[C320-list] James Baldwin Article

Wed Nov 16 10:59:54 PST 2022

I find this interesting. I have enjoyed solo sails on Puget Sound in windward beats with 30 knots of wind. With a reefed 150 and mail, Whisper handled well.

I believe Catalina has always described this boat as a “coastal cruiser,” rather than a blue water boat. With 19 years at the helm of Whisper, given the same set of circumstances, I would choose a Catalina 320 again.

Thank you,
Joe Grande, #772 Whisper
              Marina:  WESTLAKE LANDING
2046 Westlake Ave N, Slip 34
    Mail:   2132 Westlake Ave N, PMB 103
            Seattle, WA 98109-2404
  Phone:  206.940.1231

From: Greg Flanagan<mailto:greg.flanagan at shaw.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2022 10:34 AM
To: C320-List at catalina320.com<mailto:C320-List at catalina320.com>
Subject: Re: [C320-list] James Baldwin Article

Another point of view on Balwin’s article.

Thanks,

Greg

> On Nov 16, 2022, at 8:57 AM, Jack Brennan <jackbrennan333 at outlook.com> wrote:
>
> As much as I admire James Baldwin’s sailing feats and books, I think this article was a bit of a cheap shot.
>
> He was intent on proving that the 320 was not nearly as good as his old, narrow long-keeler, so he sailed it way too aggressively in bad weather to make a point. I’m glad he wasn’t sailing my 320!
>
> I used to own a Bristol 30, a very similar boat to Baldwin’s Atom, so I’m familiar with the pluses and minuses of both types of boats.
>
> Yeah, my Bristol could handle all types of rough weather without much of a problem. But that was at a 20- to 30-degree heel doing 4 to 5 knots. And, down below, it was like living in a closet. You had to be a 5-foot-tall acrobat to do maintenance.
>
> I was out the other day in my 320 with the wind pushing 20 on Tampa Bay. I was regularly over 7 knots with full sail and the boat sailed steady with a short, somewhat choppy sea. Almost no weather helm. Much, much nicer than the Bristol.
>
> Last spring, I sailed my 320 from Key West to Boca Grande, about 140 miles in 24 hours, in 25-knot winds and beam seas ranging from 4 to 10 feet at different points. Full main and a few rolls of the jib. One of the best sails of my life. We had to slow down to avoid going into a tricky inlet before dawn.
>
> The 30-some knots Baldwin was in? That would beat up any boat. I would have checked the forecast and waited for weather, as most sensible people do when sailing to the Caribbean. They don’t call it the Thorny Path for no reason.
>
> Jack Brennan
> Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
> Tierra Verde, Fl.
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.microsoft.com%2Ffwlink%2F%3FLinkId%3D550986&data=05%7C01%7C%7C905b4f5e811b4f7e850908dac8012650%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638042204510513943%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=I3WdoEg5Brelay00j0Qt0gijmCaeD25Ga0Zk6ZeZVug%3D&reserved=0> for Windows
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> From: Ade Bateman<mailto:ade.bateman at outlook.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2022 10:56 PM
> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com<mailto:C320-List at Catalina320.com>
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] James Baldwin Article
>
> You can read it here:
> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20110914104944%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.atomvoyages.com%2Farticles%2Fcatalina320passage.htm&data=05%7C01%7C%7C905b4f5e811b4f7e850908dac8012650%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638042204510513943%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=82sdRM8f3B32MMy6k0OXMPcWy2IU00pknDoCIWeLc%2Bo%3D&reserved=0<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20110914104944%2Fhttp%3A%2Fwww.atomvoyages.com%2Farticles%2Fcatalina320passage.htm&data=05%7C01%7C%7C905b4f5e811b4f7e850908dac8012650%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638042204510513943%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HI3YCGn7X2KoIx7pqTbZV1eA26frtCv9I9BIclZp3fM%3D&reserved=0><https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20110914104944%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.atomvoyages.com%2Farticles%2Fcatalina320passage.htm&data=05%7C01%7C%7C905b4f5e811b4f7e850908dac8012650%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638042204510513943%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=82sdRM8f3B32MMy6k0OXMPcWy2IU00pknDoCIWeLc%2Bo%3D&reserved=0%3chttps://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20110914104944%2Fhttp%3A%2Fwww.atomvoyages.com%2Farticles%2Fcatalina320passage.htm&data=05%7C01%7C%7C905b4f5e811b4f7e850908dac8012650%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638042204510513943%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HI3YCGn7X2KoIx7pqTbZV1eA26frtCv9I9BIclZp3fM%3D&reserved=0%3e>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: C320-list <c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> On Behalf Of Roger Nitkin
> Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2022 1:18 PM
> To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
> Subject: [C320-list] James Baldwin Article
>
> Back in about 2008 the sailing author James Baldwin published a magazine article about delivering a Catalina 320 down to St. Thomas.For a while, this article was available on our Association website, but no longer.Does anyone have access to this article?
> I remember it described the upgrades and modifications he felt he neededto make the blue water passage.
> Thanks
> Roger NitkinSummer Time #4291997Westport, CT
>