Hello From CP 23 Owner

[sailondown]

 Hello from Gulfport, Mississippi.  I purchased a 1984 CP 23 in November and I am preparing the boat for sailing.  I have really appreciated the information and discussions on CPYOA.  Maybe one day I will know enough about this boat to contribute to the wealth of knowledge on this site!  I have owned several sailboats in the past, lost my Oday 23 in the tropical event of 2005.  I look forward to sailing my boat in the Mississippi Sound and out to the barrier islands.  I hope 2014 is a great sailing year for everyone.     

[jthatcher]

welcome to the site.. lots of great folks here, but you seem to have that figured out already!   We look forward to hearing about your adventures and to seeing pics!   Best of luck as you get ready to sail your new boat..   jt

[brackish]

Welcome Sailondown!  I see a Gulf Coast Ron-Day-Voo  in the future.

I'm in Tupelo, keep my 23 on Bay Springs Lake just off the Natchez Trace Parkway.  However, I lived in Gulfport for 20 years kept three boats down there, and am planning to move back to the coast, probably Biloxi or Ocean Springs.  That will probably happen this year real estate market willing.

Barrier Islands is a great sailing destination, spent many a night anchored off of Cat, Ship or Horn. 

Yep, that Katrina was truly a witch, altered my plans for the future significantly.  However, adjust, adapt, and move on.

[Bob23]

Hey there Sailondown:
   I can see from your taste in sailboats that your a man of discriminating character. And speaking of characters, you'll find a boat load of 'em around here!
  Welcome to the land of the Compac-o-nauts! Looking forward to your input and you already know something...what's your boats name and how did she find you?
Bob23 and "Koinoina"- 1985 23/2 in NJ

[HideAway]

We sail out of the other Gulfport -- Florida.   Welcome aboard!   Matt

[BruceW]

Welcome; I'm a new owner of a 23 also; keeping it in New Bern, NC. Mine is a 1980 Mark I with a user added bowsprit. Still getting acquainted with it.

[sailondown]

  Thanks to all for the kind words of welcome!  I can't believe that I got a response from some of the people that I have been reading for the last few months.  Brackish, I would like to get together sometime for a coast sailing trip.  I plan to keep my boat a Gulfport so I will let you know when I get it in the water.  I used to do tours of Fort Massachusetts for the Park Service out on Ship Island.  If you have not been out there lately they have really done a great job of restoring the fort.  HideAway, I have seen all of your videos and they are one of the reasons that I purchased a ComPac.  Who knows, maybe one day we could sponsor a Gulfport to Gulfport CP 23 cruise! 
  Bob23, my boat was purchased from a boat dealer near Atlanta.... what an exciting trip towing the boat through Atlanta traffic on a Friday afternoon!  I could not find a suitable CP23 locally.  This is a freshwater boat that really needed some cosmetic work but is very sound and lightly used.  As I have gone through the boat doing repair work there have been no bad surprises.  I have named the boat after my wife, Cheryl Ann.  Perhaps this will provide some goodwill when the bills from marine supply stores start to come in!  I plan to start posting pictures soon.
  Now, if we could just get the Arctic weather to leave the Gulf Coast.

[brackish]

Sailondown, are you planning to keep it at the Gulfport Small Craft harbor?  I'm kind of shopping for a home for mine.  Regardless of whether I can pull off the move, I'm probably going to put the boat down there when my contract ends at Bay Springs this August.  When the harbor was first reopened after the rebuild from Katrina, they were not very competitive to the smaller boats, making them pay a monthly pump out and electrical fee, even if you had no holding tank and used no electrical.  It seemed to me they were making the little guys subsidize the big yachts that used that stuff.  I kept my boats down there for 20 years pre Katrina and  fees were reasonable at that time but not when I checked after Katrina.  But I haven't checked lately.  It kind of made me angry because it is a city owned facility and should not be used as a profit center.  The small craft harbor never required any kind of subsidy from the city tax coffers, it was always self paying.

I have been out to the fort side of ship as recently as last summer.  It is very nice, and having been going out there since long before the park service took over the barrier islands, I have to say they have really done a good job of making nice improvements but keeping them natural and pristine.  Hope the state can do the same thing with the portion of Cat that they have been awarded from BP.

[sailondown]

   Oh no!  I have not returned to this site and did not know that Brackish had sent a response.  Sorry.  I do plan to keep my boat at the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor.  The cost will be about $180 per month and that is much higher than it was before the tropical event of 2005.  On the other hand, it is a beautiful harbor with a very nice harbormaster house, restrooms and other facilities.  We like being able to go to the boat and then walk to downtown Gulfport where there are some great restaurants and shops (charbroiled oysters at Half Shell restaurant and steak at Lookout Steakhouse).  We enjoy watching the Coast Guard and Ship Island Ferry activity as well.  It is a very busy harbor in the summer.
  Brackish, let me know if I can be of assistance when you plan to come down.  We are just a few minutes from Gulfport Harbor.  I too have been sailing to the barrier islands since the mid 1960s.  We need to swap stories!
Sailondown

[brackish]

Curious, is that month to month with no contract?  I'm paying about $120 at Bay Springs, but that is in advance with a years contract.  It would be about $140 on a month to month basis.  And do they offer any break for advance payments?  If you don't know off the top of your head don't go to any trouble just let me know, I'll call and chat with them.

[sailondown]

  Gulfport did not mention any discount for paying in advance but I did not ask.  I was going to get more details when I went down to pay for the slip.  Long beach harbor offers a significant discount if you are a resident of Harrison county.  I am sure that you know that Bay St. Louis is building a new harbor and Pass Christian is in the process of doubling the size of their harbor.  There should be plenty of slips available along the coast.  Point Cadet has a lot of empty slips.  Ocean Springs harbor is full.  It is hard to complain about what we have to pay when you hear stories from Florida.
  I hope to have my boat in the water by the end of the month unless we have more arctic weather. 
Sailondown