Suncat cruise to Maine

[frank]

Rick and I trailered to Maine last week for a cruise. I'm in Ontario and he is from NY...it was about a 420 mile drive (oneway) each. This was our 8th cruise together. We've trailered to Chesapeake Bay, Buzzards Bay, Moosehead Lake ME, the North Channel (Lake Huron), Ottawa River (Ontario) and twice to Lake Champlain. Our lil suncats are set up pretty well to cruise. FUN lil boats.
Pics here  http://sailfar.net/forum/index.php/topic,4016.msg44422.html#msg44422

[jthatcher]

you guys sure get around!     i love the pics from Maine.. nice job of reporting about the trip..  jt

[tmorgan]

My wife and I just returned from a five week trip to Maine.  First sailing on Casco Bay and then on Eggemoggin Reach. Maine is a great place to sail a Suncat!

[reedtg3]

Nice job, Guys! Where did you have your dodgers fabricated?
Tom. CP 17 SC 377 "Cattail"

[jthatcher]

hey tmorgan,   i hope that you have some pics to post..  and lots of details  of the trip..   i am headed up to the mid-coast next week..  it is a school trip.. so  not quite  as  cool as your trip, but we will be doing some neat things..   maybe a trip on a wind jammer...    jt

[frank]

I had Gerry do them.(Compac) Mine was the 1st one ever...turned out well. Couldn't imagine not having one. Protection from wind, sun, spray, rain. Keep your hatch wide open in anything. Zip your sun shade onto it.....

[tmorgan]

Blog of our trip to Maine is at  http://adventures-tom.blogspot.com/ if you're interested.  Not all sailing stuff but some info and pics  of our sailing days.

[mikew]

Frank, Tom- first its great to see and read of your cruises on the Suncats. Question- as you cruise on these boats what do you think would be the max time spent living on the boat and stay comfortable ? I own a Cp-16 and have cruised for up to 5 days on it, a mix of marina stops and anchoring out. But as I get closer to retirement I think the easier to rig Suncat with its larger cabin would fit the bill for trailer sailing around the country. It seems both of you have found the Suncat to be ideal for this type of vacation.

Mike

[frank]

I have cruised an M15 as well. The added room in a suncat makes a huge difference!! Rainy days are MUCH easier...especially with the dodger-sun shade. I am certain I could do a month+ solo. I have done 7 days with ease as a couple.

[tmorgan]

My wife and I have cruised a week on our Suncat several times on the Chesapeake; mostly at marinas with a few nights at anchor.  We have a kitchen box, porty pot etc., but it is still camping on the water!

[frank]

I singlehand most often....but we did 8 days on Moosehead a few years back. We anchored out every night but did go into Grenvelle 2 or 3 times for dinner and icecream. We were fine. I did have the filler cushions along....made for a better double bunk.

[Joseph]

Congrats Frank! What a beautiful sailing experience...

Love your dodgers but I've always "dodged" having one because stepping forward is already difficult enough for me without one. How do you manage?

J.

[frank]

The dodger does slightly hamper movement forward...but not too badly. The benifits are well worth it to me....and I'm sure Rick as well. I couldn't imagine cruising without our set-ups.  I'm 56 and Rick is 66 so we're not "kids" climbing forward     If we can..........

[Joseph]

> "If we can..."

Well, I don't know about that... Not by much, but I am well beyond 66, and although I still do not hesitate to step forward when needed, I need to pull all my strength into it... You'll see when you get there... I am also finding out that in later years I trip easily and have a slower response to adjust, which means that I need to pay careful attention to anyting that can be on the way of my feet when I move in the boat. However, I can easily see how those dodgers would be a great protection from the wind and rain in addition to giving some real head-room inside the cabin! And they also blend quite nicely with the beautiful lines of the SunCat. Enjoy!

J.