Sailing in the Bay

We kept our first boat, a Catalina 22, on the Delaware River across from Philadelphia. We used her as a day sailer, for short weekend getaways and quick after work sails. That boat, our original Island Time, was the first step towards our dream of one day sailing off into the sunset.

Though we loved our little boat the plan was always to move up to something larger. After a lot of research and some prodding from my wife I found our second boat, a Catalina 30, in Norfolk, VA in the spring of 2008. I enlisted my sailing buddy Paul and we sailed her from Norfolk to her new home on Long Beach Island, NJ  -- a trip that was a bit too much of an adventure (squalls, tornados, damaged sails, engine problems...). 

But despite the bumps along the way Paul liked her so much he found and purchased her twin. For two summers his boat Free Ride was berthed behind us (you can see her in the background on the opening page). We kept the 22 for a season but owning two boats just wasn't practical and the original Island Time found a new home in 2009.

After five years we're still thrilled with our Catalina 30. If you've ever been to the Caribbean you understand what it means to be "on island time". On island time life moves a little slower and your blood pressure is a little lower.

Our shipboard mascot signed on in Costa Rica

We kept Island Time on Long Beach Island just north of Atlantic City for two summers. But there are only so many places you can sail on Little Egg Bay and the resort crowds and traffic on LBI get old. We moved up to Barnegat, and eventurally on to Forked River on Barnegat Bay. The crowds are smaller and friendlier and the pace is slower.

Why This Boat?
The short answer is she met our needs. It's striking how much Catalina packed into a 30 foot package; her interior volume is closer to what you find on most 34's and 36's. And these Catalina 30's have a well deserved reputation as solid sailing boats with a good turn of speed and no bad habits. The third generation C30's have the modern features of the new boats and we've added or upgraded anything she was lacking. We feel she is laid out better and works better for everyday living and sailing than Catalina 309 and 315. 

The Mark III has a roomy comfortable cockpit with a walk through transom and stern perch seats. She can be single handed or easily managed by a couple and has a powerful 25hp diesel. She really shines in livability. There are plenty of comfortable places to relax and stretch out both above and below deck. The galley is large enough to turn out real meals. Access to the reliable Universal 25XP diesel and all seacocks is above average. Plenty of hatches make the boat feel airy on summer evenings. My only real complaint is the shower could be a little larger, but then I'm a big guy.

With her shoal keel we can get into shallow waters and she stands up well in the mid-20 knot winds we often see in the afternoon on the bay as she shoulders through the chop and powerboat wakes. Yet she's no slug in light air.