07-02-2011
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 16
Rep Power: 0
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A new Catalina 27 owner
Hi everybody,
I was never really a “sea person” until the summer of 2008; in fact, I think I said at least a few (hundred) times that I “hated” the sea. After all, I was born in a city 2,800 meters above sea level, right on the Equator (Quito, Ecuador).
But all changed when a co-worker took me sailing on August ’08. And, of course, I got the bug… BIG TIME! How big? 2,800-meters-above-mean-sea-level big!
I started talking/thinking/dreaming about buying a sailboat; I bought a dozen books (read them all); got subscriptions to a couple of magazines, and I took a Boating Skills and Seamanship class with the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
In October 2008, my wife and I took a weekend class in a local sailing club. For almost three years, we were members of that sailing club, and we were allowed to use their daysailers on a first-come, first-sail basis. There were always boats available (Ideal 18s and Rhodes 19s). I think learning in a small keelboat has a lot of advantages: I’ve learned a good amount of sail trim and boat maneuverability (I still need to learn a lot more, of course).
In 2009, I won a writing contest with the Colgate Offshore Sailing School (“45 reasons to learn to sail”) and the prize was a private class for three days aboard a Colgate 26. It was awesome! And free!
In the meantime, I’ve been reading books and articles about sailing (authors like Vigor, Calder, the Pardeys, Seidman, Rousmaniere, Casey, etc.). From time to time, I acted as a crew member on my coworker’s 30-footer.
And finally, a couple of weeks ago I bought a Catalina 27 from an "old salt". He lived in América for 22 years, voyaging around the Caribbean. And now América is mine, ready for her next adventure. Wish me luck.
Fair winds, fellow sailors.
__________________
s/v América
1974 Catalina 27
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