CAT BOAT SAILING 2019: DISCOVERING THE SLOCUM RIVER! ORIGINAL. SEE SKINNY WATER SERIES FOR UPDATE

Have you ever thought of using your Cat Boat to explore rivers, coves and those tiny little places that only a shoal draft sailboat can go? It's called "gunkholing" and it's awesome! Gunkholing is finding those little nooks and crannies out there that are only accessible by a shallow draft boat.
Catboats are uniquely made for those small harbors, coves, rivers and inlets. At first I was quite anxious about bringing my new Marshall 22 Catboat into shallow waters, as I was naturally afraid of going aground. But when I really thought about it some more, I realized that my chart plotter can guide me, so I can steer clear of the rocks. And if you go slowly enough and watch your depth sounder, the worst you can do is to gently kiss the sandy bottom. As my kids tell me, "no worries".
So let’s set out on this adventure together and have some fun. Maybe it will generate lots of conversation on the subject of gunkholing, and maybe, in some small way, it will entice you to do the same with your boat.
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This video, about discovering the Slocum River, in a series of these adventures. The Slocum River was named after Joshua Slocum, who was the first to sail around the world alone, in his 36 ft. sailboat, Spray. We'll get into the history of the river a little later with a narrated version of this video.
As soon as the Spring 2019 sailing season begins I plan on visiting the following places around the Elizabeth Islands and greater Buzzards Bay area:
• Quissett Harbor
• Hadley Harbor
• West Falmouth Harbor
• Lackeys Bay
• Naushon Island
• Pasque Island Marsh
• Nashawena Harbor
• Penikese Island Harbor
• West End Pond (Cuttyhunk)
• Cuttyhunk Harbor
• Westport River
• Allen's Pond
• West Island Cove
And that's for starters. From there, I'd like to take the conversation to the south coast of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, Narrragansett Bay and Connecticut.
I plan on interviewing veteran gunkholers like:
• Geoff and Kristen Marshall from Marshall Marine Catboats
• Tony Davis, owner of Areys Pond Catboats
• Tim Lund, President, Catboat Association
• Ridge White, the editor for Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book and expert on vintage Sextants and other marine instruments
• John Isaksen, a veteran cat boater and gunkholer extraordinaire from Fairhavan, MA, who currently owns my second all-time favorite boat, a Lord Nelson Victory Tug trawler.
For those who don't own a Cat Boat, but want to buy one, I plan on taking you behind the scenes at Marshall Marine, Areys Pond, Beetle Cats and Trinka Dinghies to see how these boats are manufactured. Maybe this will help you take the plunge.
But I want to hear from all of you too! Please leave your comments below and let's start the conversation.
Questions of the day,
• Where do you love to go in your Cat Boat?
• What is your favorite gunkholing spot?
For those who are still a little concerned about shallow water sailing, I'll do a video on that subject a little later, on how to free yourself from a grounding situation.
But for now, sit back and relax and view my first video up the Slocum River, in South Dartmouth, MA. It is an absolutely gorgeous river, with stunning views of nature and real estate.
So come join me and my Marshall 22 Catboat, "You Betcha", and my trusted Trinka dinghy, "Don't Cha Know" on this journey as we venture into the world of gunkholing in New England.
Here are some of my favorite related websites to consider:
• Catboat Association: www.catboats.org/
• Off Center Harbor - www.offcenterh...
• Marshall Marine - www.marshallcat...
• Marshall Marine Video - • Marshall Marine: 50 Ye...
• Beetle Cat Boat - www.beetlecat.com
• Arey’s Pond Cats - www.areyspondb...
• Trinka Dinghy - www.trinka.com
• Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book - www.eldridgetid...
• New Bedford Yacht Club - www.nbyc.com
• Great Blue Hill Sail & Power Squadron - www.abc-gbh.org
• America's Boating Club - americasboatin...
• Davoll's General Store - www.davolls.com
Catboat Adventures, Cat Boat Adventures
Creator: Jim Andersen - I can be reached by email at [e-mail]