Hull #12
Planktos
Bill Dykstra
Fort Pierce, FL

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Planktos Stubs Her Toe!

I have often said that as a youngster anticipation was 4/3 of
attainment. Then, I started cruising, first with friends, then to
charter, and then to become a boatyard rat. Always there, lend a hand , ask ten questions, and get the usual twenty answers.

As plans developed the "Keep it simple" reasoning was a consistent no-brainer from the group of designers, builders and experienced cruisers that form every group of mentors.

Simple was not minimal, I wanted to be able to live aboard for months at a time and not feel that I was living in a chicken coop. Two mentors kept saying that everything that I was looking for was in the Maine Cat 30 and that I would have 4 to 5 years out cruising if I bought one rather than spend that time
building a boat. Since these were both monohull fanatics, I took their advice hung out at the boat shows, and then chartered a Maine Cat 30 in the Abacos.

For the first time in the winnowing process I did not feel that I
had to read between the lines. Everything was accessible, backing plates could be seen and easily checked. The base of the mast was not a rats nest of wires hidden from view and access and unlabeled. The hulls were roomy, easily cleaned and easily accented with colors preferred by the owners.

Then we went sailing, within minutes I was grinning and during the two weeks kept getting better and better. We wandered the Abacos from end to end, walked beaches and snorkeled
reefs, yes. But mostly we sailed and came back in still grinning like two cheshire cats. After several months trying to talk myself out of the Maine Cat, I bought one an sailed off.

The trip down the East Coast was great, and occasionally humbling, changing crew and weather conditions weekly.

From Mystic ,Conn. south we followed the colors, had several calls from monohulls about showing off in 40 degree weather in our "greenhouse" with shorts and T-shirts, while they were bundled in foul weather gear.

Life is occasionally great, but, hubris doth come before the fall. After the long haul from Sandy Hook to Cape May we were tired and on entering the breakwater greatly relived to be inside, soon to be anchored and asleep.Then, for reasons that can only be described as blockheaded, I made a perfectly executed right turn into the breakwater rocks. A solid whack ! and we stopped rather suddenly. Hung up on the rocks, we
hopped out to see what the damage was, and with the help of a fisherman lifted the good ship Planktos off the rocks and motored away feeling very humbled. Total cost was a bit of shared laughter and a beer for the fisherman. After anchoring I dove to check damage and found a fist sized hole in the leading edge of the stbd. keel.

After calling Maine Cat and chatting with Dick Vermeulen he assured me that the false keel was designed to be sacrificial and the damage would not affect hull integrity. "Enjoy the cruise and have it repaired when you get home." Thanks Dick, but I'll continue to worry.

After arriving in Ft. Pierce Fla. two weeks later the boat was put on the hard at Riverside Marina. Consulting with the Board of Mentors, We took the shop vac , plastic sheeting and Blue tape and sealed the shop vac to the offending hole and pulled out the water in 30 min. . The next day we repeated the vacuum routine and got no water, waited another day and the same results. The hole was repaired, a bit of bottom paint and all was well again.

A big thanks to the thoughtful design and execution from Dick and the whole crew at Maine Cat. My confidence in the good ship Planktos soared while muttering about the blockhead that was at the helm. When the folks at Maine Cat, tell you "Wel-come to the Maine Cat Family," it is not an idle gesture, they mean it. The anticipation of cruising has been exceeded by the ownership of my Maine Cat 30 for over 5 years.

Bill Dykstra

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