After thousands of miles at sea, a yacht eventually reveals what it was truly designed for. And for Tania and Royden du Plooy, that moment came somewhere between the islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and Borneo, as their Leopard 46, CleaVage II, sailed them more than 5,000 nautical miles across the Passage to the East rally.
Sailing through the remote Southeast Asian islands their Leopard Catamaran demonstrated something only long-distance sailing can truly reveal: That delicate balance between performance, load-carrying capability, and livability that defines the perfect serious cruising catamaran.
Having raced their previous Leopard 45 across the Atlantic, they already knew what Leopard Catamarans were capable of. But after thousands of miles aboard their new Leopard 46, they discovered that the Leopard design hadn’t simply evolved, in many ways, it had raised the bar for what a modern cruising catamaran can deliver offshore.
A Turning Point at Sea: When the Right Boat Changes Everything
For Tania and Royden du Plooy, finding the right boat wasn’t all about luxury, looks or cabin configurations. It was all about transforming their days on the water from a struggle, into pure enjoyment.
Before discovering sailing, the couple owned a Powercat that offered speed and capability for coastal cruising, but one challenge persisted. “My wife suffers badly from seasickness,” Royden explains, “and the diesel fumes only made it worse.” The engine vibrations and exhaust fumes from their Powercat made spending longer days cruising impossible and turned what should have been a relaxing time at sea into uncomfortable ordeals.
But everything changed during a casual day sailing onboard a friend’s catamaran. “From the moment we set sail, the difference was remarkable,” Royden recalls. “The gentle, balanced motion of the boat, free from the constant rumble and fumes of engines, transformed the experience entirely.” The calmer motion and cleaner air immediately eased Tania’s discomfort. “Her seasickness was almost immediately cut in half,” he says. “For the first time, she genuinely enjoyed being on the water.”
And from that day, Tania developed a love for being out on the water that she never knew she could have. “She fell in love with the freedom. The quiet power of the wind and the effortless glide of sailing,” Royden says. Awe struck by the difference they felt sailing, the couple bought shares in their friends’ boat, allowing them more time to explore their newfound passion for sailing. And by 2017 Tania and Royden had firmly set their sights on their dream boat: The Leopard 45 Sailing Cat.
Why the Leopard 45 Stood Out
When it came time to purchase their first sailing catamaran, Tania and Royden weren’t just looking for another boat, they were searching for a yacht designed for the way they actually lived on the water.
The Leopard 45 immediately stood out for one defining feature, its signature forward cockpit. First introduced in 2010, this feature has become an iconic design element and is a standard feature on all Leopard Catamarans these days. “We chose the Leopard 45 primarily for its forward cockpit design,” Royden explains. A feature that has proven “both purposeful and transformative. “It creates natural ventilation through the vessel, allowing air to circulate freely,” he says. “Since we live in an endless summer, we really appreciate the breeze moving through the interior.”
The design also offers multiple outdoor living spaces with varying sun exposure, an invaluable advantage in tropical climates. “We always have one seating area out of the sun,” Royden adds. “In the tropics, that makes an enormous difference.”
For the du Plooys, it’s this thoughtful attention to real-world living that defines the Leopard 45 experience. As Royden puts it, the yacht feels “intelligently conceived rather than merely styled.”
An Unexpected Path To The Leopard 46
Selling their Leopard 45 was never part of the plan. And at the time, they were happily cruising the Caribbean aboard their beloved 45, with every intention of shipping her back to the Mediterranean once the Caribbean season ended. But everywhere they went, their yacht drew admiration from fellow cruisers. “The boat was admired everywhere we went,” Royden recalls. “Fellow cruisers were captivated by her condition and layout.”
Then circumstances beyond their control changed everything. The U.S East Coast and Gulf experienced a particularly damaging hurricane season, and suddenly catamarans on the resale market became scarce, leading Leopard prices to surge almost overnight. And while the du Plooys knew demand had increased, they hadn’t anticipated the magnitude of the shift.
While in St. Lucia, they met a cruising couple who immediately fell in love with their 45. “Not fully appreciating the extraordinary surge in market value, we added what we believed to be a comfortable margin to our original purchase price and offered her to our new friends,” Royden explains. The couple gladly accepted, but just weeks before the deposit was due, they unexpectedly backed out.
