Solstice to Solera

Last winter I put Solstice up for sale. It was a difficult decision but the conditions on the Sea of Cortez, from my experience there, require a larger boat. The buyer was a fellow from Bainbridge Island who is a longtime sailor and knows his vintage boats. Solstice was listed on the Sailing Texas web site for two weeks when he called and said “I’m going to buy your boat. What will it take to get the deal done.” It was that easy. He plans to keep her in San Carlos as a coastal cruising boat for the winter months.

So, Cyn and I prepared Solstice for sale then purchased our new boat. It’s another vintage boat, they are more affordable, and this one is really special. She’s a 1964 Columbia 40 Cutter designed by Charlie Morgan. A classic offshore racing design from the CCA era. We had a nice sea trial in about ten knots of wind, pretty flat seas with full mainsail, genoa, and staysail up. We were making just under seven knots… pretty sweet. A whole lot of money was spent on her by a previous owner and she looks incredible. All the important cruising gear is already installed but a couple of items need to be refurbished. Her new name is Solera, after the rum, the blending process, and the connection to the sun (not necessarily in that order). If you are interested look up Solera on Wikipedia for a good explanation. Here's some pictures from last Spring.