Warrior 29 is FOR SALE!!

The Warrior 29 Catamaran featured in this blog is now up for sale!

Here's a link to photos and video the owner has sent me: http://s602.photobucket.com/albums/tt108/Warrior29/ 

Her skipper, Mark, who bought the boat from me, and it's current owner has informed me she's up for sale.  He seems a little conflicted and I don't blame him.  I was too when I made the same decision over 6 years ago.  For me, it got worse following the sale when I was out on my dad's Capri 30.  It was the first time I got back on a sailboat since selling Geronimo.

My dad really loved the Warrior, he spent many hours grinning while at the helm and as many helping me with the restoration and countless more discussing the virtues of catamarans and the ideas I had  to make this diamond-in-the-rough a real jewel.  On this sail up from Dana Point he probed me on how I felt about selling the Warrior and reminisced about the great sails we had aboard Geronimo.  He admitted he was very sorry to see her go but agreed with me, that I sold her to the "right guy".  We talked about the several, nearly 800 mile roundtrips up to the Delta to see, test sail, demount her, and the excitement of towing her to her new home near Los Angeles.

Back on the Capri, as we neared the Los Angeles harbor entrance the wind had been steadily rising as almost always is the case.  I grew up sailing in the LA harbor area, more specifically, Hurricane Gulch. It's called Hurricane Gulch because the high winds that seem to be a result of the adjacent Palos Verdes Penninsula.  This was Geronimo's playground.  All the wind you could ask for, and many times more than you wanted.

It was probably blowing 18 knots when we rounded the entrance.  The Capri 30, as I quickly learned, loves to heel to the point of absurdity!  A puff and you're on your ear, bracing yourself as you look down at the leeward rail slightly under water; trouble is... you don't go any faster!  As I fight the weather helm I'm wondering to myself, what wind speed is typical for the first reef on this thing... then my dad says "Hey look! The Warrior! It's Mark!".  Mark knew we were coming up to LA that day and was on the lookout for a Capri30.

It's easy to forget just how fast the Warrior is until you're on a mono, reaching, on your side with all the stuff down below knocking around, going like hell, you know like 7 knots!  ...and this stunningly beautiful catamaran which was quite a ways away, is now screaming past you with a steady arc of spray coming off the lee bow.  He was doing twice our speed.  And it looked so effortless. As he buzzed by, the shit-eating grin on his face said it all.  And the boat! I know this sounds all so hyped and sensational, but this was the first time I had seen ANY Warrior sailing without me on it. It's one thing is to watch from the cockpit the drive and speed this cat can serve up; but to see this from another boat was awe-inspiring for me!

"WHAT HAVE I DONE ?!!", I shouted. Dad laughed so hard, it only slightly eased the pain. He said, "Look at that! I told you.", and he laughed some more.  He warned me that I was letting a "one-of-a-kind boat" go when I told him I was ready to sell. At that moment, it sure felt like it. In fact, it's completely true today.

The Warrior is such a unique catamaran, her qualities will be hard to find in another boat.  Now, she is better than she has ever been with all the work, upgrades and thought Mark has put into her.

Mark, I hope you know what you're doing.

If you are the least bit interested in this boat, get Mark to take you on a sail--you'll get hooked!  Mark did when I took him.  I hope you're the "right-guy".  If not, I bet Mark will just  keep her.

2 comments:

  1. I bought this boat from a bunch of Navy kids in Hawaii that didn't know what they had. I've been working on it and sailing it off of Waikiki and while I let my kids name her a goofy name, to me the boat is a "Waking Dream."
    The boat flies across the water effortlessly when I take her out single handed and is fun for my family as well. I feel so lucky to be a part of this line of owners, the work you've done to get her where she is really shows.
    Thanks!

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  2. Hi Jamey, this is Dan Beiley, I’m the one who trailered the warrior down from the Delta, worked on it for 18 months, sailed and raced her for 4 years and then sold Geronimo to Mark. Haven’t looked at this blog for years—what a pleasant surprise! Good to hear the warrior is still providing joy! About 4 years after selling Geronimo, I bought a Corsair F27, ‘Antigone’. Mark and I had some crazy fun times single-handing our boats against each other in 25kts of breeze in the San Pedro channel. We called it Mano-a-Mano. Some of the video I took of those times are part of Mark’s YouTube videos on his YouTube channel duelingbozos. Many solo Catalina trips too. Miss those days.
    I heard a rumor about the Warrior being sailed to Hawaii, I never fully believed it-thought that would be crazy. Have fun! Keep in touch.

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