Greetings From Tampa

[claym88]

Hello all,

My name is Clay and I own a Catalina 27 tall rig (hull 6058, her name is Dulcinea). I have raced for 7 years at my yacht club on another boat and also owned a 19' day sailor (Montego 19) for 13 years but last year purchased my first keel boat for coastal cruising. She has been a joy so far to own.

She has an inboard diesel with a wheel and draws 4', so my favorite part is letting a friend steer while I trim the sails going upwind (never in traffic!). The wheel seems to be more intuitive for most guest pilots than my previous boat's tiller. Included with the boat was an autopilot (wheel variety) which has been my favorite add-on to date. This boat is small enough to single-hand (which I have taken out on many occasions) but also great for having friends aboard.

Projects on the horizon include a bottom job this spring (she stays in water year-round), and stripping the current varnish job by a previous owner (which has reached end of life) and epoxying/varnishing the teak trim. Also on the horizon is a trip down to Ft. Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas (still in planning stage).

I have been reading this board for the past few years (and the daily digest for the past 18 months) and decided it was time to finally post an introduction. So far I have gained lots of insight and wisdom from this board and hope to be able to contribute to this ever expanding body of knowledge (which is easily searched!).

Fair winds!

[Celestialsailor]

Welcome to the forum. Looking forward to your progress.

[Waterway Guide]

Welcome aboard, Clay!

[redhead]

Welcome!

I always wanted to go to Ft Jefferson. Love the history of the place. Make sure you post pictures.

[belizesailor]

Welcome aboard!

The DTs and Ft Jefferson are indeed cool places. Several threads here discussing this trip.

I used to live in Bradenton and have sailed to the DTs a number of times. Many others here who know them too.