Impulse Delivered, Becomes Fantasia

Our friend Chris brought Impulse down to us. He has a massive Ford pickup truck, which makes hauling the boat easy. He happened to be on Whidbey Island that weekend, and it was just a couple of miles out of his way.

Unfortunately, as he was bringing it in the last couple of miles, the brakes on the trailer started smoking. We weren't sure why at the time (I'll cover that in a later post). Still, it made it and got dropped in Greg's parent's driveway. Our driveway isn't conducive to parking the boat because of the steepness of it.

We had a few hours to admire our new possession before having to get ready for our vacation.

That morning we had decided on what we were going to rename the boat. Although Impulse was a good name, we had decided that Fantasia was a better name for us.

First, Sandi had just lost her mom. Her mom was a Disney Imagineer, having worked for Disney for more than 15 years. Her 15 year anniversary award was a Mickey Mouse with the sorcerer's hat and robe from the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of the 1940 movie Fantasia. Some of Sandi's best memories growing up was going to the Disney parks with her mom, as well as one of her last. The last time Sandi had been with her mom, they went to Walt Disney World together.

Second, Greg's dad had been taking us to the Seattle Symphony for the last several years. We had heard many of the pieces from Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 being played live at various points. Since Greg's dad was helping make the acquisition of the boat possible, it seemed appropriate.

Third, I could just imagine the kids trying to bail the boat to the music of Paul Dukas's Sorcerer's Apprentice as new water came crashing over the sides.

It will take a while before the new name will be applied to the boat, so in the pictures that follow, it will still say Impulse until we can finish the renaming.

Bought Impulse

One of the first photos of Impulse

As just idle speculation, we mentioned to Greg's dad that "if we got a boat, could we park it in their driveway?" After trying to talk us out of it, he then started sending us links to various boats for sale. One of the prime candidates was a boat named Impulse, then on a trailer on Whidbey Island, Washington State. Actually Sandi found this boat first, and sent a link saying "this is more like what we are looking for."

On Saturday, June 14, Greg's dad went out to Whidbey Island and talked to the owner and took about 50 photos. We weren't available that day. The boat seemed in very good shape, unlike a few other that we looked at.

Sandi and Conner on Impulse

We went out to Whidbey Island, taking the ferry from Mukilteo. We left being the proud owners of a fine Catalina 22. At the time, our vehicle didn't have a trailer hitch, so we couldn't bring her back with us. We arrange for a friend to bring her home for us.

She came with:

• A Calkins single axel trailer
• 6 sails: Two mainsails, a furling jib, a regular jib, a gennaker, and a spinnaker (however, no spinnaker pole)
• Sail bags
• A 8 hp Johnson two cycle outboard motor J8SRLESR Rope Start Non-Tilt 20" Shaft 1990
• A cover for the outboard
• A Standard Horizon Eclipse DSC GX1000S 25 Watt VHF/FM DSC Marine Transceiver and antenna
• Good cushions all round
• Curtains
• An anchor
• A paddle
• Three life vests
• A type IV horseshoe life ring
• An emergency kit, with flares, etc.
• A fire extinguisher
• An air fog horn
• Various lines
• Canvas winch covers
• Parts for a mast raising system
• A cover for the cabin when the pop-top is raised
• Sail Cover
• Manuals for the boat itself, the motor, the furling jib, the VHF radio, etc.
• A chart for Puget Sound, and a guide for essential knots
• A dodger that needs all the vinyl windows replaced
• A Thetford Sea Farer porta-potti
• A tiller handle cover 
• Life lines
• Forward hatch
• Pop top

We went immediately to the Department of Licensing place to register it. Although we had the title for the boat, we discovered that we didn't get the title for the trailer. The reason was that it had just been re-issued to the previous owner and was still in the mail. He sent it a few days later and we applied for the title after we received it.

We had done our research on the value of the boat, the trailer, and the other stuff. We had prepared three separate bills of sale: one for the boat, one for the trailer, one for all the other stuff including the outboard. There can be beneficial tax reasons for structuring it like this.

Took a Look at Impulse

We went out to Whidbey Island to look at a boat. It was a disaster. It smelled inside, and had been leaking water. It was unstable on the trailer. Since we were out there, we decided to go look at Impulse. The owner wasn't home, but we could walk around it in the driveway. It looked good. It was in good shape. We decided to come back when the owner was home and could see the inside the cabin and ask some questions.

Dad looks at Impulse

One of the first photos of Impulse

As just idle speculation, we mentioned to Greg's dad that "if we got a boat, could we park it in their driveway?" After trying to talk us out of it, he then started sending us links to various boats for sale. One of the prime candidates was a boat named Impulse, then on a trailer on Whidbey Island, Washington State. Actually Sandi found this boat first, and sent a link saying "this is more like what we are looking for."

