<\/h2>\n

What struck them first? \u201cThe comfort is undeniable, but its seaworthiness is truly exceptional. We trusted the boat right away,\u201d Bertrand answers.<\/p>\n

Catherine remembers her first impressions below deck. \u201cWhen you’re in your cabin, you think: \u2018We’re flying, we’re flying!\u2019 Then you go up on deck and you think: \u2018No, everything’s fine.\u2019 We’re only doing 12 to 15 knots. You get used to it after a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Bertrand, the difference shows on night watch. \u201cYou feel it speed up a little, and the boat, you can feel it, it’s right where it should be. Well balanced, no strain. [\u2026] We love that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heading Around the World<\/h2>\n

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. \u201cFour people is quite comfortable on the boat: not too many, not too few,\u201d Catherine explains. Crew share the experience and lighten the night watches.<\/p>\n

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: \u201cThe idea is really to take our time, to explore, to meet people along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pace also leaves room to fly home and see parents, children and grandchildren. \u201cWe’ll be able to do that whenever we need to,\u201d Bertrand concludes.<\/p>\n

Watch Catherine and Bertrand\u2019s story on video: Owner\u2019s story WANG\u2019AP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Twenty years after an Atlantic loop with their kids, Catherine and Bertrand are preparing a catamaran circumnavigation aboard their Outremer 52, WANG’AP.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":39847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[463],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-owners-story"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catamaran-outremer.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}