Date of publication: 03/11/2025
Originally a childhood dream
‘The aim of the Cataruga project is to design the ideal vessel: as intelligent as Captain Harlock’s, more fun than the Playmobil pirate ship, with stealth aircraft lines and which takes care of our oceans,’ begins Jean Sommereux.
‘We started more than 10 years ago, first on a corner of a table, with Jean-Michel Kalfon – my cousin and childhood co-navigator. He was in charge of the boat design. Then there were the architectural calculations… and the construction could begin.’
Jean and Jean-Michel wanted to design the ideal catamaran for round-the-world sailors: not a catamaran that would allow them to break speed records by sailing around the world via the three capes, as the Vendée Globe sailors do, for example, but rather a robust and reassuring catamaran, ideal for the ‘Slow Life’, which would allow them to ‘enjoy life in the tropics’.
A project that became a reality
Although the project has often been described as ‘completely mad’, Jean’s dream has finally become a reality: thanks to the work of a team of 12 people working full-time for many months, the first example of the touring catamaran has finally been launched. This was in March 2025!
‘The project lasted almost three years in Hergla, Tunisia. Some stages, such as the invention of specific welding techniques and rolling of the thick sheets of metal that make up the boat, took a long time,’ explains the enthusiast.
The catamaran mast-stepping in Port Saint-Louis du Rhône
To complete the construction, all that will be left for the Tortue 147 is to receive its rigging. It is for this reason, among others, that the Cataruga shipyard team made the wise choice to join Port Napoléon!
‘I moored my old sailing boat in this port for 2 or 3 years, several years ago, when I was still sailing in France. Then I left for Sicily and Tunisia. I really like the teams at the port. Today, the infrastructure and services at Port Adhoc are perfect for masting our new catamaran’, explains the project’s founder.
La Tortue 147 should arrive by sea at the beginning of April, after several days of initial navigation. The masting operations will only last a few hours in our Mediterranean marina, then the new catamaran will be presented in preview, still in Port Napoléon, on 12 April 2025.
Details of the new catamaran from the Cataruga shipyard
A safe and reliable travelling boat
‘The catamaran market is dominated by the obsession with speed. Why? Personally, during my four years of sailing, I found that I spent more than 90% of my time at anchor. Yes, I like being able to sail at an average of 7 or 8 knots, but to enjoy my sailing trips around the world, I don’t need a fighter jet.’
For Jean and his team, the perfect vessel for a long sailing trip is a boat that is well equipped, comfortable and solid: capable of encountering a floating object while sailing, of ‘taking on a neighbour who is anchored badly at the mooring’, or of ‘suffering a small error by the captain’. To achieve this, the Cataruga team and design office opted to build a ‘4×4 of the seas’ with an aluminium hull.
In addition to the comfort, safety and reliability of the boat, even when sailing long distances, the teams have also considered the catamaran’s performance: ‘the unique bulbous bows of the Tortue guarantee that it will be faster than the hare,’ smiles Jean. ‘It’s a world first, with a technique for shaping the sheets by rolling that we had to invent here in Tunisia’.
One goal: minimised ecological impact
‘Thirty years ago, bottles were thrown overboard: we thought the ocean was infinite… and impossible to pollute! Today, plastics are everywhere: in the water, on the beaches… and I’m not even talking about the 7th continent. We have to react!’
Anxious to produce a catamaran that is as environmentally friendly as possible, the shipyard has chosen materials with a controlled impact: the Tortue 147 has been built in fully recyclable aluminium, as well as paulownia – a wood whose use helps protect primary forests.
All the supplies were sourced in France and Europe, and the boat was built entirely in Tunisia. The technologies and equipment on board were also carefully selected: the catamaran is equipped with hybrid engines, 20 kW of lithium batteries and 5.5 kW of solar panels.
‘It goes without saying that, as the ship is a sailing boat, it will mainly be powered by the wind!’ adds Jean.
A decidedly atypical design
Finally, the signature of the Tortue 147 from the Cataruga shipyard is its extremely contemporary design. The work of designer and interior architect Jean-Michel Kalfon, it makes the catamaran an innovative, intelligent, welcoming and playful vessel: in its lines, in the distribution of space, and in the selection of construction materials.
‘We absolutely wanted to enable future owners to welcome family and friends on board to share special moments’, explains Jean. For this reason, large interior spaces were designed to encourage interaction.
The saloon includes a cockpit equipped with Time Zero software, with two screens and an intelligent navigation centre that controls six remote programmable controllers. The kitchen area has a central island with a sink and induction hob, as well as a large dining table. To promote conviviality on board, Jean and his team have also provided a place for the plancha grill!
Finally, the Tortue 147 is unlike any other catamaran. The catamaran’s design is the perfect realisation of the Cataruga project, conceived to ‘traverse the millennia, invincible, like a turtle carrying its house’.
‘The result of the work of Jean-Michel Kalfon and the Franco-Tunisian construction, signed by our fellow craftsmen, is quite simply incredible!’
Visit the Tortue 147 in Port Napoléon
On 12th April, all visitors will be welcome in the port of Port Napoléon, in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, to meet the Tortue 147. Jean Sommereux and his team will present the catamaran in preview to visitors and the specialised press.
Don’t delay in organising your visit: slots are already available to book for exploring the interior and exterior of the catamaran!
‘Tortue 147 is the first in a long line of catamarans for the Cataruga shipyard. We hope to have the opportunity to build up to 50 units, and enable new owners to experience incredible voyages, sailing around the world. In the long term, why not share the different stages, embarking on round-the-world trips together?’ concludes Jean.
For more information, visit the Cataruga website.