“What initially felt like a setback soon proved to be providence,” Royden says. Curious to gauge their yacht’s true value in the heated market, the du Plooys contacted a broker. The result was eye-opening: “He promptly valued the boat at nearly fifty percent higher than our agreed price.”
Within two weeks, their Leopard 45 was sold at that price to delighted new owners from Boston. “They stepped aboard with visible delight and renamed her from CleaVage to Surprise,” Royden remembers. “They said they had never expected to find a second-hand yacht in such immaculate condition.”
And so what began as an unexpected market twist, soon became the doorway to the du Plooys next adventure on the water- upgrading to the Leopard 46.
The Sailing Cat That Surprised Even Its Owners
By the time the du Plooys stepped aboard their Leopard 46, they had already put their Leopard 45 through the ultimate test racing it across the Atlantic during the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) in 2024. And the bar for the new CleaVage II was set sky high. “We were sailing against boats widely regarded as superior performers, yet we held our position at the front of the fleet for most of the crossing.” Roden recalls of competing in the ARC.
In the end, only a lack of wind in the final days prevented them from claiming the top spot. “We were narrowly denied victory when the wind deserted us in the final days, and we chose to motor to reach Saint Lucia on schedule,” he explains.
With that benchmark in mind, their expectations for their new Leopard 46 were understandably high. “When we moved into the Leopard 46, we naturally hoped she would sail at least as well as our Leopard 45, a yacht that had already proven herself beyond doubt.”
What they discovered, however, exceeded even those expectations. “Her balance, speed, and composure under sail have surpassed what we thought possible,” Royden says. “She feels both powerful and assured. Rewarding careful trim while remaining effortlessly capable.”
For the du Plooys, the Leopard 46 didn’t just meet the standard set by their previous yacht, in many ways, it raised the benchmark entirely.
Heavier, Faster, Effortlessly Capable: The Leopard 46 Experience
At first glance, the numbers might surprise you: On paper, the Leopard 46 carries about 1.5 tons more weight than the Leopard 45 and only eighteen extra inches of waterline. And you might expect that weight to slow her down, but in practice, it does quite the opposite. “The refinement in hull design tells a different story,” Royden explains. “The fuller forward sections and improved underwater geometry have increased the boat’s load-bearing capacity quite substantially.”
Even with a stern deck stacked with a lifting platform, tender, and solar arch, the 46 glides with poise and power. “She matches and often exceeds the speeds I achieved on the 45,” he adds.
Performance sails, like the Doyle Code Zero for light winds and Ullman working sails the couple added help, but Royden insists the yacht itself deserves the lion’s share of credit. “The 46 seems to carry her additional weight with composure, converting sail power into steady, confident speed. A testament to the evolution of her design.”
“Properly canvassed and sailing at speeds above ten knots, she feels beautifully alive, balanced, responsive, and entirely in her element. There is a sense of quiet authority in the way she converts sail power into effortless pace”, Royden says. And when the sailing conditions get a little bit sporty, the new generation Leopard 46 still keeps her composure. “Rather than feeling overpowered, she settles into her stride, carrying the conditions with confidence and control. In both moderate and stronger winds, she reveals a platform that is not merely capable but genuinely rewarding to sail.”
And with every passage, Royden emphasizes how the Leopard 46 delivers confidence, control, and joy. “She rewards careful sailing while remaining effortlessly capable. A platform that turns weight into an advantage rather than a limitation.”
Designed for Long-Distance Cruising
During the Passage to the East rally, CleaVage II sailed over 5,000 nautical miles, often short-handed, and the Leopard 46 proved its worth at every turn. “She has proven herself particularly capable on longer passages,” Royden says. “Her balance and sail plan allow her to be handled confidently by a single person at the helm.” And a big part of that ease and effortless control comes from the meticulously crafted deck layout on all Leopard Catamarans. With all control lines logically led aft, reefing, trimming, and course adjustments can be managed from one protected position. “It makes extended sailing both manageable and genuinely enjoyable without the need for a large crew,” Royden notes.
