Written by Staff Writer
Dubai-based cruise company Ocean Cat gets its name from the classic James Bond thriller “Live and Let Die,” which featured a Bond, Ms. Jane Bond and MI6 boss M riding around on a catamaran, hidden from the paparazzi.
The catamaran reflects the extravagant lifestyle and luxury associated with enjoying cruising in Dubai, which has changed dramatically in the past few years with the development of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper and other mega-apartments.
The pear-shaped catamaran was built in 1996 by Emirati marine engineer-turned-designer Ahmed Al Sulaiman. A car dealership in Dubai had been planning to equip a race yacht with the vessel when Al Sulaiman saw the gap and decided to make it into a catamaran.
“It’s very sleek looking. From the pilot house you can see right down into the water from the upper deck, from the kids’ class, from the newsroom, so it has a commanding presence,” he said.
It has a range of 23,000 nautical miles and a cruising speed of 18 knots.
“The number one thing that I’ve always wanted was to do sailing on the ocean to some of the most exotic places in the world because that is the most beautiful stretch of water — there’s nothing more beautiful than sailing on a calm, full moon night, watchful little seagulls flying around.”