On Saturday, June 14, Greg's dad went out to Whidbey Island and talked to the owner and took about 50 photos. We weren't available that day. The boat seemed in very good shape, unlike a few other that we looked at.

Greg's Background

Although I have never really sailed, I have pretty much always wanted a sailboat. My father had a small sailboat when I was a kid, although we didn't use it much. He, however, had dreams of owning a bigger sailboat. As a teenager, I read Chapman Piloting & Seamanship cover to cover.

After looking at the possibilities for sail boats, I decided that either I wanted a 70' sloop or ketch with staterooms and a crew, or, more realistically, a 20' to 24' sloop with a swing keel that fit on a trailer. I figured that a 20-24' boat wasn't going to capsize frequently, and would be suitable for sailing anywhere except open ocean. (Ernest Shackleton sailed a 22' boat 800 miles across the open ocean, but he really did not have a choice.)

After examining the options, I decided that a Catalina 22 was about exactly the right boat. It had sleek lines, and was easily trailerable. Some 30 years+ later my wife and I now own one.

This blog and the associated articles will chronicle our experiences with purchasing, owning, maintaining, and sailing this boat. We intend this to be a a place where we can post what we have learned as a resource to others. We will answer the stupid questions that everyone that has owned a boat before already knows, because we just asked that stupid question and had to find the answer. We will link to other content on the web that we find useful. We will also write all the standard stuff that goes into a captain's log, although we will use Gregorian dates instead of stardates, to the dismay of my Star Trek fanatic wife.

We have chosen to use a very loose definition of a yacht for the name of this blog. Some definitions of "yacht" pick an arbitrary size and state that any vessel shorter than that is a boat and not a yacht. The definition we chose is simply "a vessel used for private cruising, racing, or other noncommercial purposes". I would argue that the difference is whether it has an enclosed cabin allowing comfortable overnight accommodations. In any case, regardless of the size of the vessel, the act of having one is "yachting".

We are both pretty experienced "computer people", so where it makes sense, we will provide software tools that will help with maintaining a boat.

Welcome!

Hi!

Welcome to Greg and Sandi's Catalina 22 owner log/blog. My husband and I are excited to join the community of sail boaters, Catalina owners and other trailer sailers alike. We decided to start this blog as an updated version of the standard ship's log, and a way to share with others what we learn along the way.

First, some background...

Since we live in the greater Seattle area, we have a myriad of options for both fresh water and salt water sailing. Nearby, the San Juan Islands are recognized as a prime sailing destination both for their beauty and the protected waterways of Puget Sound. Other nearby lakes offer fresh water destinations, and Victoria, Vancouver and the Inside Passage are all within reach. We live within view of the large and beautiful Lake Washington, where I'm able to see boats out daily much of the year, even in our all too common Pacific Northwest liquid form of sunshine that some call rain. Boating in general is very popular in the region and we're looking forward to getting out on the water and creating many lasting memories with both family and friends.

Growing up in Miami, Fla., another boating mecca, I learned to sail as a child. One summer, when I was about 10, I took a sailing class with my best friend that was offered thru Girl Scouts. A couple of times each week, we attended classes and sailed dinghys around a large harbor, in between lots of large yachts moored offshore. We learned to control our little dinghys pretty quickly since a wrong move could have sent us crashing into a large and expensive yacht! The classes culminated in a day long sail south along the Miami coastline to a nearby island, circumnavigation of the island, a quick shore trip for packed lunches, and finally the long sail back home.  I think that was the day when I fell in love with sailing. Then again, it could have been the day I had a close encounter with a Florida manatee while in my dinghy.

Blackwater Sound, south of Miami, Florida
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

Shortly after learning to sail, my grandfather, who had a little property in Key Largo, bought a build-at-home sailboat kit (I don't know the make). I remember getting to work with him on it from time to time when I could go down for a visit. Once the boat was finished, he started taking it out, but my grandmother said he wouldn't put the sails up without me along because he'd never learned to sail! Usually, he'd just motor around with it. I remember one time I got in trouble at home and was grounded on a weekend I'd been planning to go down to Key Largo. I packed my bag, snuck out and started walking towards Key Largo, running away from home, to go sailing with him. That's about 60 miles I was planning to walk, and I was around 12 years old.

Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

We sailed together on and off for several years, all around Key Largo but mainly in Black Water Sound. In my mid teens, I got busy with school and friends and didn't spend as much time with my grandparents. But at age 19, I had the good fortune to spend a year working on a tropical island in the middle of the Indian Ocean with both Laser and Catalina sailboats available to rent very cheaply, along with some pretty amazing beaches, fishing, and snorkeling. The sailing club on the island put on races regularly, and I spent many of my days off either racing in a Laser or cruising one of their Catalina 22s around the large protected lagoon. It was there that I fell in love with the Catalina 22.