Generic question about C-Brats Gatherings

maryvmcclain

New member
Ok, I know I'm asking a generic question but I'm trying to get my head around what it will be like to be a power-boater versus a sailor and need a little help. When we belonged to our sailing group, when we had a gathering... we would meet, spend a few hours sailing to a location, camp for the night... go out sailing for a good part of the day... return to camp, repeat as necessary. We never really "marina hopped" and many days we would hang out all day...

Is it the same for your gatherings? I'm having a hard time imagining spending hours just powering from one location to the next anchorage. How many hours do you usually motor/day? Do you go fishing as a routine? What's our gas budget going to be like?

I read up on the last Lake Powell trip but I don't know the lake so I couldn't really tell how far between anchorages. The pictures were inspirational... until I got to the mouse stories.... now I'm a little freaked out... maybe my cat will have to learn to like cruising.

Thanks!
 
I've both sailed and power boated for the past 40 years. We've settled on the CD22 as the best possible boat for our age and time and needs. We sold our small pocket cruiser sailboat because, alas, it was just too small to cruise, but a larger sailboat was too big for an aging crew of two. The CD22 is very economical on fuel, burning only 2 to 3 gallons per hour and less depending on cruise speed.

My wife and I cruise by power the way we use to sail. SLOW. Being on the boat and moving through the water and feeling the motion and looking at the endless beauty of the moving water and waves and the v of the wake is the most healing thing one can do. Yes, we can go 25 mph if necessary, but WHY? Unless it is an emergency or you really have to get back because you have a job to get to. I'll wager most sailors spend half or more of their water time on the auxiliary...at least that was my experience due to flaky winds, too much wind, not enough wind, and too little time to be at the mercy of the winds.

Cruising on a CD means you've arrived at your destination when you step into the boat. All the rest is gravy. Cruising Lake Powell is something that can't be described. There is no other beauty that I've experienced than can equal it. Endless anchorages and coves. Endless changes in sky and water. Nothing ever looks the same, no matter how many times you've been there. Ditto for most of our inland lakes in this beautiful country.

So, cruising on a CD? No different than on the sailboat except my auxiliary is 100 HP and my wife never has to do a lick of work. Happy wife, happy cruiser.

If you want quiet like sailing, get out onto the water, kill the motor and kick back. (depending on wind and waves of course.) I've not been to the gatherings either, but will this year. The brats I think are a lot of fun, and their operations appear to be loosy goosy such that you can hang as much as you want or go solo as much as you want.
 
I took the question to be more about what happens with gatherings. The Sacramento Delta/San Francisco gathering moves daily. Often 20 to 30 miles then a rest for lunch, and a few more miles--the last day all of the way back up the River. Powell, there is usually a central meeting point (Oak Creek Canyon) Some come early, some late, some stay some go, some groups go. Gulf Coast Gathering--one central area, with all meals there--some arrive by land; even some RV's. One "day cruise".

In my sailing days, some gatherings were at the end of a race. Others were a destination gathering.

So there is a lot of flexibility--do what you want and are comfortable with. I agree that that a huge amount of fuel at the cruises. But for example we would run almost 200 miles from hour house to the Gulf Coast gathering on the water, and that would be considerable in fuel with the Tom Cat. The Tom Cat is very capable of over 200 miles in a day.
 
Here in the northwest the gatherings are mostly meeting places. Say the up coming La Conner Gathering that susan and I are hosting. The Meeting place is La conner and how you get there is your choose. Some people will cruise from thier area or will trailer to the ramp just down the street. Last year Dave Thompson cruised from the very south sound to bellingham. Others towed to bellingham ramp and the round trip on the hull was maybe 200 yards.

Once there, there are basically three events that you can attend. Friday night groups will go seek dinner in town or on their own boats or the dock. That is a self service event. And there is always people on the dock talking and drinking.

Saturday We will have the usual costco muffins and coffee on the dock in the morning but after that its do as you want until the pot luck in the late afternoon. . Some go fishing or crabbing if open. Some go for a cruise in groups. Deception pass is near by so thats a good cruise. And with la Conner being in the middle of a loop you can leave one way and cruise around Fidalgo Island and end up right back at la Conner with out back tracking.

The potluck will get way around 5pm ( to be determined) with every one bringing a dish. Thats when we give out prizes and play a game or two. (TBD) then its more talking and socializing on the dock until the last man hits the rack.

Sunday There is a organized but voluntary breakfast in town. restaurant to be announced later. Some people leave really early to get back home in time. Some folks hang out for the rest of the day or set off for the a week or month of cruising. Its really a laid back, here we are come join us and bring some food kind of event.

And that's the basic C-Dory weekend gathering in the North west.
 
