Catalina Mainsheet Magazine is a quarterly publication averaging 100 pages in length. It features 64 pages of Features and Class News as well as a 32 page Technical Notes Supplement.

Volume 27, Number 2, May 2009

Editor’s Bark
by Jim Holder, Editor

Yes, I Said Shoes
No one really knows just what the first sailboat looked like, but it is safe to say it was very simple. Today in our high-tech modern world, one might wonder how it even moved through the water in a given direction. In this issue you will find several articles and examples of boat modifications incorporating the 21st century – definitely not simple. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad thing, this is a good thing. But then on the flip side, there is a lot to be said for simple.

As many of you know, I’m not an off-shore sailor per-se, even though I have done my share of racing sailboats in the open sea. Most of my time on the water, however, is spent competing in small one-design dinghies. Although to be sure, small dinghies can also get very high tech and complicated. Ever been aboard a Star? You have to be an engineer as well as a good sailor to excel in this boat. Even an Olympic 470 has a lot of strings to pull if you want to be competitive.

But again, at my age, I prefer simple. This puts a premium on the skill of the helmsman and the art of feeling the boat and being at one with all the elements involved. That’s one of the great things about sailing; there are thousands of boats for every possible whim or use you might desire, sort of like shoes.

Yes, I said shoes. We all have shoes for every occasion, activity and desire. We probably have a lot more than we really need. Please don’t say anything about this subject to your wife or girlfriend, however. Women have an unusual love of, you might even say an obsession with, shoes. But back to simple, there is one shoe that almost everyone has in their wardrobe. It fits almost every occasion, comes in every color, is worn by tiny babies, older folks, doctors, nurses, sailors, gardeners, school children, you name it, just about everyone. It is the most, simple shoe ever designed, CROCKS. They go with any décor or activity. The ultimate thing about them, charities are repairing them and distributing them to needy children.

Now that is taking simple and practical to the max, I like that. Give me a hull with a mast and sail, some sun, a little breeze, and let life be simple.

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