Catamarans are safe in rough seas because of more stability, smaller draft, easier maneuverability, higher speed, and less floating so less seasickness in agitated waters Of course, this is in comparison to a monohull vessel of equivalent length The more excellent stability is due to a wide stance, doublehull designAs a young racing sail boat sailor, I learned rough water seamanship simply by taking the opportunity to go out when conditions were bad I got a big thrill of going out and challenging the ocean People thought I was nuts, but what they didn't realize was that I didn't start out challenging 12 foot seas Seas directly on the boat are headAnd before I give our "rough seas" story I will say that we have sailed over 100 days, with maybe 6 days of "choppy seas" Very manageable for the two of us We were on Volendam in Bering Sea last May with Force 12 Storm, which according to Captain had 4045 foot waves for 21/2 days Rough Sea Images Stock Photos Vecto