Atlantic Crossing in 28MKII
It may be too late to post on this thread. Everyone may have moved on but I recommend reading John Vigor’s book “The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat" to see how your friends boat measures up. Vigor also includes a section about the preparation of Juggernaut, a Catalina 27 that circumnavigated. Another reply made reference to Juggernaut.
Yes you can make this voyage in a 28MKII. Waiting for the right weather window is critical. Hopefully your friend is not sailing to a schedule and you can wait for good weather. There was an article in a recent Cruising World about the Atlantic Circle. Worth reading for a general idea of route planning and timing.
The focus of the Juggernaut article is correcting the weaknesses of a Catalina 27. Many of these weakness would apply to a 28MKII. You can also go to the Catalina Owners site and read reviews that owners have written about their boats. They often mention problems or weaknesses of their particular model. You can learn a lot from these comments and correct many of these issues before the trip. Granted, you won't turn a 28MKII into a Westsail but you can make the boat safe for the trip.
I sailed a Ranger 23 from the USVI to Trinidad. Granted, not blue water but many people would say that this boat was not adequate for that trip. It wasn't a comfortable trip since the boat was set up to race and we had NO cruising comforts but we had a wonderful time. I currently own a Catalina 27 that has been modified extensively for cruising and I would take this boat across the Atlantic.
It may be too late to post on this thread. Everyone may have moved on but I recommend reading John Vigor’s book “The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat" to see how your friends boat measures up. Vigor also includes a section about the preparation of Juggernaut, a Catalina 27 that circumnavigated. Another reply made reference to Juggernaut.
Yes you can make this voyage in a 28MKII. Waiting for the right weather window is critical. Hopefully your friend is not sailing to a schedule and you can wait for good weather. There was an article in a recent Cruising World about the Atlantic Circle. Worth reading for a general idea of route planning and timing.
The focus of the Juggernaut article is correcting the weaknesses of a Catalina 27. Many of these weakness would apply to a 28MKII. You can also go to the Catalina Owners site and read reviews that owners have written about their boats. They often mention problems or weaknesses of their particular model. You can learn a lot from these comments and correct many of these issues before the trip. Granted, you won't turn a 28MKII into a Westsail but you can make the boat safe for the trip.
I sailed a Ranger 23 from the USVI to Trinidad. Granted, not blue water but many people would say that this boat was not adequate for that trip. It wasn't a comfortable trip since the boat was set up to race and we had NO cruising comforts but we had a wonderful time. I currently own a Catalina 27 that has been modified extensively for cruising and I would take this boat across the Atlantic.