Bob, We have an 18 month old daughter, and I can tell you from experience it is not impossible to keep the boat and enjoy it. Our daughter was sailing last year at about 16 weeks old. You will find that a Pack and Play fits nicely in the cabin sole. It is a bit of an obstacle in the cabin, but it provides a nice safe environment for a child until she is mobile. We took a 40 mile round trip last year toward the end of the season and hit some pretty high winds (20+ knots) that were not predicted. Careful reefing can keep a C27 from heeling excessively in almost any weather, and she even liked the waves, which were 2-4 feet at the time.
This year is a bit more of a challenge because Krista is mobile with a penchant for climbing and no fear (bad combination!). She always wears a life jacket, which she doesn't like much, but lives with when the boat is moving. We tether her to a lazerette latch and she can't really go overboard. We have a soft sided cooler that we put under the tiller and she likes to sit on that and "drive" the boat with one of us. We sail out of a good sized marina, so there are a lot of boats around, which she also enjoys saying "hi" to. We have the luxury of being very close to our boat, but we have overnighted successfully with her a few times this season. The v-berth works fine for her. I guess my best advice would be that if you and your wife enjoy sailing the boat, give it a try with your daughter. You may find that she adapts to the situation and may even enjoy the time with her parents. Krista changes the experience a bit, but sailing is still very enjoyable for us and we have no plans to get rid of our boat. Jim Reinardy C27 #4223 "Irie" Milwaukee, WI -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 6:24 PM To: [email protected] Subject: catalina27-talk: Selling C27 Dilemma? Listees, I have a bit of a dilemma I want to share with the List and hopefully get some suggestions. I am thinking about selling my 1984 C27. I don't want to, but I think it makes financial sense, however, I am open to suggestions. See 1 ) we just had a baby girl in June and I don't see where I can sail and really enjoy it until she is 6 or 7 years old. 2) I now live about 2 hours from the marina (NOT including brutal NJ summer shore traffic) which could easily increase that time past 2 hours. So I can't just shoot down and go out for a short sail in the morning or evening. It is an ALL day thing. 3) I don't have anyone except my wife who I sail with and I don't think she would appreciate me taking off all day and leaving her with the baby. Dropping the baby at the grandparents every week is not an option. 4) I pay $1800 for the slip and $700 for winter storage (it is $1400 for dry land storage in the summer). So at the VERY least it is $2100 per year for 6-7 years and I am NOT sailing. 5) When our baby gets to be 6-7, she may not even want to go to the boat, rather hang out with her friends at home. Taking a friend for her down to the boat is OK - but it would be a sleepover and having the responsibility for someone else's child every weekend doesn't sound too appealing. So I was thinking of selling the boat and setting the cash aside. If she shows an interest later on, I could buy another boat. Just the 7 years at $2100 per year amounts to $14,700. Other folks must have been in the position before. That is why I am writing to you fellow sailors. I am not too fond of the leasing issue because I don't think the lessee would take any great care of it and then I am left with a boat needing some costly repairs. Are there any other alternatives? Only serious replies. Please Bob "Eileen" 1984 C-27
