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Not
just the Spanish Main luv, |
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Temptress is a my new old boat, a
1991 Catalina Capri 26.
Yep, another Capri, almost identical to my old 18 - just 50% bigger.
But what a difference the extra 9 feet makes!
A comparrison of Capri 18 and Capri 26...
The 26 has a masthead sloop rig and a shoal draft wing keel, with
nearly 10 feet of beam(!).
The masthead rig is a bit different from the smaller Capris, which
are fractional rigs.
Temptress, lounging at home...
I love the size of the fore deck. By normal standards it's huge.
Room to walk around. Room for a handy anchor locker.
Room to lay in the sun.
Come below for a short tour...
Down the companionway, to port we have an enclosed head.
note: this is also the 'before' picture for the electrical panel. It
was custom
built like this by the first owner back about 1992.
It's nice, but you can't sit there and lean against the wall in any
kind of comfort.
(Click here to jump to the 'after' picture)
In the "main cabin", the stock Catalina switch panel has
been installed on st'brd
side to the front wall of the head. Very convenient access to all the
electrical stuff.
(But it's in my way. So see the changes here.)
The electrical system sources are comprised of a 30 Amp 120 VAC shore power,
two deep cycle marine 12 volt batteries, a 120 VAC 500 watt inverter,
and I added
a small 15 watt solar panel. In addition, the motor can provide 6
amps charge current.
There is a seven-foot long settee on each side of the forward cabin,
A folding leaf table is centered on the mast support post.
There is a nice deep sump in the bilge with an automatic electric
bilge pump
below and a manual bilge pump in the cockpit.
At the very forward end of the cabin there is a roomy sail locker
below, storage
space for personal items, and a small shelf with a pair of Bose speakers.
The audio system consists of a JVC CD player (with built-in iPod support.
It will control, play, and charge my iPod).
With my hearing loss, it was really nice that the output from the VHF
marine radio
can be routed through the stereo. I can hear that!
The forward hatch and side windows provide good ventilation.
Coming aft on starboard side, the galley has a two burner alcohol
stove (under the
white cover), a small sink with hot and cold pressure water, and a
large well
insulated ice box.
Can you live out of one kitchen drawer?
Oh well... lets go sailing...
The instrument panel (visible at the top right of the galley picture)
swings around
the companionway and locks in place so all instruments are visible in
the cockpit.
Wind direction and speed, boat speed, water depth, compass, and GPS
are here.
Pics taken from Fred's Catalina 27 via his Blackberry..
There are some jobs that are a challenge, but rewarding.
Like setting the spinnaker solo. (On second thought, I'm glad nobody
was near enough to watch!)
And then there are jobs that are a LOT more fun to do...
It's not the height that gets me (it's only 40 feet :)
But the sway!
Juxtaposition:
It's late Friday night, about 2 AM. We have a light southwest
breeze tonight and the water is glassy smooth. The moon has
already set tonight and what few lights there are around the
lake are barely visible.
It's easy to imagine oak planks beneith bare feet, canvas sails,
the smell of tar and salt as we glide silently across the water.
I'm thinking this is what it must have been like 200 years past,
a wooden ship sailing by the stars alone.
The stars...
Looking up and searching the familiar constellations I notice a
tiny speck of white light moving steadily across the heavens.
The International Space Station is sailing across the twenty-
first century sky.
And I'm down here sailing across the 19th.
