Planning a Catalina 22 Cruise

By Rich Fox

PART 1: ORGANIZING AND PROMOTING

A long weekend or weeklong cruise aboard your Catalina 22 with fellow fleet members and friends can be one of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences as a Catalina 22 owners and sailor.

If you have determined that you would like to host a Catalina 22 cruise, this document will help you begin preparation.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO AND WHEN?

The first hurdle to overcome is to determine where you want to sail and how many days you want to sail.

DESTINATION

Determine where you would like to go and the course you will sail. Begin developing a “cruising plan” that will outline with greater detail where you will go and include a list of marinas and their phone numbers, and other facilities that you may need access to along the route.

DATES

Determine how many days you have available to sail on your cruise. Determine the following dates:

1. Departure Date/Time
2. Daily Targets – marinas, coves, facilities.
3. Return Date/Time

Consider selecting dates for your cruise with a full moon. A big full moon gives an added measure of safety when navigating or anchoring at night, and it adds to the pleasure of your cruise.

Avoid scheduling your cruise during a holiday as there may be increased boat traffic and more challenging access to marine facilities along your route.

Select dates that do not conflict with other Catalina 22 local, regional, or national activities.

Select dates when the wind is traditionally good and the weather is not too hot.

Having selected a cruising destination and dates, you now have enough information to begin promoting your cruise.

PREVIOUS CRUISE ORGANIZERS

There are many individuals in the Catalina 22 NSA who have organized past Catalina 22 cruises. The Catalina 22 Board members can assist with providing you names and phone numbers of these individuals.

DEVELOP A PRINTED FLYER AND E-MAIL ANNOUNCEMENT

1. Create a name that describes your cruise. Current names include the Catalina 22 Great Lakes Cruise, the Catalina 22 Northern Gulf Coast Cruise, and the Catalina 22 East Coast National Cruise.
2. Develop a one-page flyer for print distribution and an e-mail announcement for electronic distribution that describes the event and include destination and course, dates, and contact name, phone number and e-mail address for correspondence.

DEVELOP A REGISTRATION FORM

Develop a Registration Form that can be distributed by print and electronic media so others can print, complete, and return to you.

DISTRIBUTE YOUR FLYER AND REGISTRATION FORM (Options):

• Local Fleet Members
• Regional Commodore and Fleet Captains
• MainBrace Editor
• C22 NSA Website/Webmaster
• National Cruising Captain
• Local Catalina Dealer, Marine Stores, and Marinas, Newspaper(s)

MAINBRACE PUBLICATION

1. MainBrace is the official publication of the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association. It reaches over 1000 active Catalina 22 owners.
2. Contact the Editor for assistance in developing an ad layout for your cruise for publication in MainBrace.
3. Submit articles to the Editor to promote the cruise by describing the various sites you will sail to.
4. Submit your Registration Form to the Editor for publication in MainBrace.
5. Submit an article with photographs to the Editor after the cruise is completed for publication in MainBrace.

C22 NSA WEBSITE

1. Send announcement information about your cruise to the C22NSA Webmaster to post on the C22 NSA Website Calendar.
2. Attach your Cruise Registration Form to post on the website. This will allow others to print, complete, and return to you.
3. Several Regions have established websites that you may wish to utilize.
4. Several Fleets also have websites that you may wish to utilize.

MAILING LABELS

1. Contact the C22NSA Cruising Captain or Secretary/Treasurer to secure mailing labels of C22 NSA members and Fleet Captains to whom you want to distribute the Cruise Flyer and Registration Form.
2. Contact your local Catalina Dealer and ask if they can provide you with labels for C22 owners in your area or region.

EPOC – EMERGENCY POINT OF CONTACT

Safety is essential for a successful cruise. Identify a fleet member not participating in the cruise that can serve as an emergency point of contact (EPOC) on shore.

Prepare emergency instructions for the EPOC and provide copies to cruise participants. The EPOC should have the names of each cruise participant and emergency contacts. You may secure this information from your Registration Form. At a minimum, one cruise member should carry a cellular/wireless phone to supplement a VHF marine radio for emergency calls.

Before departure, provide each boat owner with a list of emergency contacts and phones numbers for all the participants.

SAFETY

All activities during your cruise must keep safety as the number one agenda item.

Carry a cellular/wireless phone to communicate daily with your EPOC.

Enroll in a first-aid class.

Assign “buddies” where two boats will keep a watchful eye on the other.

Conduct a safety inspection of each boat to ensure that each boat has the necessary safety equipment. Seek out a Coast Guard inspection, if possible.

MARINE FACILITIES

Various marine facilities may be utilized throughout your cruise.

