(Mic) wrote:
With certain "mods" like Dave and Aja on ther 25ft Catalina did for
their circumnavagation these could be contenders.


And if your uncle had wheels, he'd be a tea cart.



A SetSail visitor recently asked: What modifications did Dave make to
his Cal-25 DIRECTION to prepare it for a circumnavigation? What
thought processes were involved in his decisions? In a general sense,
what should a prudent mariner look for when modifying a stock
production boat for offshore sailing?

Thought process. I chose to modify my Cal-25, DIRECTION, because it
was the only boat I could afford."

Seems to me he's changed his story over the years, when he first started
getting published he admitted it was a foolish thing to do, that he'd
been headstrong instead of smart, and the he wouldn't do the same thing
over. It would have been better to put the same amount of work into
making more money to buy a better boat, but that was the boat he had and
he was emotionally attached to it.

It's interesting to read his description of the boat after almost two
years of hard sailing... clapped-out, severe oilcanning, very little
structural integrity in the fiberglass laminate of the hull itself. He
said the keel swung back & forth like the clapper of the bell.

Sounds like now that he's making money off it, he's talking a different
line. A little surprising, I've met Dave Martin when they lived in
Oriental NC and he struck me as quite a decnt type fellow.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King