Dazcat 1295 Liveaboard Owners Mike and Christele Couldn’t be Happier!
“The Dazcat is so responsive and handles so well, if a little faster than expected! We effectively have a bright, spacious apartment with three bedrooms (or two and an office), a large living room and airy kitchen, two terraces – and the world’s best swimming pool all around us!…And, I’m still struggling to believe that such amazing aftersales service actually exists, I’ve never known anything like it.”
– Mike, Dazcat 1295 ‘Mirage’ owner
Dazcats were struck off their list from the start
When Mike and Christele set out to find a boat for full-time liveaboard life, a Dazcat wasn’t even on their list. After three years of research, trials and countless charters around the world amounting to 3000 miles of catamaran sailing, they arrived at Dazcat with many questions, a three page checklist, and a healthy dose of scepticism.
Three months ago they launched Mirage, a Dazcat 1295 built not just to cruise fast, but to live in.
Mirage has already delivered more than they ever expected – five big surprises, in fact.
It was a beautiful sunny day with a good wind as I headed down the pontoons at Mayflower Marina to catch up with Mike and Christele after their first big shakedown cruise. This had included a sail up the Thames to London and spending a week with the family, moored up at St Katharine Docks. Stunning!
On the day I went to see them, Mirage had been back at the yard for the past five days for some final commissioning before heading off again. This time, with Mirage given the all clear, to cruising grounds far from home and that, as far as we know, no Dazcat has visited before…What makes this build especially interesting is that Mirage is the first D1295 we’ve built with full-time liveaboard life in mind.
Mike and Christele aren’t retirees, they’ve taken their work with them, moving their offices on board. Naturally, I was keen to find out how things had gone so far. After all, the 1295 is far from the obvious liveaboard choice. In fact, Mike admitted he’d struck Dazcat off the list early on. He assumed, like many do, that with their sleek looks and high profile race reputations, Dazcats were pure performance machines, something they knew they didn’t want.
“So how did this all come about?”
Mike tells me the idea of having a catamaran started as a nugget of an idea, something adventurous to aim for one day. Over the years, that idea grew. They thought it would be fun to try living on a boat in the future and decided the best way to choose one was to charter different makes and models of catamarans in a variety of places around the world.
Over the next three years, they did just that – exploring stunning locations and trialling all kinds of boats. They clocked up around 3000 miles of sailing experience during the process. Some were fantastic, others not so much. Some too big, some too small, but none were quite right for them for all sorts of different reasons…At one point, they even chartered a 34ft monohull, just to test themselves. If they could make it through that together, they figured they could make it through anything.
Somewhere along the way they also discovered the joy of fast sailing. From that point their search began to narrow.
Closer encounters with yards, sales teams and build processes around the world were, let’s say, disconcerting (in the great British tradition of understatement). Mike is less delicate in his descriptions! So the search narrowed further…
Eventually, after three years of looking and somewhat to their own surprise, they found themselves visiting us in Cornwall.
Mike still isn’t sure what Simon thought of his three-page checklist, but tells me he liked Simon immediately – found him competent, friendly, and appreciated that when he asked questions, he got real answers. High praise, especially from a meticulous Austrian engineer.
He also loved the yard. It reminded him of his father’s trucking business. “Not like a BMW workshop,” he said, “Not spotless and tidy everywhere, but full of passion, skill and amazing people with a beautiful, very high quality end product that comes with a personal touch.”
That’s music to our ears. Shiny offices have never been a priority for us – all our investment goes into the boats and the people building them, but we do sometimes wonder whether we should try to look a bit slicker… and always decide not to.
A couple of months after that first visit, Mike and Christele were back in the UK again – this time to jump aboard D1295 Slinky Malinki for a sail from Southampton to Plymouth with Simon and Daz.
That was when they knew they’d found “the one”. Or maybe “the ones” is more accurate, because for Mike, it wasn’t just about the boat. It was about the people too.
“You really get a hands-on feeling from everyone you meet at the yard,” he tells me. “Take Dan, for example. First electrician I’ve ever met – maybe in the world – to finish ahead of time! And the solar system plan he came up with was better than mine, and that’s my business!”
He’s clearly impressed. “The level of knowledge and experience all around… normally, you’re dealing with a salesperson who knows very little.”