Stepping inside, the Leopard 46 continues to impress with practical, well-planned spaces designed for life underway. Multiple layout options, from a three-cabin owner’s version with a dedicated utility room/ office, to four- or five-cabin configurations, allow the Leopard 46 to perfectly match your cruising needs.
Whether you need a sailing cat with a private office space or you are looking for as many cabins as possible to bring your entire extended family along, or you want to keep your options open to possibly charter your yacht in the future, Leopard has ensured that the 46 Sailing cat has a layout option for you.
The enlarged galley with generous counter space and thoughtfully designed storage solutions is another standout out feature that makes extended time out on the water more pleasurable. And flexible interior details add even more versatility. “Lowering the dining table creates a generous additional berth,” Royden explains. “It transforms the saloon into a spacious sleeping area whenever we need it.”
Even small comforts help make life at sea more enjoyable. The couple installed a barbecue aft, turning mealtime into a highlight of any passage. “Even in spirited conditions, I can still indulge my passion for braaiing,” Royden laughs, using simple foil windbreaks to protect the grill.
From helm to galley, and from flexible interior layouts to small onboard luxuries, the Leopard 46 demonstrates that long-distance cruising catamarans can be both sensible and pleasurable. And for the du Plooys, CleaVage II perfectly supports exactly how they like to live life at sea.
A Sailing Catamaran That Handles the Weight of Adventure
Throughout their travels across Southeast Asia, CleaVage II sailed alongside several Seawind 1370 catamarans, offering Royden and Tania a unique opportunity to compare these legendary cruising cats against each other. “In our view, the Seawind 1370 is perhaps better suited to lighter displacement sailing than to fully provisioned family cruising,” Royden observed.
Once boats are loaded for long-term offshore sailing, with tenders, solar arrays, watermakers, and weeks of provisions, performance can shift dramatically. The Leopard 46, however, remained composed and capable. “We found that the 46 maintained her pace even when heavily loaded,” Royden explains. “In fact, during our time sailing alongside Seawinds fully outfitted for cruising, the 46 consistently outperformed them.”
For Royden, this difference in being able to handle heavy loads simply comes down to design. “The strength of the Leopard 46 doesn’t lie in headline sail area alone, but in how effectively the sail plan supports a hull capable of carrying meaningful cruising weight,” he says. It’s a yacht that has been purposefully built not just for speed or comfort, but for the realities of fully provisioned, long-distance cruising.
A Rally, A River Expedition And The “Party Boat”
While the Leopard 46 more than proved her capabilities offshore, some of Tania and Royden’s most memorable moments onboard CleaVage II happened while the sails were tucked away.
One standout adventure was an unforgettable river expedition in Borneo during the Passage to the East rally. And somewhere along the way, CleaVage II developed a reputation among the fleet. “Perhaps it was our generous layout, or the wonderful upstairs lounge,” Royden laughs, “but at one point we had twenty people gathered upstairs, spilling onto the flybridge roof.”
And this comfortable hosting capability quickly earned their boat a nickname: the party boat. “She could comfortably host forty or fifty people,” Royden adds. “And before long, word spread.”
Hosting on board turned out to be remarkably simple. “Everyone brings their own crockery and cutlery, contributes food, and brings their own drinks,” he explains. “When they leave, they take everything with them, including their rubbish. The next morning, you wake up to a boat that is still beautifully in order.”
For Tania and Royden, it was a perfect blend of practicality and pleasure. The Leopard 46’s thoughtful layout made socializing effortless without compromising comfort or safety. “It was an amazing experience,” Royden reflects. “Hosting on this boat feels easy, relaxed, and genuinely fun. Something you just can’t do on every yacht.”
A Design Proven at Sea
5,000 nautical miles later, Tania and Royden du Plooy know exactly what the Leopard 46 is all about. And from their experience it’s clear that the Leopard 46 sailing cat is far more than just a comfortable cruising catamaran.
This is a yacht that is built to carry real cruising loads, tackle long passages with confidence, and still remain genuinely rewarding to sail.
To learn more about the Leopard 46 and the full range of Leopard Catamarans, contact the Leopard team or visit our website to explore current models, owner stories, and opportunities to start your own journey at sea.
