With these characteristics, the boat is the smallest series-produced cruiser/racer in the world. This eye-catching piece comes from France and is reminiscent of a derivative of the minis popular there, which even prove themselves in long-distance races across the Atlantic.
Of course, the boat will not cater to a large market, as designer Patrick Viau knows: "To appeal to the masses, you would have to stretch it to five metres." From a sailing point of view, the boat is not suitable for beginners; the "Chat Noir" needs a sure instinct for sail and weight trim as well as sailing speed, otherwise it will drift away. The space available on the three-metre-long boat is astonishing, with a large double berth, seating, cooker and even a toilet. All in all, the "Chat Noir" should be perfectly seaworthy. The Italian Alessandro Di Benedetto recently proved that the boat size seems to be open at the bottom for extremely ambitious voyages. He sailed around the world non-stop in a converted Mini, 6.50 metres long.
