Our 2003 C310!

Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
@JK_Boston_Catalina310 are you still on the original main with full battens? I can seethe full drop being an issue, my clutches don't stay open and brake as I'm securing the sail and halyard.

I was even considering Doyle Sail with a new main and their stack pack incorporated into the sail foot.
yes, still the original main. I think we have a year or two before it needs replacing
 
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JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
So finally completed official renaming ceremony, our 310 is officially RoseLeigh, the middle names of my daughter and wife. Had a great turn out of friends and sailing club members to help us! This was the ceremony we followed so hopefully we covered everything well for the gods:)



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The 310 lived up to her social / gathering ability also. We had 12 -15 people on board during the ceremony and post party, with most hanging in the cockpit under our new bimini, and 3-4 hanging down below. Even had one dog checking the deck and taking my daughter for a walk:cool:
 
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JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Our 1st Race!

As usual our life with kids is constantly influx and adjusting on the fly is the name of the game. Our new club had a race and Halloween party scheduled for this past Saturday but we had plans to see the Thunderbirds perform this weekend. On Thursday we got a call the show was cancelled so my wonderful wife said Abby and I should try our first race. So with pretty much no planning we showed up for our first ever pursuit race. Wind was predicted to be 10 to 15 and temps dropped to 50-60s. So big changes in comfort and decent wind for us.

We got up early and arrived at the docks at a little past 8 AM for breakfast and sign-up. Since we are brand new with this boat and club we were ranked to be the first boat to start. I was pretty nervous, being out front was not what I planned. There were only 4 boats that showed up and these were all 28' and up so not the smaller keel boats we were use to from our old club.

Abby was all smiles and she was excited to have a chance to see what we could do. We managed to cross the start line on time so that was at least a good sign. It went down hill from there as we struggled to actually sail to a point vs just letting the wind dictate our direction! Eventually we were passed by the other 3 boats before the first mark, so at this point we knew it couldn't get any worst.

I took a bit of time but eventually we made the mark and passed a boat! Small victory, but the high winds predicted never came so it was a slow progress. Downwind leg was painful and slow with no wind. We did eventually make the mark and stayed ahead of at least one boat. I had a brief moment of hope that we might catch the 2nd boat but the wind died and eventually the race was called. So it wasn't as action packed as most racers have but it was a fun day and we learned RoseLeigh a bit more. Abby was on picture duty this time.


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KZW

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May 17, 2014
831
Catalina 310 #307 Bluewater Bay, FL
Congratulations on your success!

- You didn't hit or get hit by another boat
- You didn't break or tear anything
- There was no blood on the deck
- You finished with the same crew with which you started (no one went swimming)
- You started on time, sailed the course, and passed a boat
- You had a good time

Sounds perfect to me.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
So being out front and then being chased down was a new experience and I'll admit we were a lot closer to other boats then I've ever been so I was on high alert. We should be getting the long distance river race next month so that will be fun and probably a lot more boats.

Oh Abby also asked if I would give her the 310 when we upgrade to the Jeanneau 440 in 10 years...
 
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JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
49th running of Great River Race

Last year my daughter and I made our first race the clubs annual Great River Race, we did it in our trusty O'Day 25 and somehow managed a 2nd place finish in short course non-spin class (9 hr max time 1 lap of the river course). We were shocked with the results since there was a fairly healthy turn out, but a lack of wind meant many pulled out before finishing. So we have been looking forward to this year in the 310. Unfortunately due to some race schedule issues this race was moved from late September to first weekend in November. Normally we in Northern Alabama don't really have to really worry about winter temps till late Nov - Jan, but the 'hold my beer state' had other ideas for the crew of RoseLeigh this year.

Speaking of crew, this year since we had the room, it became a family event, even my parents wanted to 'race' with us. This put a total of 6 people all day on RoseLeigh, which was the most we have ever sailed with and the longest day we have been on the water. The start line was set at the south end of Lake Guntersville from our marine, so we had a 1.5 hour motor down river to arrive before the 9 AM start. I set the wake up time for every one for 5 PM because we also had 30 min drive to the slip to plan for. Amazingly everyone got moving and we managed to arrive at a frosty RoseLeigh and docks by 6:15 AM. Since I spent Friday doing all the loading of provisions, fuel and checks we were underway within 30 min, greeted by the coldest sailing we have ever done but also an amazing sunrise over the lake!

