Larry Graff, the founder and president of Aspen Catamarans, is an adventurer at heart and there are no adventure he likes better than leading a flotilla of Aspen cats and their owners to wild and wooly destinations. In this flotilla, that was the west coast of Vancouver Island off British Columbia.
Twenty Aspens gathered in Anacortes, Washington and set off for a cruise in company. Aspen cats are designed for long-haul, efficient cruising and can make excellent average speeds. The design that Larry Graff developed is actually a proa configuration.
In a proa, one hull is narrower than the other which cuts drag and improves fuel efficiency. The two hulls provide excellent stability and the narrow bow shapes allow the hulls to cut through the water like hot knives through butter.
For the Vancouver flotilla, Aspen’s marketing director Flora Walters was invited along to share the adventure and write a story for the Aspen website. Flora is no stranger to the sea. A New Zealander, she grew up on a cruising boat as her parents took the family on an extended cruise of the South Pacific. Flora certainly has salt water in her veins.
The week-long cruise aboard an Aspen 120 led them along the island’s wild coast where they explored coves and inlets and saw eagles and other wildlife. It is remote cruising at its best and well worth being the object of a true cruising adventure.,
