In a way, speed and comfort are two sides of the same coin. The more speed you have, the faster you will reach your destination. In general, the speed of a catamaran will be typically 25-30% higher than that of a monohull of the same length. That means that a journey that would take 2 weeks on a monohull, takes just about 10 days on a cat. That gives you that much more time to explore your destination. 

     Speed, too, is related to safety. For example, when you look at weather maps and discover that a storm is headed your way, you can often outrun or avoid it on a catamaran, while in a monohull your options would be more limited.

      Being out on blue waters always involves a degree of risk. In case of sickness, running low on food, or other emergencies, speed can definitely help you get out of trouble.

     Comfort is also an important element in onboard safety. When exhaustion sets in, you can become a danger to yourself and the rest of the crew through making bad decisions and abandoning safety procedures. This is especially true in times of extreme stress or real crisis.... the worst time to have this sort of problem. So it is particularly important for you and your crew to be well rested and, in this respect, nothing beats comfort. 

     The two most noticeable things about sailing a catamaran, compared to a traditional monohull, are its lack of heeling and its motion at sea. A cruising catamaran is "stiffer" (more stable on the water) and will rarely heel more than 5-10 degrees. Gone are the days of bracing yourself in the cockpit, fighting to remain upright when cooking below, and living your life underway at an angle of 20+ degrees. That it achieves this stiffness through outboard buoyancy, instead of a suspended lead ballast, means that there is no pendulum-like rocking and rolling, and there is a lot less total displacement. This reduction in weight, displacement, and unwanted movement not only makes the cat faster and lighter on the water, but also offers a lot more comfortable ride.