In August of 2000, my son, Scot, and I decided we might be interested in getting a sailboat and doing some sailing. It had been years since either of us had done any, but we both enjoyed it immensely at that time. Most of our experience had been in a 19-foot daysailer, a Flying Scot, and we seriously considered another boat of that type. After considerable discussion, we decided a small racing cruiser might suit us better, since we both have some interest in spending some nights on the boat.

In about 1975, I had been invited to crew on board a 33-foot Pearson sloop in the Governor's Cup Regatta on Kentucky Lake. Near the end of that race, we were passed by a smaller boat, flying a spinnaker in the light airs, and we might as well have been aground. The little boat was a San Juan 23, and it always stuck in my mind, not only because it won the race, but because I thought it was beautiful. When we started looking for our racing cruiser, the first boat we saw for sale was none other than a San Juan 23, a 1982 model, at Lighthouse Landing Marina on Kentucky Lake.

She is 23 feet overall, 20 feet 4 inches on the waterline, a keel-centerboarder with displacement of 2700 pounds and ballast of 960 pounds. Draft is 1.9 feet with board up, 4.9 feet with it down. Sail area is 234 square feet, higher than the average small trailerable cruiser, and most of her numbers put her in the racing class. She sleeps four, has a small galley with stove and sink, and will serve us well on our weekend forays. In mid-August we went to inspect the boat. Here's what we saw.

What's not to like? We bought her, and on September 2 we hauled her to Green River Lake in south-central Kentucky, where we had arranged for a slip to keep her, at the Green River Marina. On September 3 we rigged and launched her, with a great deal of anxiety and even more sweat, because it was one of the hottest, most calm days of the year. We were most concerned about raising and stepping the 32-foot mast, but all the worry was wasted, because it went along as smoothly as we could have wished.

Launching her for the first time brought its own brand of anxiety, but that, too, went very well, and we motored her around to her slip with a feeling of satisfaction for a tough job well and safely done. Our new boat had arrived, and we were pleased as punch. We spent some time finishing the rigging and figuring out the basics, then left her afloat in her natural element, where she looked much more attractive. Like proud new fathers, we felt like handing out cigars all around.

We've sailed her a little, first in very light airs and then in quite heavy ones, and we have found no nasty habits. That's always nice in a boat. She has the feel of a much larger, heavier boat, seems quite fast, and is a great pleasure to sail. As we get to know her better, get her rigged to our satisfaction, make her our own, I'll add pictures to our sailing photo album for those who enjoy such things.

Copyright © 2000 B.E. Spencer and G.S Spencer All rights reserved.