I did it again!

[passagesfromtheheart]

I took delivery of my new "old stock" boat yesterday -- a 2024 Com-Pac Legacy that was at Jeff Lynn's Com-Pac dealership in Houston. I want to thank one of our CPYOA forum members (who shall remain anonymous) who told me about the Legacy at Jeff's -- as soon as I saw the boat, it was as if something inside of me went BINGO!!!

Those of you who've known me, the past five years I've been on this forum, know that I've been on an odyssey -- or through a revolving door -- of sorts when it comes to Com-Pac sailboats. But please let me emphasize that each model I've had the pleasure and honor of having in my life has taught me a great deal not only about sailing and sailboats, but these experiences have helped me come to know myself better as a sailor.

Having said the above, I am uncertain if anyone really cares what I have to say, but I will go on to say this anyway: I feel extremely blessed to have been on this return-to-sailing journey with Com-Pac as an integral component after having been away from sailing almost two decades. I wish that I could call Gerry to share the news of my Legacy, and how I've come come full-circle in my journey with this new Com-Pac Legacy. He was the kind of person who'd be genuinely happy for you and share in that joy with you -- I think he really got it and understood that side of me, and it was heartwarming to have his acknowledgement and his support.

For those of you wondering why I didn't go with a Com-Pac cat boat as I had initially believed that I would do, there are a myriad of reasons. These reasons are a bit complicated to explain and honestly I worry that I tend to bore many of you with my epistles which I tend to post here -- in that light, I thank you for putting up with me. :-)  What I will tell you is that, after all of these years, I have come to finally discover and understand the kind of sailor I am -- and the kind of boat which beckons the sailor that I am  -- and that sailboat is a Com-Pac Legacy.

Meet my new Legacy, Starflower, aka Star!

[Cpy23ecl]

I'd be curious as to why you decided against the cat boats as I'm currently seriously contemplating selling my 2021 eclipse and going to a sunday cat.

Thx.

Fred

[kickingbug2]

   i dont remember where you are but we would love to meet you at the CLR next year

[passagesfromtheheart]

i dont remember where you are but we would love to meet you at the CLR next year

Thank you so much, kickingbug2, we would love to meet you all at CLR, too -- that is on the wishlist for next year with our Legacy, for sure!

[passagesfromtheheart]

I'd be curious as to why you decided against the cat boats as I'm currently seriously contemplating selling my 2021 eclipse and going to a sunday cat.

Thx.

Fred

Hi, Fred ~

Yes, I do recall you mentioning something about going with a Com-Pac cat boat and selling your Eclipse -- I didn't remember that it was the Sunday Cat, specifically, though. I LOVE both the Sun Cat and Sunday Cat -- the larger, bigger sister models also appeal to me.

I think, ultimately, the reason why I ended up bailing on the Sun Cat, and Sunday Cat, was one made with my heart vs my mind -- that is, the Legacy was my first Com-Pac and I have an immense level of familiarity and comfort with this model, combined with the fact that I highly regretted having sold my 2021 Legacy. Also, the opportunity to purchase a brand-new Com-Pac Legacy was just too great to pass up, especially as I got an incredible deal on it.

The next thing I'd say, for me, was will I miss having a sloop and am I ready to migrate to a new style of rig and the learning curve which'll be associated with it? Remember, I've had a handful of boats in the past five years and so the learning curve just kept getting steeper with each new boat -- though the trade-off was the reward and benefit of having learned SO much as a result of this.

After all of that, I've realized that I'm ready to slow things down a bit and focus, more so, on the art of sailing as opposed to the science and technical sides of it. I don't know if that makes any sense to anyone else, but it does to me. I understand how the Legacy works; how the boat responds/sails under varying conditions (at least as far as inland lake sailing goes -- and that's what I'll be doing for the foreseeable future). I want a chance to hone my craft and deepen my relationship with the Legacy -- this was the piece of the puzzle that I finally understood that I had been missing for all these years. It is liberating to discover this about myself. For so long, I kept living my life trying to become the sailor that I thought that I wanted to be -- that I envisioned myself to be -- while ignoring the sailor that I am in my heart -- for where I am right now, in this place that I am in life. It is what will allow me to get back to sailing as a passion as opposed to what has felt almost like a classroom learning experience of sorts. Not that this is bad -- it's just that I'm ready to come home now. Again, I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else, but it does to me.

As far as other things that factored into my decision about the Sun Cat/Sunday Cat: I have concerns about the rigs having not been properly handled. I think that every used boat that I inquired about had issues with the mast track as was discussed over the Sun Cat/Sunday Cat section in an exchange of posts largely between myself and Bruce. He helped me understand what to look for -- and also another forum member was also greatly instrumental in helping me know what to look for with respect to the kind of damage that often happens from improperly storing the booms/sail. While repairs are all very much available to mitigate such conditions, I don't have access to help in my area to resolve these sorts of things.

The above all said, these are the reasons that are at the top. There are others...but look how long my post is already. :-) Hopefully, not so long that people gave up reading back in paragraph #2. ;-D

[Cpy23ecl]

Thanks for the insights.  I think ultimately most boat decisions are emotional instead of logical.  If they were truly logical there would be a lot less boats sold :-)

I too have debated sloop vs cat.  I know the sloop has better performance especially upwind, but now that I'm not cruising, but merely daysailing, I find that I generally sail on a beam reach anyway as it's less work and a gentler motion.  I'm guessing there's not a lot of difference sailing a cat boat on a beam reach as compared to a sloop.  And as a plus the jib sheets won't get caught on the gin pole pin when tacking.

