Be The Windlass!

When it comes to cruising, small and simple can be inexpensive and trouble free. Take the case of Tahoe residents Bob Bahlman and Margie Hughes, who just completed a most enjoyable eight-month cruise of Mexico aboard their Sausalito-based Catalina 30 No Name. They could have gone to the trouble and expense of installing an electric windlass on their humble cruising boat, but they decided to use Margie as the windlass instead. Sort of an inversion on the old ‘why be a dishwasher when you can buy one?’ advertising slogan.

No Name‘s windlass performed flawlessly through the cruising season, which saw the couple travel as far south as Huatulco, Mexico. We’re not suggesting that everyone revert to the human windlass solution for two reasons. First, the little Catalina didn’t need the heaviest anchor and rode in the world. And second, as you can see from the photo, Margie, who worked as a personal trainer at the Mill Valley Health Club and Spa, is in spectacular physical condition. Bob is no slouch either, having raced bicycles for over 20 years.

We’ll have more on Bob and Margie’s cruise in the September issue of Latitude, but as a preview, we can tell you that they thought their Catalina 30 was an "awesome" cruising boat, although they are going to go with a much larger boat for their much longer upcoming cruise.