Although a bitter, halyard-rattling wind was blowing on the opening day of the Strictly Sail Pacific show in Oakland, California and kept many would-be showgoers home, the marine trade has become used to such jabs on the chin. The 90-degree temperatures and bright blue skies that followed were much more Californian and the docks and tents at Jack London Square saw plenty of foot traffic.

I was heartened to see strong displays of boats from key builders like Beneteau, Jeanneau, Catalina, Island Packet, and Hunter. Most other players managed to get at least one or two of their boats into the show, and although the numbers were certainly down on previous years it was obvious that the trade is still committed to pushing the lifestyle and the products that serve it.

If you were there looking for brand-new production boats, you’d have stopped at Catalina and Island Packet. Catalina has shifted all of its production out of California now, and the spanking new Catalina 445 at Oakland had made a long overland journey from Florida.



It was tied up next to a Catalina 470, and although the family resemblance was undeniable, so was the evidence of a slight shift in philosophy. Exhibit One – the Selden removable sprit protruding past the hefty double bow roller. Exhibit Two – the multi-functional port aft cabin, which can be accessed either from on deck or down below, and can be converted from a 3-berth sleeping cabin to a storage locker or workroom. It’s the first twin-aft-cabin Catalina in which the cabins have not been mirror images of each other. It is also a very practical arrangement. The saloon makes full use of the boat’s beam without compromising stowage or practicality, and offers good seaberths on either side.



These evolutions aside, the boat abounds with interesting design and build features. We’ll be test-sailing it next week and publishing the test in our July issue.

I was also intrigued by Island Packet’s new Estero. This 37-footer is a departure from IP orthodoxy in that it has no cutter rig – instead, the Hoyt jib boom that controls the staysail on other IPs now serves a 90-percent self-tacking jib. Combined with the roller-furling, vertically battened mainsail, this will make the boat a breeze to handle.



There are more innovations down below, where designer Bob Johnson has placed the saloon in the eyes of the boat. This is a concept he used in the original Island Packet 31 and has now resurrected to excellent effect. The absence of a main bulkhead opens the accommodation right up and gives the boat the feel of a 40-footer.



We’ll be stepping aboard for a test sail after the show, so you’ll be able to read more about this interesting boat soon.



A couple of years ago, SAIL’s feature article (see SAIL, April 2007, page 101) on the amazing foiler Moths created a swell of interest in this spectacular class. I was pleased to see the latest production version of the Bladerider, winner of a SAIL Best Boats Award, on show. Apparently the boat is becoming the hot ticket with former skiff jockeys and other performance-hungry sailors who want a big sailing buzz for a modest outlay. Bring it on….