Cal 20 #1220 afloat again

[SailingChris]

My Cal 20, Martha C, splashed yesterday for her 25th season in my care. Last year I finally convinced our local diver/mooring specialist to replace my mooring chain, which was an occasion for great relief. One of a boat owner's basic obligations is to keep the vessel off the shore. Launch day was sunny and warm until just after the mast was stepped, as I headed to the mooring under power. Then it began raining and thunder boomed a bit. I huddled below until the worst had passed because the next phase of the process was to row ashore and ride my bike back to the launch site to retrieve my truck.

The launch was delayed because the big Catalina that was ahead of me was not properly prepared. The mast stepping took forever and then the owner loaded cushions at a leisurely pace. Then the diesel would not keep running. One of the launch guys did a bleed on the injectors but then it sucked air again. Apparently the owner was not prepared or willing to search for the leak. They eventually pushed the boat aside and got my boat's mast stepped. I am grateful to have a simple little boat that always gets out of the way, even if the 1967 outboard sometimes complains strenuously about its own fumes in the cockpit motor well. (I don't have a stern bracket--too ugly).

Stepping the mast on a Cal 20 can be done quickly by two guys. Install pivot bolt and aft lower shrouds; push mast up and secure forestay; attend to the other stays and shrouds.I did it that way for many years. But the new launch guy has a crane. When your tool is a hammer, every problem is a nail. So he insists on stepping via crane. That gets into problems with the diamond stays and Windex. He has to climb the learning curve every year. I keep telling him that some day his hydraulics will fail and we can do it the easy way. He makes a sour face.

But now old no. 1220 is floating at her mooring, and tonight I'll row out to rig the boom, bend on the sails, and head out for a first sail of the season. I learned last spring that I am known as "the guy who sails onto his mooring" among the yacht club members ashore. I had always figured that it was just something sailors did, a part of the skill set. But these days it's regarded as unusual....

Chris Campbell
Traverse City, MI

[rcvesselstyn]

It's great to hear that you are back on the water! Years ago one of our members said you were a true inspiration. I'm sure your skills of sailing off/on your Mooring are inspiring some of the yacht clubbers to expand their abilities. Have a great sailing season!