I think it's time to properly introduce ourselves and our new-to-us sailboat!
My name is Amanda (Siren), and I am Douglas' (@ScubaGuy2) first mate. You have been very helpful to us so far, lending advice on our keel, looking over our marine survey, and most recently, how to repair our rudder.
We have been searching for our perfect Catalina 22' since September 2017, and in March of this year, we found her online, less than a hundred miles from our home port!!! It almost seemed too good to be true, but after several months, numerous phone conversations and e-mails, and money exchanging hands, we have picked up our beautiful 1984 Catalina 22' sailboat.
A marina was selling the boat on behalf of the daughter of the previous owner who had passed away a few years ago. The online pictures didn't show her in the best light, since she was still in covered, indoor storage. In fact, Douglas' first question over the phone was verifying that the boat would indeed come with a mast, since there were no pictures of one. We were given limited information regarding her history, and didn't want to pry too much given the circumstances of why they were selling. We were in Texas, and the boat was in northern Michigan. It was mid-March, and we wouldn't be in northern Michigan until after Memorial Day. We would be buying this boat, sight unseen, and despite our in depth research and resolve to want a Catalina boat, we had actually never seen one in person. (I should clarify "never seen one in person ABOVE water...several Catalina's have been sunk in old rock quarries for scuba divers to explore, but I digress...)
When we picked her up last week, we were thrilled to learn that she was a one-owner boat!The previous owner bought her brand new back in early 1985, and we have the log books of every sail dating back to her maiden voyage!! This boat has never seen salt water, and has spent it's winters in the same covered, indoor storage building for 34 years. By stroke of luck, we were able to meet and chat with the rigger who set up and launched the boat every year, as well as took care of the maintenance during the off season. He knew the previous owner, and was proud to tell us we were getting a very well cared for boat.
We have been like kids in a candy shop going through all the sail lockers and lazarettes; lots of "OOOOOOs" and "WOAHs" uncovering an endless treasure trove of sail goodies. We are definitely reaping the benefits of the previous owner's 32 years of sailing, and are so grateful to him.
What we thought we were getting was:
- a pretty Catalina 22' sailboat on an extended tongue (that was a nice surprise) trailer
- a well cared for and working Mariner 5hp outboard
- the original, but good shape mainsail
- 150 genoa, still crunchy, with a Schaefer roller furler
- a very bright red, orange, and yellow Spinnaker with a Forspar Spinnaker Pole, and all the spinnaker rigging
However, it also included, unbenounced to us:
- a Forspar Whisker Pole
- a telescoping boat hook
- 8 life jackets
- 4 fenders (2 big 2 small)
- 4 sailing harnesses
- 3 anchors
- 2 winch handles
- 2 life rings
- a Windex
- a Davis Instruments Echo Master radar reflector
- a ginormous Drogue (sea anchor)
- a new sail cover and hatch board cover
- brand new, never been installed original (with typewriter instructions) hatch screen and companionway screen
- MILLIONs of ropes and lines
- a first aid kit and fire extinguisher
- LOTS of tools
- Tea kettle & other random kitchen items
- Several compasses, protractors, and laminated charts
- Log Books for the entire life of the boat
.....OH.....and ANOTHER BOAT......a 9' Fiberglass Dinghy called "The Dink."
This is our first sailboat, and we feel incredibly lucky and excited to be her new owners!!
So why do 2 people from Texas call their home port northern Michigan? Well, we are actually fulltimers in motorcoach, and have been for the past 5 years. We've traversed many states looking for places we want to return to, and have fallen in love with this area. We are both avid scuba divers and we enjoy being under the water, but we also wanted a way to enjoy the water from above. We've had some sailing experience before, and we really admire the quality of build and classic design of the Catalina 22. There's a saying that "motorhomes is where old sailors go to retire," so if that holds true, we just went the backwards route. I know that the rv'ing community and the sailing community share a lot of the same qualities, and we are proud to now belong to both.
We have a boat slip for the summer, and she will be sailed primarily in Lake Charlevoix, MI. Tomorrow will be the first time we step the mast, and hopefully, if all goes well, we will launch her tomorrow afternoon and pray that she floats!! haha....if any of you are in the area, stop by and say hello!!
