Re: Is a Cat 22 Seaworthy Enough for Florida to Bahamas pass
A swing keel Cat 22 can make the voyage, but the important point is that your margins are fewer than in a larger, better equipped boat.. You want to tally up the things that give you a safety margin: the boat's known mechanical condition, your ability as a sailor, your boat's ability to receive weather data enroute and your ability to interpret that data and make good decisions from it. Etc. Do you know the maximum winds that a Cat 22 can safely sail in? The maximum sea heights? Are the sails and standing rigging in good shape ( the factory recommends replacing the stainless "standing" rigging every five years due to hidden corrosion inside the fittings), are the sails intended for offshore use or just for inland fair-weather cruising? What kind up shape is the keel pivot in? When was it last overhauled? Is it worn to the point that the keel could fall off in heavy weather? Have the bushing mount bolts been replaced recently?
What usually happens in accidents is that more than one thing happens, and the combination of events dooms the craft. You can possibly handle inadequate charts enroute, but what about a broken rudder and inadequate charts? How about a broken keel cable, inadequate charts, poor pilotage, and a pop-up thunderstorm?
I too want to take my Cat 22 across, but I'm easing my way into it. The first year I repaired everything needed to safely cruise the Chesapeake Bay. I next need to do the big job of removing and rebuilding the keel (see links about that rather major undertaking), so that I know I can depend on it when other things are going to heck. Once the boat's ship shape, I need to get the Captain to that point. I can trust a GPS to keep the front-end pointed to my destination, but I also want to handle the unexpected without experiencing a knock-down. These boats don't come with built-in flotation, take in enough water and it's just you and your lifeboat. Do you have a lifeboat? You can also read in this forum about what happens when the keel folds shut during a knockdown. Or if it folds shut too quickly.
On the other hand, a search in "Youtube" will find a video made by a young man who sailed from the Bahamas directly to New York in a Cat 22. His biggest problem was becalming for several days and a slim food supply -but he made it.
