Greg's Background

Although I have never really sailed, I have pretty much always wanted a sailboat. My father had a small sailboat when I was a kid, although we didn't use it much. He, however, had dreams of owning a bigger sailboat. As a teenager, I read Chapman Piloting & Seamanship cover to cover.

After looking at the possibilities for sail boats, I decided that either I wanted a 70' sloop or ketch with staterooms and a crew, or, more realistically, a 20' to 24' sloop with a swing keel that fit on a trailer. I figured that a 20-24' boat wasn't going to capsize frequently, and would be suitable for sailing anywhere except open ocean. (Ernest Shackleton sailed a 22' boat 800 miles across the open ocean, but he really did not have a choice.)

After examining the options, I decided that a Catalina 22 was about exactly the right boat. It had sleek lines, and was easily trailerable. Some 30 years+ later my wife and I now own one.

This blog and the associated articles will chronicle our experiences with purchasing, owning, maintaining, and sailing this boat. We intend this to be a a place where we can post what we have learned as a resource to others. We will answer the stupid questions that everyone that has owned a boat before already knows, because we just asked that stupid question and had to find the answer. We will link to other content on the web that we find useful. We will also write all the standard stuff that goes into a captain's log, although we will use Gregorian dates instead of stardates, to the dismay of my Star Trek fanatic wife.

We have chosen to use a very loose definition of a yacht for the name of this blog. Some definitions of "yacht" pick an arbitrary size and state that any vessel shorter than that is a boat and not a yacht. The definition we chose is simply "a vessel used for private cruising, racing, or other noncommercial purposes". I would argue that the difference is whether it has an enclosed cabin allowing comfortable overnight accommodations. In any case, regardless of the size of the vessel, the act of having one is "yachting".

We are both pretty experienced "computer people", so where it makes sense, we will provide software tools that will help with maintaining a boat.

Welcome!

Hi!

Welcome to Greg and Sandi's Catalina 22 owner log/blog. My husband and I are excited to join the community of sail boaters, Catalina owners and other trailer sailers alike. We decided to start this blog as an updated version of the standard ship's log, and a way to share with others what we learn along the way.

First, some background...

Since we live in the greater Seattle area, we have a myriad of options for both fresh water and salt water sailing. Nearby, the San Juan Islands are recognized as a prime sailing destination both for their beauty and the protected waterways of Puget Sound. Other nearby lakes offer fresh water destinations, and Victoria, Vancouver and the Inside Passage are all within reach. We live within view of the large and beautiful Lake Washington, where I'm able to see boats out daily much of the year, even in our all too common Pacific Northwest liquid form of sunshine that some call rain. Boating in general is very popular in the region and we're looking forward to getting out on the water and creating many lasting memories with both family and friends.

Growing up in Miami, Fla., another boating mecca, I learned to sail as a child. One summer, when I was about 10, I took a sailing class with my best friend that was offered thru Girl Scouts. A couple of times each week, we attended classes and sailed dinghys around a large harbor, in between lots of large yachts moored offshore. We learned to control our little dinghys pretty quickly since a wrong move could have sent us crashing into a large and expensive yacht! The classes culminated in a day long sail south along the Miami coastline to a nearby island, circumnavigation of the island, a quick shore trip for packed lunches, and finally the long sail back home.  I think that was the day when I fell in love with sailing. Then again, it could have been the day I had a close encounter with a Florida manatee while in my dinghy.

Blackwater Sound, south of Miami, Florida
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

Shortly after learning to sail, my grandfather, who had a little property in Key Largo, bought a build-at-home sailboat kit (I don't know the make). I remember getting to work with him on it from time to time when I could go down for a visit. Once the boat was finished, he started taking it out, but my grandmother said he wouldn't put the sails up without me along because he'd never learned to sail! Usually, he'd just motor around with it. I remember one time I got in trouble at home and was grounded on a weekend I'd been planning to go down to Key Largo. I packed my bag, snuck out and started walking towards Key Largo, running away from home, to go sailing with him. That's about 60 miles I was planning to walk, and I was around 12 years old.

Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

We sailed together on and off for several years, all around Key Largo but mainly in Black Water Sound. In my mid teens, I got busy with school and friends and didn't spend as much time with my grandparents. But at age 19, I had the good fortune to spend a year working on a tropical island in the middle of the Indian Ocean with both Laser and Catalina sailboats available to rent very cheaply, along with some pretty amazing beaches, fishing, and snorkeling. The sailing club on the island put on races regularly, and I spent many of my days off either racing in a Laser or cruising one of their Catalina 22s around the large protected lagoon. It was there that I fell in love with the Catalina 22.