Thank you both so much! I was trying to get at how much it was going to cost us to do the kind of week long cruises that we'd like to do... at one point my husband calculated we could be running up to $200 a day and I got a little scared. We at least won't have slip fees with this boat and that will help a lot.

Mary
 
How much distance you cover depends on what you want to do. Some folks only go 5 miles a day--others may go 30 or 100. When we cruised SE AK in our C Dory 25, we covered about 1200 miles in about 30 days--that is an average of 40 miles a day. I would say that is at the high end of most cruises. Figure that on the water fuel is about $4.50 a gallon (maybe a bit high)--so that would be somewhere about 10 to 15 gallons a day for a C dory 22, or 18 to 22 gallons a day for a C Dory 25. No where near $200 a day! Many will go at displacement speeds, and then you will double the fuel mileage or half the fuel costs.
 
I cant comment on the gatherings we haven't been to one yet
hoping to change that this year
but I can say that our big cruise last year 16 nights on the boat
the fuel bill was under 500 dollars and we moved to a new anchorage every day the year before was the same
I understand your fuel bill will depend on distance traveled
we tend to travel slow and not to many miles in a day
this leaves more time for beach combing, fishing etc.

cheers Dave
 
maryvmcclain":31pzyt7c said:
Thank you both so much! I was trying to get at how much it was going to cost us to do the kind of week long cruises that we'd like to do... at one point my husband calculated we could be running up to $200 a day and I got a little scared. We at least won't have slip fees with this boat and that will help a lot.

Mary

Well, maybe with a boat other than a C-Dory. :wink: We have had the rare day where we felt the need to cover 90 - 100 miles, but that is definitely the exception. It depends so much on where you are cruising and the time frame. One thing you will notice is that you don't necessarily feel wiped at the end of a day. But, if you do 5 or 6 hours at displacement speed, you will have covered 30+ miles and used about 5 gallons of fuel. Push the throttle forward, and you will get there faster, but use more fuel. But, it isn't as outrageous as you might think.

Let's take that 30 mile figure (an easy cruising day). Run at best economy and it will take you 5 to 6 hours at a gallon per hour. Run at 20 mph, and you will burn maybe 6 gallons per hour (probably less than that with a 22) and use around 10 gallons of fuel... and be there in an hour and a half. You have options. That faster option gives you more daylight to explore the destination. And, it doesn't matter if the wind is on the nose or if there is no wind at all.

Make some lunch while underway, and the person at the galley still gets a view and is able to converse with the person at the helm.

If you haven't spent time aboard a C-Dory, the ride is way different from displacement sailboats. For the first few days after getting our boat, I wondered if I had made a big mistake... you hear the water moving by the hull. Well, you do in a sailboat, too, but it is completely different in the cockpit compared to the cabin. A lot of windage with that cabin, and not a lot of boat under the water - you have to drive the boat to the dock. Being a sailor, you will have the experience of knowing what the wind will do... for or against you as you come to the dock.

With a single anchor, the boat will "sail" around at anchor in the wind, but that flat(ish) bottom is comfortable. Same thing underway... if the water is flat, run at any speed you want, if it gets lumpy, you pull the throttle back to where the boat feels comfortable. When it gets really ugly, you will appreciate the seaworthiness of the hull. When it gets ugly and rainy, you will be dry inside with the windshield wipers running.

Sounds like you are searching for a 22, and there are more of those than any of the other sizes. We have been delighted with our 25 - that extra foot of beam is significant. More weight, and the trade-off is a higher fuel burn for a better ride; and more tow vehicle is needed. The enclosed head with a shower. Hot and cold pressure water. Fridge. More storage. Just saying that you might want to check out both models.

Good luck with the decisions.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
All of the above information is spot on, but I thought that I would mention that the transition from sail to power is really pretty easy. We bought Valkyrie in 2005 and shortly after that I started a thread that queried how many C-Dory owners came from sail or still have sailboats, as well. Those who responded indicated that about 75% came from sail.

It seems that the C-Dory's simplicity appeals to sailors, as well. On our cruise on the ICW through the Carolinas last year, we spent plenty of time at displacement speeds, but were also glad that we could cover some miles if we wanted.

Also, having traveled that stretch of the ICW years before on my sailboat, I found that many days we covered the same average distance (50miles) on Valkyrie as I had on Spirit. However, our days were MUCH shorter and we arrived earlier and not tired at all, allowing us both the time and energy to explore some interesting historic towns.

Welcome to the fold,

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
The nice thing about the CBGT's. They pretty much have the same rule as the website -- "Just be nice". Funny, one would hardly know it was a rule 'cause everybody is already.

Some stay on the dock, some go fish or crab, some cruise. And we all get along.

Time here for Marty to add his famous line "God I love this place" (Thanks Marty)

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

PLI_and_SB_CBGT_2_433.sized.jpg
 
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