Identify temporary storage facilities for out-of-town guests to store their trailers.

Check the condition, rates, and operating hours of marine facilities that you may use along your route to ensure access to docks, restrooms, gas, supplies, and restaurants.

ACTIVITIES

A variety of organized activities throughout the cruise will contribute to further enjoyment of your cruise.

Launch your cruise with a kick-off meal to review the agenda for the week, to discuss safety measures, and to introduce out-of-town guests.

At the beginning of each day hold a skipper’s meeting to plan activities, review the weather report, and review the charts.

Organize a picnic.

For those who like to race, organize an afternoon fun race.

At the end of each day plan an activity such as a beach campfire, a group swim, volleyball, or dinner.

On the final day of the cruise, plan a party before departing. Take plenty of pictures during your cruise. Discuss possible plans for next year’s cruise. Ask for volunteers to write an article for MainBrace magazine.

MEMORABILIA

After your cruise is done, participants may wish for some memorabilia to remember the fun time they had on your cruise. A few suggestions:

• T-Shirts
• Hats
• Group Photo
• Certificates
• Post Cards

You may charge a nominal fee to cover the cost of the memorabilia, or see if your local Catalina Yachts dealer or marine store will sponsor a T-shirt with their company logo and name on it.

TIMETABLE

The key to a good turnout for your fleet or regional cruise is early planning and promotion. Please utilize the resources available from the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association to help you organize and promote your fleet or regional cruise.

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PART 2: PROVISIONING YOUR CATALINA 22

Provisioning a Catalina 22 for a fleet or regional cruise should begin months before the actual departure date.

First, I would like to acknowledge and give thanks to Bob and Trish Endicott of Fleet 77 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Bob and Trish have developed an excellent website on provisioning a Catalina 22 for the Northern Gulf Coast Cruise. They refer to it as “The Book” which goes into greater detail about putting together an equipment/provision list to help C22 sailors prepare for a cruise. Most of the items in this section were borrowed from Bob and Trish with their permission.

EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST

Boat Equipment

• USCG Items (PFD’s, flares, fire extinguisher, air horn or bell, etc.)
• First Aid Kit
• VHF Radio (not mandatory, but good to have)
• Wireless phone
• Ground Tackle
• Anchors ~ two 8lb Danforth type
• Chain ~ 6-8 feet for each anchor
• Rode ~ 100’-150’ of ½" for each anchor
• Whisker pole
• Dinghy
• Heaving Line
• Boat hook
• Fenders
• Gas cylinder storage bag
• Battery Charger and extension cord
• Extra fuel and oil
• Flashlight/Lantern
• Bucket, Sponge, Soap, Scotch-Brite pad, 409 S
• pares (pins, bulbs, etc.)
• Tool kit
• Extra lines
• Lots of bungees
• Extra Spark Plug for outboard
• Depth Sounder (if sailing in unknown and shallow waterways)

Comfort Items

• Cockpit Table
• Windscoop
• Fan
• Solar Shower
• Sand Chairs
• Beach Umbrella
• Convoluted (egg-crate) foam
• Storm Curtain (if you have one)
• Bimini or boom tent
• Mini "hammock" for storage
• Porta-potti
• Marine Toilet Paper
• "Relief" jugs
• Insect repellant (Cutter Backwoods or Off Skintastic are good)
• Insect spray (for boat, not you)
• Mosquito netting (cheap at Army/Navy store)
• Citronella candle
• Meat tenderizer (for jellyfish or insect sting)
• Cork Screw

Navigation

• Local charts
• GPS
• Binoculars
• Hand-bearing Compass
• Cruising Log
• Knotmeter or Knotstick
• Dividers and pencil

Galley

• Stove Grille
• Fuel for grille & stove
• Pots, Pans, Dishes, Utensils
• Coffee percolator
• Cooler(s)
• Water jugs
• Dish detergent and sponge/scrubber
• Trash Bags
• Clothespins (spring-type)
• Dish Towels
• Paper Towels

Personal

• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Clothing
• Mirror & Toiletries
• Towels (Beach & Personal)
• Flip-flops
• Foul Weather gear
• A good book

Fun and Games

• Frisbees
• Kite
• Fishing pole (you’ll need local license)
• Cards, Dominoes, Cribbage Board
• Guitar, Harmonica
• Camera
• Floats ("Noodles" work and store well)
• Tunes and something to play them on

CREDITS:

Bob and Trish Endicott, Fleet 77, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Mike and Dee Lagarde, Fleet 77, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Mike Bracket, Fleet 130, Detroit, MI

Denise Fox, Fleet 158, Indianapolis, IN

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