Amanda (Siren) & Douglas (ScubaGuy2)
My name is Amanda (Siren), and I am Douglas' (@ScubaGuy2) first mate. You have been very helpful to us so far, lending advice on our keel, looking over our marine survey, and most recently, how to repair our rudder.
We have been searching for our perfect Catalina 22' since September 2017, and in March of this year, we found her online, less than a hundred miles from our home port!!! It almost seemed too good to be true, but after several months, numerous phone conversations and e-mails, and money exchanging hands, we have picked up our beautiful 1984 Catalina 22' sailboat.
A marina was selling the boat on behalf of the daughter of the previous owner who had passed away a few years ago. The online pictures didn't show her in the best light, since she was still in covered, indoor storage. In fact, Douglas' first question over the phone was verifying that the boat would indeed come with a mast, since there were no pictures of one. We were given limited information regarding her history, and didn't want to pry too much given the circumstances of why they were selling. We were in Texas, and the boat was in northern Michigan. It was mid-March, and we wouldn't be in northern Michigan until after Memorial Day. We would be buying this boat, sight unseen, and despite our in depth research and resolve to want a Catalina boat, we had actually never seen one in person. (I should clarify "never seen one in person ABOVE water...several Catalina's have been sunk in old rock quarries for scuba divers to explore, but I digress...
)When we picked her up last week, we were thrilled to learn that she was a one-owner boat!
The previous owner bought her brand new back in early 1985, and we have the log books of every sail dating back to her maiden voyage!! This boat has never seen salt water, and has spent it's winters in the same covered, indoor storage building for 34 years. By stroke of luck, we were able to meet and chat with the rigger who set up and launched the boat every year, as well as took care of the maintenance during the off season. He knew the previous owner, and was proud to tell us we were getting a very well cared for boat.We have been like kids in a candy shop going through all the sail lockers and lazarettes; lots of "OOOOOOs" and "WOAHs" uncovering an endless treasure trove of sail goodies. We are definitely reaping the benefits of the previous owner's 32 years of sailing, and are so grateful to him.
What we thought we were getting was:
- a pretty Catalina 22' sailboat on an extended tongue (that was a nice surprise) trailer
- a well cared for and working Mariner 5hp outboard
- the original, but good shape mainsail
- 150 genoa, still crunchy, with a Schaefer roller furler
- a very bright red, orange, and yellow Spinnaker with a Forspar Spinnaker Pole, and all the spinnaker rigging
However, it also included, unbenounced to us:
- a Forspar Whisker Pole
- a telescoping boat hook
- 8 life jackets
- 4 fenders (2 big 2 small)
- 4 sailing harnesses
- 3 anchors
- 2 winch handles
- 2 life rings
- a Windex
- a Davis Instruments Echo Master radar reflector
- a ginormous Drogue (sea anchor)
- a new sail cover and hatch board cover
- brand new, never been installed original (with typewriter instructions) hatch screen and companionway screen
- MILLIONs of ropes and lines
- a first aid kit and fire extinguisher
- LOTS of tools
- Tea kettle & other random kitchen items
- Several compasses, protractors, and laminated charts
- Log Books for the entire life of the boat
.....OH.....and ANOTHER BOAT......a 9' Fiberglass Dinghy called "The Dink."
This is our first sailboat, and we feel incredibly lucky and excited to be her new owners!!
So why do 2 people from Texas call their home port northern Michigan? Well, we are actually fulltimers in motorcoach, and have been for the past 5 years. We've traversed many states looking for places we want to return to, and have fallen in love with this area. We are both avid scuba divers and we enjoy being under the water, but we also wanted a way to enjoy the water from above. We've had some sailing experience before, and we really admire the quality of build and classic design of the Catalina 22. There's a saying that "motorhomes is where old sailors go to retire," so if that holds true, we just went the backwards route.
I know that the rv'ing community and the sailing community share a lot of the same qualities, and we are proud to now belong to both. We have a boat slip for the summer, and she will be sailed primarily in Lake Charlevoix, MI. Tomorrow will be the first time we step the mast, and hopefully, if all goes well, we will launch her tomorrow afternoon and pray that she floats!! haha....if any of you are in the area, stop by and say hello!!
Amanda (Siren) & Douglas (ScubaGuy2)
Last edited:
