Interesting Tale

["Chuck Vande Wetering" <wwp62@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

San Juan 23 Skippers,

I received this message on the Notice Board and thought I 
would pass it on to you all for your opinion. Am I being 
too defensive and missing the guy's point?


(Notice Board User)  Kemp Howland<br>
(My Home-page) howland-int.com<br>
(email) kemp_howland@compuserve.com<br>
(Owner)  Other Sailboat<br>
(from)  Orlando, FL<br>
(Date)  April 7, 1998<br>

(Please 
postthefollowing)<br>--------------------------------------
------------------------------------- Regarding 
seaworthiness:  Iwas the marketing director for Victoria 
Yachts herein Florida. We built a few San Juan 21's & 
23'safter the company left the Carolinas. We sold a 
'76model to two guys who had adventure in their hearts,and 
little else to recommend them to the sea.  Theytrailered 
the boat to Miami and saild to the lowercaribbean, then on 
to South America.  After about 6months they brought the 
boat back for "a fewrepairs".  The hull had cracks on port 
and starboardsides at the chainplates, vertically from 
thegunwalesr to the waterline. We figured they camewithin 
one good dtorm of breaking the boat in halfand sinking!  
Anyway, whatever they hauled back fromthe islands allowed 
them to purchase a 35' C&C forcash. They scrapped the SJ 
23.  Moral of the story? Your boat is only as seaworthy as 
your common sensewill allow.<br><p>

RESPONSE(s)<br><p>

Mr. Howland,<br><p>

I am not sure I understand the "moral" 
of your story! Is it that the San Juan 23 foot is incapable 
of sailing in stormy seas? You mentioned "storms" but 
didn't say much else about the weather conditions the two 
sailors encountered. Larger boats than 23's have broken up 
in tropical storms and smaller boats than 23's have 
circumnavigated and returned in one piece.  Are you 
thinking that the San Juan 23 is not built well enough to 
do anything more than daysail in protected waters?  Or are 
you saying that the firm you worked for in Florida built a 
San Juan 23 that was inferior to those previously built in 
the Carolinas? Many well built original boats such as the 
ones built by Clarkwere taken over by other companies and 
cheapened.  The original manufacturer refused to cheapen 
the boat in order to compete with larger firms like 
Catalina (I consider a Catalina to be a well-built boat but 
their buying power did run a lot of smaller manufacturers 
out of the market). It must not have been the San Juan 23 
they traded for the C&C. It obviously was something with a 
great deal more value! Were they smoking the stuff on the 
trip? Interesting tale. But I really would like to 
understand your point more clearly.<br><p>

Chuck Vande 
Wetering<br>
San Juan 23 Internet Fleet Webmaster<br>
wwp62@rockisland.com<br><p>

 ****<br><p>
Chuck Vande Wetering
San Juan 23 Internet Fleet Webmaster
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/5492
wwp62@rockisland.com

"I must go down to the seas again, for the call
   of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be
   denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white
   clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and
   the sea-gulls crying.

Verse 2 of "Sea Fever" by John Masefield
San Juan 23 Internet Fleet:   http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/5492/
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