Cannes Yachting Festival

Balance Catamarans heads to storm the Cannes Yachting Festival

Fast, stylish and definitely well built, these are the boats of Balance Catamarans, the celebrated South African shipyard that is set to conquer the multihull segment at the upcoming Cannes Yachting Festival.

As many as two dream boats will be on display at SAIL010 in Port Canto: PIPPILOTTA, a magnificent Balance 526, and LASAI, a Balance 442, the shipyard’s entry level model.

Balance Catamarans is well known for its fast cruising sailing catamarans, yachts that can sail both in light winds and also when conditions become challenging, on the other hand they are built in Cape Town and with marine weather conditions there you don’t mess around at all.

Both boats are also characterized by a great simplicity of sailing, which allows even the 526 to be operated by one person, equipped of course with the necessary experience.

The shipyard currently produces six models ranging from the 442 to the 750, the shipyard’s current flagship, with a range that is able to meet all needs, both in terms of space and performance considering that, completing the shipyard’s offerings, we also find the Balance 482, 526, 580 and 620.

All sailing cats from Balance Catamarans also benefit from the popular yet useful VersaHelm which, invented by the shipyard in 2013, allows the rudder wheel to pivot 90 degrees, thus switching from its standard position (the one where you steer by standing over the Hard Top), to the fully protected position that allows you to pilot the boat from inside the cockpit, completely sheltered from the elements, while still being able to count on a perfect visibility, that covers all 360 degrees.

Great qualities then that, as every year, will attract a great number of visitors, which is why we strongly recommend that you book a visit to enjoy the boats tour in peace. To do this you can simply send an email to: cailie@balancecatamaran.com , the Balance Catamaran team will be pleased to give you an available slot.

Balance Catamarans: yachts on display at Cannes Yachting Festival

Balance 526

PIPPILOTTA, this is the name of the Balance 526 on display, is the hull number 23 of this highly successful award-winning model. After her launch she participated in the Cape2Rio Race and won it with a huge lead over her pursuers. After spending the winter in the Caribbean she sailed first to Bermuda, then to the Azores to finally arrive to spend the summer in Spain, from where she will depart to arrive directly at the Cannes Yachting Festival.

Built entirely using epoxy with carbon reinforcements, the Balance 526 was designed by Phil Berman and Anton du Toit and then built by Jonathan Paarman, a true authority when it comes to catamarans.

This is unequivocally demonstrated by the catamaran’s final weight, which, studied in detail by Blance Catamarans, stops the needle on the scale at only 12.5 tons! A true record, which, however, does not prevent the 526 from being able to have a high-end interior and plenty of storage space.

Balance 526

Balance 442

There are a total of 15 Balance 442s sailing around the globe today. Created by Balance Catamarans to offer the market an entry-level model in the “blue water” category, the 442s can boast a 105-square-foot sail plan that, like the larger models, allows them to grind out miles at speeds that are decidedly out of the ordinary.

LASAI, which means “calm” in Basque, is the name of the sailing catamaran that, after circumnavigating the Mediterranean, will arrive in Cannes to be displayed. This yacht was built in its three-cabin version, a distinctive lay out that leaves the entire port hull to the owner. Noteworthy is the convertible aft office that transforms into a cabin when needed.

Balance 442

Luca D'Ambrosio

Editor-in-chief, boat tester and journalist. Luca began sailing at an early age with his father then as an adult discovered sailing regattas and offshore racing. He has been working in publishing for more than 30 years and continues to sail incessantly, especially aboard the editorial staff's boat, an old lady of the seas that he has completely rebuilt and which serves excellently as a "mobile laboratory" for The International Yachting Media.

Next World premiere for Cantieri Magazzù at Cannes: here's the new 55-foot walkaround maxi-rib »

Previous « Fiart at Cannes with the new models from the P lines and the complete Seawalker range

View Comments

Dean Paarman says:

August 16, 2024 at 1:21 pm

Thank you for featuring what we have on show this year.

We're excited to be there and look forward to meeting you. Our visitors' book is filling up, so be sure to make a booking with Cailie. (Email in the article above)