Boat operations, safety and plan for the day was reviewed during our power run down the lake. My daughter, son and I did most of the operations and prep as everyone got comfortable, ate some breakfast and enjoyed the experience and adventure. We arrived to the southern start location an 1.5 hours early and were the only boat out there, so I swung us into the cove next to the Lake Guntersville Light House, which is a person's house that was built with an actual light house like you see in New England and dropped our anchor. The water was dead calm and the wind was not looking good with maybe 3-5 knots at the mast head.

At about 45 minutes to start boats started to show up, a total of I believe 12 for this cold race day with winds not looking to be great. The race horn and flags started to announce and there was high hope a wind miracle would occur, unfortunately it did not and the start was a replay of last years drift fest to the bridge that took 2.5 hours. Exciting sailboat racing was not happening today for sure but sprits were high and we had a ton of food and drinks! We did our best with what we had and everyone remained positive all day. My wife took helm duties very seriously and probably spent most of her time gently adjusting and holding our course while I worked trim adjustments to try and get every bit out of our wind. My Mom and Dad helped with tacking, my daughter filled many roles and my son was always up for hanging out helping me on the deck as we sat against the mast and just talked and helped make adjustments.

Afternoon winds picked up a bit but the progress was painfully slow. We made the turn around mark with 3 other boats and chaos erupted when a 4th boat took the turn on the wrong side in the middle of us. I called us off the mess and noted the issue by VHF to RC. I was pretty upset not for the lose of race lines but just the incredibly dangerous situation we were in. We adjusted and stayed clear and moved on. We then had a nice extra large barge and tug come around the bend luckily we stayed clear with no impact. We showed 8-10 knts at the mast but with less then 2 hours to finish our return to the finish line I knew we weren't going to make it. I made the call that we were with withdrawing and turning around to motor back to our slip. I know it was disappointing but the wind just wasn't going to work for us this year for RoseLeigh. The return home was also a first for us in the dark, thank god for Navtronics on my phone to help guide us back. Docking wasn't a drama this time either and everyone helped load up and clean up RoseLeigh. Our celebration of a completed challenge was at our favorite real Italian pizza and pasta place with a pitcher of bear that didn't last very long:) I'll post up the pics I got from everyone next, as usual I didn't take pictures but my wife, Mom and daughter did!
 
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JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Pics are out of order these where mostly the start of the day.IMG_15511.jpgIMG_15651.jpgIMG_15631.jpgIMG_15501.jpgIMG_15661.jpgIMG_15701.jpgIMG_15731.jpg
 
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Oct 3, 2011
825
Anam Cara Catalina 310 Hull #155 155 Lake Erie/Catawba Island
Looks Great despite No Wind-Great Family memories! on the new boat! Nice Pictures!
We raced our Catalina 25 in the Catalina 25 Nationals after a no wind attempt at getting to the start line, the RC asked "what is your intention?" My wife responded "TO RACE" as there was a time limit to cross the start line and there was NO wind.
We did great though, we finished 2nd with our boat overall! Good Memory!
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Great experience John. First family race. Images betray that all were having fun.
There will be another year and another race. Who knows maybe you'll get south to the Gulf some day and do one of those big water cross the Gulf to Mexico runs. Then you'll look back on that cold morning start and say... What were we thinking...

Thanks for sharing.
 
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JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Thanks @Alansails and @jssailem , our little adventures are pretty small steps and we haven't got the experience or big trips yet, but hope to some day! While I might be up for some Gulf to Mexico runs, my admiral would not:yikes: That said my wife did like the competitive nature of the event and we might just get her out on a pursuit weekend race in the future.

With any luck we will have some great experiences, memories and learning opportunities with RoseLeigh for the next 5-10 years as we work to our future sailing life.
 
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Oct 3, 2011
825
Anam Cara Catalina 310 Hull #155 155 Lake Erie/Catawba Island
Remember DO NOT Scare the sail out of her...BabySteps or .......
Keep her involved, so she has ownership in whats going on with the boat, trips, navigation, charts etc.
Happy Wife....
My Wife now Misses the boat and trips!
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Remember DO NOT Scare the sail out of her...BabySteps or .......
Keep her involved, so she has ownership in whats going on with the boat, trips, navigation, charts etc.
Happy Wife....
My Wife now Misses the boat and trips!
We made our first trip up the ICW from Florida to Massachusetts using a hand held GPS and paper charts. My wife kept track of every navigational marker and knew where we were at all times. She is a great navigator!
Nowadays we cruise mostly local waters and use the chartplotter, with the paper charts open on the companionway. She says she is bored sometimes, and will put the paper chart in front of her to check our route. She doesn't trust the chartplotter I guess. Anyway, she does take the helm more often now, and still likes to cruise, so all is good.