First, my apologies for being remiss in not sending this out earlier. We have indeed decided to step away from sailing after 30 years of boat ownership and 45 years as a sailor. We felt it was the right time for us to explore some different adventures-at least for the time being and take advantage of sailing on other peoples boats to scratch that itch.
I want to thank those of you who have reached out to me both privately and on these forums for your kind words and gracious thoughts. I am an unabashed Catalina fan boy and ever since my first good old boat (a C-30) I’ve come to appreciate the community more than anything. I’ve learned so much over those years and as I’ve gained knowledge from others I have tried to return the favor by imparting my experiences to pay it forward.
I do feel lucky that GD introduced the 355 just as we were exploring our ‘retirement’ boat as we were very close to buying a Sabre. As someone who has owned or sailed pretty much every model, I can say that the 355 was the perfect boat for us (as evidenced by those joining this forum looking to buy one 😊).
I am also grateful that we were able to put our beloved Solstice in the hands of our good friends Jeff & Shelley. Jeff and I bonded during our 320 ownership and have scraped many knuckles together. For the past couple of years they have been our slip neighbors and being able to see the boat go to such knowledgeable and great people truly made the decision much easier. As Ross has said, Jeff was a tremendous source of knowledge and wisdom for the 320 community (and Web master) and I know this group will benefit from his contributions just as much.
As those of you that know me, I will always be a boat junkie and will continue to lurk on the forums. If I can be of any help to any of you, don’t hesitate to reach out.
A special thanks to Eddie & Diane Walters. I’m not sure how many here are aware but Diane is responsible for pulling this group together and Eddie and I have had our fair share of conversations with Gerry and Frank to provide feedback on the 355 as early adopters. Thank you all!
Fair Winds,
Sincerely,
Jon Vez
Sent from my iPad
I just read Jeff Hare's post in which he said he bought Jon Vez's 355. I just wanted to thank Jon for all the great advice he's given to me and others on this list. I bought my 355 in Nov. of 2019 and it is my first boat that I've owned so I was (still am) a noob. His posts on batteries and electrical issues as well as his winterization notes were just so helpful. I don't know if Jon will continue sailing but I just wanted to say thanks and wish him fair winds and following seas.
Bill
Navasana #77
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