Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
The fact that this feature was researched and written in the mid-1960s when many hardened sailors were pretty darn steadfast on the fact that multihulls were unsafe, makes the feature worthy of an unbiased read, especially as marinas around the world are flooded with multihulls today.
The author is Brookes Heywood, an experienced old salt and prolific writer who opened the feature as follows: “Criticism and doubt about multihulls in South Africa has come mainly from those who have never sailed in one. You might enjoy comment from a simple soul who for two years has endured the gales and calms of the Cape coast in the company of his 30-ft. Piver Nimble trimaran.
“A torrent of drivel on multihulls is flooding the bilges of the worlds boating literature. Much of it is from violent enthusiasts, blind to their disadvantages – their clamour surpassed only by the counter-propaganda of the leaden-footed diehard with economic interest vested in monohulls.
“I hope that my efforts in this article will serve only to pump the overburdened bilges, not to fill them further. I make no apology for not being an expert designer: as a layman I am the fellow who has to live with the boat.
“Also I have nothing to sell.”
As Heywood was simply an enthusiast with no commercial interest in the success or failure of multihulls, his thoughts are valuable and make interesting reading.
READ THE FULL FEATURE HERE: 1967 01 – SA Yachting – trimarans- an owner’s appraisal – OCR-2
