A few thoughts regarding a 42-year old boat...

"So It Goes" is now forty-two years old and was built not all that far from where I'd surf on weekends...

At the time, being in tenth grade, I only had a passing interest in sailing but I had been reading the National Geographic articles about Robin Lee Graham and "Dove" and even then I could see the appeal. I also remember spending hours at the time trying to get my head around his wind-vane self steering...

Hind-sight being 20/20 and all...

In 1969, the CAL 34 went for a kiss under $16,000 new and ready to sail. Admittedly, a chunk of change in 1969 dollars but easily affordable by a guy in a blue collar job with a dream of blue seas and far off places.

In 2011, a CAL 34 in good sail-away condition will set you back somewhere between $16,000 and $29,000 and in this modern world of ticky-tacky throw-away goods that is saying quite a lot. Sure the dollar is not worth what it was, but then what is?

"So It Goes" has held up rather well all these years and while every year there is something that needs to be replaced, fixed, or maintained, I notice that the guy with the newish 34-foot Hallberg-Rassy, a couple of boats over, is also replacing, fixing, and maintaining his boat about as much or more than I am... Kinda makes you think as he spent over $200,000 for his! Of course, I'd be a fool not to admit that the HR34 is a nicer boat but the bottom line as I see it is both boats fulfill the same exact function very well and can go to the same places... One just has a little nicer finish.

The downside of the CAL 34 is that it's a small (by today's standards) 34-foot boat and might not have the interior that other 34-foot boats in an anchorage may boast. On the other hand, the accommodation is perfectly comfortable for long term living aboard and cruising for a motivated couple.

On a performance level, the CAL 34 can still keep up or show its transom to anything around billed as a cruiser/racer with the same LWL. Not that I find this aspect important at all these days... Well, OK, maybe just once in awhile!

Listening to some wise words from the Electric Flag

So it goes...