Hi all. just I thought I'd share this story. A couple of weeks ago my brother in law, his seven year old son, and I sailed up to Mussy for a week of diving and snorkelling. I have a 37ft Cat that I bought a year or so ago to live on but have been too scared of to even go onboard. I've kept it moored up and barely looked at it. Just one of many stupid decisions I made after my wife left. Anyway, my brother in law Al CAN sail and I can't (well, not well anyway) but we sailed up to Musgrave and back , through the great Sandy Straits, without a hitch. It was amazing and I love sailing her now. She's plenty big enough with a masive galley with oven and fridge freezer and all the trimmings. Don't know why she used to freak me out so much. I have an old style Garmin GPS onboard (the type that doesn't have the maps or anything) but I never even used it. I downloaded Navionics software to my HTC Desire (phone) for $13.30 and it was AMAZING! Never missed a beat all the way up and back. Like I said, Great Sandy Straits at NIGHT.....no worries at all. And hit all my diving marks bang on everytime (I kept it in a ziplock plastic bag of course). I was blown away by it. If I decide to keep her, obviously I'll upgrade to a better dedicated GPS but as a stopgap WOW!
Anyway, apart from a few hiccups, we had a ball (especially the kid). I might start taking her out more now that I know how comfortable she is to live on and sail. It wasn't ALL gravy of course. Like our decision to sail out from Kingfisher bay at 9.00pm on a pitch black starless night, in a strong wind warning! :) Because we're geniouses :) There was us and a mate in his 40ft Schionning so we had two boats but it was still scary. The big girl ate it up though, even though I had to rely on my autopilot to hold course coz it was so dark, I had no point of reference and everytime I touched the wheel she'd round up. We were scared all night and then the sun came up and we could actually SEE the size of these swells, and then we were TERRIFIED! Made it to Mussy though and we had our pick of anchorages because no-one else was stupid enough to be out there in that :) Thankfully the wind dropped out and we had a ball. The trip back was also better.
Well this has been rambling and pointless (sorry) I just wanted to get a few thoughts and details down. In that vein, I want to say that I LOVE cats! She's fast and stable and spacious and draws bugger all water and is very easy to sail even singlehanded (furling headsail and boom furling main).
Peter
Hi Peter
Your right, cats are awesome
Warning, if you keep using your phone to navigate you will run into something hard
Buy your charts which by law u must carry anyway and plot where u are with your gamin. It is both fun and good seamanship
On a plotter you lose detail as you zoom out, this causes people to run aground all the time
Oh I absolutely agree about the charts. I had a beacon to beacon open the whole way checking the GPS accuracy. It was always bang on though. I know the dangers of zooming out too far all too well :) I drove our dive club boat out to a site once and let one of the trainee captains bring her back for the experience. No problem, just follow my line out, back. Then I'm wakened from my half dozing as we found a sandbank at full speed. "I was following your line!" Yep, you sure were. Zoomed out about ten times! When I Zoomed it in for him he watched as the two lines separated further and further apart. We were at least two hundred yards off my line! A valuable lesson on a sandy bottom :)
Petey
What a beautiful avenue to your journey, Dr Pete.
Sometimes there's circumstances that prompt one to buy a boat or others that happen around the time of purchase...or whenever, for that matter, that can taint the whole experience. It leaves us totally unconnected with the boat we had so fallen in love with and wondering what the hell to do next.
This happened when we bought our Crowther Eureka in my profile pic in Lake Macquarie. My dear old Dad who we though was as fit as a Mallee Bull had helped us get gear from Brisbane down to LM in preparation for bringing the boat home. He decided, out of the blue, to drive back to Brissie, and basically upon arrival, suffered a major heart attack and died.
My world was turned upside. I couldn't see through the fog of my loss. The boat stayed in LM. Dear Husband didn't know what to do. I was in no fit emotional state to do even a coastal trip from LM to Bne - especially with 2 young kids on a boat that was turning out to be plagued with engine and steering issues.
Long story short, DH and a delivery skipper eventually brought the boat home. I hated her! I think I blamed her for my loss! I seriously felt that I had lost my passion for sailing and the ocean! I cannot begin to tell you how this devastated me! For me, this was to say I had lost the will to live!
BUT, like you and your bro-in-law and nephew did, we used the boat and it all came right and I got my mojo back!!
We refitted her last year and rid her of all the bad energy from her previous owner who was a bad, bad man. I rubbed her and painted her and sang to her for months.
Then we did the same trip that you did...plus a little further, up as far as Gt Keppel.
Some of Dad's ashes are out in the lagoon.......it was one of his very special places too!
Enjoy your beautiful girl now...sing to her, rub her, and buy some nice paper charts and other proper nav gear...your girl will appreciate it!
Now you know it wasn't a stupid decision to buy her, hey????
Trace
That's a great picture. I've dived Musgrave lots of times and I love it sooooo much. My Cat's a Crowthwer as well. Really good boat.The couple who owned it before me lived on her and raised their kids on her! So she's pretty comfy. Now I just need to find someone to sail with me :)
Petey
Thanks. She IS neat and tidy. Also, lot's of solar power and comfy inside. When I had her out of the water to antifoul (I did this the day I bought her) there were lot's of boatbuilders at the yard so asked a few of them, at different times, to look her over for me and they all said, "You have nothing to worry about. This is a good boat". It's the same thing the surveyor said, but it still made me feel better to hear it from so many boat builders :)
drpete is that a Seawind 37? Looks the same as the cat that has taken up residence on the next mooring to me.
Hi Ramona, no she's a Crowther Beachmarine 34 that's been extended to 37ft. I just keep her on anchor up the creek at Mooloolaba here in QLD.
Cisco, I had a lood at those mast rungs and they are just the fold up type and don't seem to weigh much so I'm not overly worried about them. I am always aware of overloading her too coz I know how much storage room she has.
Cheers for the comments.
WOW Jedibrad, she's beautiful. Looks really well looked after as well. So impressed :)
jedibrad's cat is very quick too. runs over smaller cats very well [}:)] (it wasnt him at the helm, was me 
).
We had the beach marine " Worlds " at Kurnell Catamaran Club easter race series a few years back.
Grinna - 25'
Bommaroo - 30'
Jugganought - 35'
Montage - 11m
All these boats get back to the club house earlier than most
