Commodore's Column

by Tom Sokoloski
Catalina 36 International Association

So what’s on the mind of the average person reading Mainsheet? Have you just bought your first boat, full of starry-eyed amazement and wondering what’s this all about? Are you an accomplished veteran with thousands of ocean miles under your belt, having owned many boats in the past? Are you somewhere in-between? Over the past several months there have been numerous questions on the email list server (C36list@Catalina36.org) from new owners of new boats and not-so-new boats. Some of our boats are well into their third decade, but even so, from the tone of the emails, you can literally feel the excitement. I wonder what it is about “new” boat ownership that brings out the excitement?

by Tom Sokoloski
Catalina 36 International Association

Sailing’s Little Pleasures
Have you ever noticed that sailing (and life, for that matter) is made up of a series of little pleasures? The gurgle of water past the boat. Sunny skies and gentle seas. The genoa that furls perfectly around the forestay. Tracking down that loose wire. Finding a buoy in dense fog. Steering with two fingers while the boat tracks straight as an arrow. The clang of a gong and the cries of a gull in the distance. An engine that starts with the touch of a button. Ten degrees of heel and ten knots of wind. Gliding into the dock and stopping exactly where you planned. A completed project that makes you beam with pride. Sun creeping up over the horizon with the promise of a great day. Sun settling down over the horizon at the end of a great day. A perfect mark rounding by a well trained crew. Sitting in the cockpit and simply enjoying the sights, sounds and smells.

By Dennis Stovall
Catalina 36 International Association

Ahoy, everyone. This is my 8th and final column as your commodore, and I feel like I’m approaching the harbor after a 2-year voyage – exhausted, glad to be returning to my home port, and looking back on the past two years as an adventure.

Like any adventure, there are good memories, and difficult ones. And like any adventure, the most challenging and difficult events from the past two years are the ones that will remain the most memorable as I look back on this.