A sailing fanatic since racing his first Fireball at the age of 18, and catamaran convert to a Pringle 16 in 1992, French businessman Xavier Bouin decided to take tha plunge into tha yacht sales market last year, having successfully sold his luxury goods company. "It probably wasn't the best time to be establishing a new business," Xavier admits, "but I really do believe in the opportunity, and you always need to start sometime. And having been going for less than a year and four yachts sold already, my decision has been proved right."

Having had such a positive experience sailing his own catamaran in the region, Xavier took on the UAE dealership for the French-built Fountaine-Pajot brand of sailing and Trawler-style catamarans, trying to continue the catamaran penetratio started by Cristophe Vanek's Lagoon dealership. "There is a noticeable change in the expat community these days," he continued. "Many more families are settling and staying for longer, choosing the Middle East as a residence and changing employment rather than returning to their native countries. The short-term nature of DUbai has always held back the yacht market, While a car is easy to finance and sell on, a yacht is a long-term purchase you only make if you plan on staying somewhere for a longer period."

As a desert gradually gets built on - the journey to Bab Al Shams used to be through desert, not a housing estate! - and the price for powering gas-guzzling desert destroyers rises, so Xavier sees the next great escape to be the sea.

"For me Fountaine Pajot is really the only catamaran brand in the market - for the amount of boat you get for your money, it makes all other brands look overpriced. And while brand is one thing, space onboard is what all that matters when cruising."

Taking on the challenge of not only selling in a difficult economic climate, but also with a product that has yet to be fully accepted in the region is not without its difficulties;

"There is still lots of prejudice against catamarans, no matter where you go. From the yacht club bar to marina pricing - it seems it is common practice to charge a catamaran double price, irrespective of the berth it occupies. (Ed note: Except in Al Hamra!) The only people that don't seems to complain are the ladies that love the extra flat sunbathing spots there are onboard!"

So with the mixture of depressed economy and non-believers, is there business to be had at the moment?

"There are so many opportunities around the Middle East for increasing access to the marine environment. But we have also been saying this for years! Now there are increasingly more boats in the region year-on-year, which is positive for us all. The greater our fraternity, the more facilities we will become available for us."

Greater facilities means more places to go. But as there is no doubt catamarans are built for cruising, where have you explored during your years here?

"We raced the Dubai-Muscat Race, but more for cruising than the competition. Then we spent a week making our way back, stopping off and exploring harbours and the Musandam. Definitely worth it. But by far the most amazing experience was cruising around the Al Gharbia region in Abu Dhabi. It is absolutely ideal catamaran cruising, with lots of uncharted shallows that woud scare most keelboats, but for us merely meant extra places to anchor and explore. It was as beautiful and peaceful as the Maldives."

Here Xavier was referring to the range of half-submerged islands and coral croppings around Bu Tinah, Sir Bani Yas and Dalma Islands, many of which are highlighted for development by TDIC - for the yachtman's benefit we hope.

The stable platform provided by the twin-hulled form of a catamaran, and the larger interior and deck spaces mean that cruising with any number on board does not become claustrophobic. But the advantages of the catamaran do no stop simply with the practicalities of accommodation; with the non-displacement hull offering increased cruising capabilities - for both power and sail.

"The motorboat party is pretty much over, with the price of fuel now beginning to severely impact on the decision of which boat to buy. This is where the catamaran hull form will begin to be respected more as you can use smaller engiens while getting greater speeds and fuel economy - why do you think commercial ferries use twin hulls?"

In addition to the Orana 44, Xavier is expecting delivery of afetr the summer, he also sees great interest in the power range rom FOuntaine Pajot, their Trawler Cats. Offering far more customisable features than the sailing versions, large cabins, flybridge cruising and amazing fuel range will be an instant attraction to those wiching to explore the regional coast, or to even make a dash for the Maldives. The new Queensland 55 is a perfect example of Fountaine Pajot's direction - a six-berth flybridge catamaran cruiser with a 1300 nautical mile range!

"Selling a catamaran is not simply selling a yacht," Xavier explained, "it is selling a lifestyle choice, and educating the yachting world that the modern cat is no floating caravan."

Also in his portfolio of yachts, Xavier is representing the high-speed Absolute Yachts JP54 Monohull cruiser designed by offshore racing legend, Jean-pierre Dick, which will be featured in Boat Owner Middle East, November issue.

"Buying is all about speed, volume and price. Whatever size, type or style of boat, that is what the owner is weighing up in their mind. So yes, cats are more expensive than a monohull of the same length, but when you compare by their volume and speed... they become much more affordable."