Hello from Channel Islands (CA)

[Don C L]

Hello all, I am new to Cruisers' Forum and sure glad to be reconnected to others and the sea again. From '77 to '87 I had a great little Columbia 24 (a great little pocket cruiser if I may say so) in Santa Barbara that I sailed all around the Channel Islands loving (almost) every minute of it. Then came a teaching career, moving inland, marriage, family... but finally last year I started dreaming again of a good family cruiser and one of my all-time favorites, a Columbia 29, early model, MK1, lighter ballast, no inboard, came up for sale and fortunately now it is mine. She needs a little work (but I am out of $ now!) but she is basically in good shape, so I should be crossing the channel again soon. I'd love to hear from other folks who also have plastic classics in the southern Cal area. My current dilemma is whether to remove the head and seal the thru-hulls and get a good porta-potti (I am not a fan of heads) or go ahead and get a new pump for the one I have. Anyone know of a good reason not to remove a head? In any case, hello all and glad to be here!

Don

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Is the the full keel 29?
Congratulations on the new boat.

[Celestialsailor]

Welcome to the forum. Nice to see someone who appreciates the classics.

[Don C L]

Thanks for the welcome! Yes I am a bit enamored with the classics (especially my own) as I get older, for my own cruising. Not that I don't appreciate a good set of hydrofoils or the virtues of multihulls, or fin keels and spade rudders for racing, but for all around performance, comfort, seakindliness, and may I say, beauty, to me, it is hard to beat those (mostly) full keels under slender bodies (S and S, Rhodes,... ) (There is a Pearson Rhodes 41 for sale that, if I were wealthier, and retired...)

Don

[snort]

I couldn't handle a porta-potti, but people seem to like their composting heads. It's one less thru-hull (after you've sealed that off) and apparently has less odor issues.
Where do you berth your boat, if you live in Chatsworth?

[jkindredpdx]

Welcome. If you have the room, it seems like people are happier with the urine separating compost toilets like Airhead, C-head, or natures head than the old blue death porta-potty.


JimK