It's all go here, I tell you
'Sarf & West mate, Sarf & West'
Pete Bernfeld
Sat 23 May 2009 20:31
No sooner had I taken Helen ashore at 'o crack bloody hell, what time' than the cruisers net was announcing yet another 'Happy Hour' at 'Da Big Fish'. Oh well, I suppose I'll have to attend. We had a farewell party (a small one) on board last night which meant that we didn't get ashore for the Happy Hour at Prickly Bay Marina. Helen sends her apologies to anybody who might have turned up expecting to say cheerio.
I'll be keeping an eye on the weather this week, but towards the end of the week I'm planning on going down to Trinidad.
I've been asked to put down some thoughts on Cats Vs Monos:
I think, on balance, if I was to get another boat it would be a .................... cat!
Considering that you spend about 90% of the time at anchor, cats are more stable, easier to get on and off and you can get closer inshore if you want. Granted, they aren't quite as fast as the diehard enthusiast would have you believe and there's little sensation of speed, but I'm happy sailing at 5 -7 kts upright, no real rolling to speak of and no spray coming into the cockpit.
There are places I wouldn't take a cat (round the Horn, the Chilean Canals etc etc) but then I decided when planning this trip I wouldn't go there anyway.
Cats are, generally speaking, more expensive in marinas. They also have a 'different' motion when going to windward. If I was in an area where most of my sailing was to windward.............I'd find another hobby!
That's it, I may be prevailed upon to expand on this later but in the end I think it really comes down to personal preferences. I prefer being comfortable and sailing in the dry
