Eight bells. The end of the watch.
Some of you who have been on the site for a long time may remember me. For several years I was extremely active on the site and was Phil's quizmeister for three years, writing weekly quizzes plus the occasional sailing skills quiz. During that time we lived on Orcas Island in the San Juans and sailed first a Hunter 33.5, Shibumi and then a wonderful Hunter 37.5 named Wanderlust. We cruised the Pacific Northwest including an adventurous trip around Vancouver Island plus charters in Mexico and the Caribbean.
All of this time I was devouring every book and article on sailing I could get my hands on (and doing some writing for Sail Magazine as well) . Many of them filled me with longing for sailing to parts unknown and for a "better quality" boat as production sailboats tend to get less than the best press in books and periodicals. Eventually I gave in and took the plunge. We bought a Nauticat 52 named Raven and moved aboard.
Raven is by every measure a magnificent sailboat. Sparkman and Stephens design, with a flag blue hull with red boot stripe, and tons of beautiful teak. She is a cutter rigged ketch with lots of sail plan options including a monster custom spinnaker and mizzen staysail. She's equipped with pretty much every conceivable option including bow thruster, powered in mast furling and powered roller furling genoa, plus options like a flat screen tv, washer, dryer, ice maker, etc, etc. She sails like a dream.
Last week we sold her after living aboard for a year and waiting four years for her to sell while living on our beautiful ranch in Colorado (please see pic). As my wife and I like to say, Raven was too much boat and too little house.
At the end of my days I'll think back on my sailing years as some of the best adventures of my life, and yet I leave sailing behind with no regrets. As I think back on those times however, I don't think most fondly of my "ultimate" sailboat Raven, but of my H37.5 Wanderlust. She was a great boat, didn't cost a fortune and was easily handled and maintained by me. We had some great times on her.
So the message I want to leave you with is enjoy and appreciate your Hunter (or Beneteau or Catalina, etc.) Have a great time with the boat you have and appreciate it.
Gary Wyngarden
Boatless (except for a Maas Aero rowing shell)
Some of you who have been on the site for a long time may remember me. For several years I was extremely active on the site and was Phil's quizmeister for three years, writing weekly quizzes plus the occasional sailing skills quiz. During that time we lived on Orcas Island in the San Juans and sailed first a Hunter 33.5, Shibumi and then a wonderful Hunter 37.5 named Wanderlust. We cruised the Pacific Northwest including an adventurous trip around Vancouver Island plus charters in Mexico and the Caribbean.
All of this time I was devouring every book and article on sailing I could get my hands on (and doing some writing for Sail Magazine as well) . Many of them filled me with longing for sailing to parts unknown and for a "better quality" boat as production sailboats tend to get less than the best press in books and periodicals. Eventually I gave in and took the plunge. We bought a Nauticat 52 named Raven and moved aboard.
Raven is by every measure a magnificent sailboat. Sparkman and Stephens design, with a flag blue hull with red boot stripe, and tons of beautiful teak. She is a cutter rigged ketch with lots of sail plan options including a monster custom spinnaker and mizzen staysail. She's equipped with pretty much every conceivable option including bow thruster, powered in mast furling and powered roller furling genoa, plus options like a flat screen tv, washer, dryer, ice maker, etc, etc. She sails like a dream.
Last week we sold her after living aboard for a year and waiting four years for her to sell while living on our beautiful ranch in Colorado (please see pic). As my wife and I like to say, Raven was too much boat and too little house.
At the end of my days I'll think back on my sailing years as some of the best adventures of my life, and yet I leave sailing behind with no regrets. As I think back on those times however, I don't think most fondly of my "ultimate" sailboat Raven, but of my H37.5 Wanderlust. She was a great boat, didn't cost a fortune and was easily handled and maintained by me. We had some great times on her.
So the message I want to leave you with is enjoy and appreciate your Hunter (or Beneteau or Catalina, etc.) Have a great time with the boat you have and appreciate it.
Gary Wyngarden
Boatless (except for a Maas Aero rowing shell)
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