Mike and Christele showed their thanks and appreciation by inviting all the yard teams to the boat for the Naming. It was a proud and important moment for the teams, to see their work completed, beautiful and appreciated, making smiles.
This is all pure nectar to my ears, of course, but I decide it’s time to balance things out.
“Was there anything you weren’t happy with through the process?”
Mike smiles. “I couldn’t understand any of them!” he says without hesitation.
“I’d say I wanted something and Simon would reply: ‘Well… that might cause some complications.’ Six months later it hasn’t happened and I’m wondering why not, thinking they deal with complications all the time!”
Eventually, he realised this was English for “that’s not going to work!”
He says that when he talks to Brendan, he has to concentrate really hard on his eyes to figure out what he actually means. Hats off to Mike for sticking with us.
Brendan & Simon oversee the builds.
Then there was the orange upholstery!
“The orange cushions…” he says, looking quite pained. “They have no idea!” He’s referring to Simon and Daz’s sense of interior decoration! I supress a little smile.
Mike and Christele hadn’t realised at first that the interior didn’t have to look like that – that they could have whatever they wanted. I didn’t tell him that many of those orange photos are what several owners have chosen because they like it…
Interior design became Christele’s domain. She took over completely, and the result is a clean and fresh Dazcat interior, with added warmth and homely touches that feel completely theirs.
They made three site visits during the build, but, according to Mike it was Simon’s regular photo updates that really kept the emotional connection alive. That communication and relationship-building is crucial for us back at the yard. It helps us know we’re delivering what our clients want, and Mike very much appreciated it as travelling too regularly to the yard through the build wasn’t part of their agenda.
One example he gave was about the spinnaker – he and Christele had been discussing sail sizes, and decided it would be more practical to go smaller, since it would mostly be just the two of them sailing. Mike called Simon to suggest it, only to find it had already been thought about. He was surprised, but honestly, it’s what we do. When we build a boat, we’re thinking about the people who will sail it. Constantly.
“So how’s the boat been since launch?”
Daz can’t resisit giving it a little stroke!
“So how’s the boat been since launch?”
Mike’s Four (actually five) Big Surprises
Mike could hardly wait to tell me. He’d clearly been waiting for this question and leaned forward, eyes shining with delight. “There have been four big surprises,” he said, smiling.
- Design quality
The first and biggest surprise was that everything had been thought about. “There were no ‘I don’t like that’ moments,” He said. “For me, that’s amazing and totally unexpected.”
Later, when we talked, I found that Christele disagrees, though only on one point and she knew about it from early on. She really wanted a separate shower and didn’t hold back in saying so, both during the build and after. “It’s the one thing I don’t like, but,” she continues pragmatically, “I know I can’t change it without losing something else important.” She’s learning to live with it and has made a curtain to separate it from the head so the whole area doesn’t get soaked with every shower. Honestly, I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t love it either. But if that’s the only compromise, I’d call that a win.
- After-sales service
“Unbelievable,” Mike says. “I’m still struggling to believe it actually exists. I’ve never experienced anything like it.” - Agility and handling
They trialled plenty of boats but, Mike says, “The Dazcat is so responsive, handles so well…It’s a little faster than expected!” He smiles.
I asked if they’d found it easy to slow her down, shorten sail, and he laughed. “I’ve never wanted to slow her down!” But he added that the reefing system is really good and works beautifully with the way the lines are set up.
- Build quality and systems
Mike reckons there are at least 50,000 parts on board – 500 electrical connectors alone – and yet, in the first three months, only one or two tiny issues. Both times he called the yard he got an instant reply and a solution straight away.
5. Learning the boat
He added a fifth surprise: how easy the learning curve has been. When Mike first said he was going sailing, Simon and Matt (Simon’s brother who is on the build team and also an exceptional sailor) immediately said they were coming with him, and they did. “It was like the best possible parenting,” he said. “They metaphorically took my hand and led me through. Then slowly let us take more and more freedom. Perfect.”
At this point I feel I need to say – I swear I didn’t bribe him or make up these words! In fact, we’d barely spoken before this interview. But Mike told me he was revealing his deepest secrets, ones he hadn’t even shared with Simon. I’m thrilled of course!
