Spring 2002

name is Dan. I've gone 317 days without getting on a big boat. A few years ago I gave up inboard diesel, built in air/heat, head, mile-high mast, propane stove/oven/regulator/ relay (another topic - the Origo alky stove - boils slow but always works, won’t explode and doesn’t need a propane tank), high-aspect fin keel and the once coveted stainless steel destroyer wheel steering (boy, there's a topic for you - “In praise of the tiller and transom-hung rudder - or, one moving part vs. the quadrant, wheel, through-hull rudder post, cables, pulleys, screws, nuts, bolts, bearings........ all waiting for one thing to go — snap — on a stormy night creating your worst nightmare”). Yes, I am a recovering large boat owner. Sold it all for a little Flicka, 10

hp outboard, portable air conditioning (stays in the dock box except on muggy nights) and a stout little trailer. The outboard quit the other day and I rediscovered the pleasure of landing a boat under sail on a nasty day. All the yachties were standing around gawking like some kind of miracle of seamanship had transpired. I felt like Captain Bligh coming in from 3,000 miles in an open boat. Guess what? I haven’t enjoyed 25 knots of wind (single-handed) more in 25 years. I love a pocket yacht! Plenty of room for a weekend or a month, with spouse, all the gear you need, and the worries stay at some other guy’s slip. You know the slip I mean - the Catalina 34 that leaves the dock about 4 times a season because it's too much boat for one fellow to handle if he wants a Saturday on the water under sail. Or, as any marina owner will tell

And they think it is fine as long as there isn’t too much wind. I don't explain that I am much more comfortable in the Flicka in 35 knots than I was in the Pearson in 25 knots. She don't go “bang—bang—bang” clawing windward in a steep chop; and there is something comforting, reassuring maybe, about a full keel when the whitecaps are multiplying. So, the Flicka is a wonderful sailer, lots of room to stand up or store gear; fast and fair-handling, for a full keeled vessel; plows through 3-4’ Pamlico Sound square chop close-hauled without a bump or a bang; can sail the oceans of the world and ride out a hurricane - or day sail like a champ of a sunny Sunday. I speak well of the Flicka, and all those nice “little” boats that let one enjoy sailing and leave a lot of the worries behind. You are right about the simplicity of sailing. It is easy to get lost in pursuit of the wrong things, no matter what we do. Sailing can be infinitely enjoyable - if you keep it simple. Worries increase in geometric proportion to complexity + displacement. Originally published at: www.pocketcruisers.com