[bruce]

An experienced sailor, like you two, would have no problem adjusting to a gaff rig. They can point much higher than is generally thought. You won't get the same drive into the wind as you get in ideal conditions on a sloop, but it's still feels pleasant and competent. Fewer lines to manage, but the one large sail can be tweaked with the two halyards, two outhauls, and a boom vang that I find very useful, if you are feeling competitive. Like most sailors I suspect, usually it's dialed in well enough already and I don't fuss with it.

The lack of a foresail lends itself to an open cockpit, which I prefer. One of the biggest benefits is the short mast, fully rigged, can just fold down for trailering. 5 minutes at the ramp. You'll spend more time answering questions from onlookers who expect a sailboat to take forever to derig.

I think the critical thing here is to actually see and sail a catboat to feel the difference and be reassured that it will be just fine. Nothing beats a test drive. I expected we'd end up with a Marshall Sandpiper 15, but the PC was a better boat for us.

[SJMason]

Hi Michelle,

I'm excited for you and your new Legacy. Your new boat will serve you well and I'm sure remind you of the great sailing time you had with Sunflower!  Now if Spring time could just hurry up!

Congratulations on your purchase!

Stephen

[passagesfromtheheart]

Hi Michelle,

I'm excited for you and your new Legacy. Your new boat will serve you well and I'm sure remind you of the great sailing time you had with Sunflower!  Now if Spring time could just hurry up!

Congratulations on your purchase!

Stephen

Hi, Stephen!!! Thank you sooooooo much — means the world to me to see your thoughtful remarks!!! I'm so excited to have Sunflower's sister — I simply cannot wait to go sailing with Starflower — that roller furler she has is sure going to spoil me!😁 Now, I just need to send in her mainsail to have some additional reef points added and we'll be set to go! Texas 200, here I come!!! Wooot wooooot!!!

[Cpy23ecl]

An experienced sailor, like you two, would have no problem adjusting to a gaff rig. They can point much higher than is generally thought. You won't get the same drive into the wind as you get in ideal conditions on a sloop, but it's still feels pleasant and competent. Fewer lines to manage, but the one large sail can be tweaked with the two halyards, two outhauls, and a boom vang that I find very useful, if you are feeling competitive. Like most sailors I suspect, usually it's dialed in well enough already and I don't fuss with it.

The lack of a foresail lends itself to an open cockpit, which I prefer. One of the biggest benefits is the short mast, fully rigged, can just fold down for trailering. 5 minutes at the ramp. You'll spend more time answering questions from onlookers who expect a sailboat to take forever to derig.

I think the critical thing here is to actually see and sail a catboat to feel the difference and be reassured that it will be just fine. Nothing beats a test drive. I expected we'd end up with a Marshall Sandpiper 15, but the PC was a better boat for us.

Thx.  The open cockpit is one of things that appeals to me as well as the simplified rigging/derigging. 

[bruce]

Fred,

If you do look at the Sunday Cat consider a Mastendr Plus over the basic Mastendr system. The later requires tensioning the headstay at the bow with a Highfield lever, which can be a tough reach over the small cabin. The Plus system uses a fold out lever as a gin pole and a line running back to the cockpit where it is clamped. I believe you'll find both systems out there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeqE8RLoyQ0 (see 4:30)

[Cpy23ecl]

Fred,

If you do look at the Sunday Cat consider a Mastendr Plus over the basic Mastendr system. The later requires tensioning the headstay at the bow with a Highfield lever, which can be a tough reach over the small cabin. The Plus system uses a fold out lever as a gin pole and a line running back to the cockpit where it is clamped. I believe you'll find both systems out there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeqE8RLoyQ0 (see 4:30)

Thanks for pointing that out, I was not aware of that.

[alsantini]

Congrats on the new boat.  From the little I know about the Legacy, it is supposed to be a good sailing boat.  You having two plus an assortment of other boats would know.  Enjoy.  Hope to see you at CLR this summer.  Sail On - Al

[Bewildered]

Congratulations on your repeat purchase.  A new boat is like a blank page for you to creatively set up to your perfect personal specs. Lovely looking boat!

[passagesfromtheheart]

Congrats on the new boat.  From the little I know about the Legacy, it is supposed to be a good sailing boat.  You having two plus an assortment of other boats would know.  Enjoy.  Hope to see you at CLR this summer.  Sail On - Al

Hey, Al!

Thank you so much! I'm so excited about my new Legacy — and I'd love to join you all for 2026 CLR! I've got it on my radar, for sure!

I sold my 25, will be selling my 23 this spring, and, unfortunately, I just lost my buyer on my older 2008 Legacy — took the boat off-market and had been holding the boat awaiting the buyer's pick-up. Then, he called me just the other day to tell me he just bought a 1986 Com-Pac 16 that had been restored. Next time, I'll definitely ask for a deposit. I'm sure I'll find a great captain for her when the timing is right, and lesson learned, of course, with the other buyer.

Fair winds,
~ Chelle