Mike strikes me as a quiet and thoughtful man, with high expectations and deep consideration. Together, he and Christele have chosen a remarkable path, and I’m genuinely touched that they chose a Dazcat, and that we’ve managed to exceed their expectations.
“Any regrets?”
He looks almost confused by this question. “Look around,” he says, sweeping his hand across the cockpit. “Most people live in…Well, you know. If you think of it in terms of a home, we’ve got a spacious, bright apartment with three bedrooms, a large living room, a kitchen, two terraces…” (he points to the net and the cockpit), “and the world’s best swimming pool all around us!”
Later, Christele adds: “And, if you don’t like the neighbours, you can just move!”
“And what about working remotely?”
“We couldn’t do it without the team back at the office,” Mike says. “They’re 100% reliable.”
When I ask if he has any advice for others thinking about doing the same thing, he considers for a moment. Then: “It’s impossible to give advice. Everyone’s personal situation is different. You have to be realistic about your own circumstances and take it from there.”
“It’s the wives who buy the boat in the end…So what does Christele say?
While I talked with Mike we’d been out on the water in Plymouth Sound as Simon and the team from PR Systems Marine Electronics did the final settings for the instruments. Christele had been away and was waiting for us back on the dock with a friend, all smiles, happy to be home and excited to show me around. I was keen to catch up with her and to hear about their new life from her perspective.
Christele is enthusiastic and tells me she’s enjoyed every moment of being on board.
“Mirage has only brought good experiences so far. Comfortable, light to helm, a joy to live on. Mike’s the sailor” she says, but she’s learned a lot. Sailing up the Thames to spend a week at St Katharine Docks was the highlight. I do wish I’d seen it in person!
They’ve already visited a lot of places, and enjoyed getting to know the UK better, even if it was a bit cold at first. Because they’re heading for the tropics, heating wasn’t on their install list – instead extra hatches for increased airflow – not so great in the early UK spring, but a plug-in heater soon solved that. Christele figures they’ve been lucky with the English weather.
She took charge of the interior and the ‘living’ spaces, inside and out, and clearly loved every moment of it. Choosing colours, textures, materials, it looks absolutely beautiful. She also made some brilliant contributions to liveaboard life on a Dazcat, including a very organised shoe locker (a Dazcat first), extra shelves and cupboards in the cabins, and clever storage throughout.
Adaptable furniture like the removable saloon table that can fit either as two halves in the cockpit, or half in half out and the versatile cockpit chairs all maximise space. Areas have been left open for future additions, like where to install a water maker, should they want one later.
The forward cabin is Christele’s office. It converts easily with a laptop table into a snug workspace that she was proud to show me. She sits on the comfortable bench seat at the end of the bunk with all her necessary supplies neatly contained in the lockers either side. She loves it!
She’s continued to personalise the interior spaces since launch – cushions, small plants, decals, baskets and home made curtains – clearly taking great joy in making it feel like home.
The lower locker in the heads is where the watermaker will go one day.
Christele says she also loves the openness of the boat’s layout, the ability to communicate through the spaces, including the galley, but also the privacy when needed.
“The best thing of all,” she tells me, “is waking up and seeing the sea. Having your home with you. It’s perfect…”
She relishes the attention the boat gets. “Lots of people come over to admire it, that’s a good feeling!”
What does she say when they ask about the boat?
“It’s a fast cruiser… but cosy.”
So where next?
Next up for Mirage: Falmouth – Isles of Scilly – Morocco – Tunisia – Montenegro… Wow.
We wish Mike, Christele and Mirage all the very best and we’ll be looking forward to the next update. It’s been an absolute pleasure.
Interiors below: immediately after launch and before Mike and Christele moved on board.
Postscript
Between writing this post and publishing it, Mirage has arrived in Africa. Christele writes:
“The passage went well and we are happy to be in warmer climate now 😊. Morocco is interesting und the people are really friendly and nice. We have just spent a week in Rabat and last week-end in Fés. Tomorrow we will sail to Tanger…”Living the dream!
Also living the dream is sister Dazcat 1295 ‘Minor Swing’ who, while Mirage was on route to Tangier, was busy winning her under 50ft class in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Rolex Fastnet Race
Dazcats really do do it all…
Built by Sailors for Sailors since 1988
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