Ananda is a custom-designed performance catamaran that offers speed, safety, and a contemporary Interior. This DH 550 was designed and built in Trinidad by Dudley Dix of Morelli and Melvin, by Phil Harvey of Gunboat to be his personal boat to sail the world with his family.  

The present owners purchased Ananda in 2021 and upgraded her for their cruising needs. In the last 5 years improvements have included repainting the entire exterior of the vessel with Awlgrip, new watermaker, new salon upholstery, new solar, high output chargers, high output alternators, lithium batteries, new freshwater plumbing, gas/electric kitchen, adding a combination washer/dryer, as well as new running and standing rigging.  

Ananda has over the last two years been cruising from Florida to the Mediterranean Sea and back to the Caribbean and up to Chesapeake where she now staying during the hurricane season. The cruising has been done easily by a family of two adults and two teens.

She sails comfortably, safely, and quickly in gale-force winds and large seas on several long passages, including across the Atlantic Ocean both going east and west. In optimal conditions, Ananda saw speeds of 15 knots in the trade winds. 

The setup of this DH 550 is optimized around a shorthanded crew of one or two. Her rig is easy to manage, and the layout provides great comfort while “living on the hook” for extended periods of time. Lightweight construction, which is 1/2 to 2/3’s the weight of current production catamarans of her size, allows Ananda to achieve high cruising speeds with a smaller sail plan, which greatly increases the safety of the boat, yet she comfortably averages more than 200 nm per day, and if the conditions are right, over 300 nm! 

Daggerboards allow her to point high and give her a minimal draft of 2 feet boards up, allowing her to cruise shallow areas (Bahamas) and anchor apart from other vessels. Should the winds die, she still has over 1,500 nm motoring range with full fuel (265 gals). View the video to see more details.