The Cal 20 is remarkably seaworthy if sailed with good sense and some experience with adverse sea conditions. Back around 1970 or so several were raced in the MidgetOceanRacingAssociation (MORA) out of San Francisco. MORA was a local association for boats 31' or less and races were sailed from Pt. Reyes in the north to Monterrey on the south and out around the Farallones. In addition, once a year MORA put on a long distance race to destinations like San Diego or Santa Barbara. There were a couple of Cal 20's that sailed those races.
One of my first boats was a Cal 20 that I sailed in SF Bay, at one time I did an over night trip, single handed, to Half Moon Bay about 25 miles south of SF.
After the Cal 20 I graduated to a Ranger 23 and later to a Ranger 29 which Claire and I raced in MORA. One year the MORA long distance race was to Morrow Bay (half way from SF to Santa Barbara), and we won that race in the Ranger 29, first to finish AND lowest rating boat! :-)
The Cal 20 is a great example of boats available from that era that can now be purchased quite inexpensively. The modifications spoken of and many others that may be dreamed up by ambitious young sailors can add a lot, or a new sailor can learn the ropes and gain a lot of info on what will be needed as the sailing career continues. The ability to push a well prepared boat hard can be learned here. Key words "well prepared". With an old boat of any kind, that is on the skipper. Some of us old guys have learned how to make or have made, items of safety gear that can be much stronger than normal. One can find the need for such on a trip where they were bodily thrown around a small boat. These little things roll and pitch vigorously!
The Cal 20 is remarkably seaworthy if sailed with good sense and some experience with adverse sea conditions. Back around 1970 or so several were raced in the MidgetOceanRacingAssociation (MORA) out of San Francisco. MORA was a local association for boats 31' or less and races were sailed from Pt. Reyes in the north to Monterrey on the south and out around the Farallones. In addition, once a year MORA put on a long distance race to destinations like San Diego or Santa Barbara. There were a couple of Cal 20's that sailed those races.
One of my first boats was a Cal 20 that I sailed in SF Bay, at one time I did an over night trip, single handed, to Half Moon Bay about 25 miles south of SF.
After the Cal 20 I graduated to a Ranger 23 and later to a Ranger 29 which Claire and I raced in MORA. One year the MORA long distance race was to Morrow Bay (half way from SF to Santa Barbara), and we won that race in the Ranger 29, first to finish AND lowest rating boat! :-)
John & Claire Acord
The Cal 20 is a great example of boats available from that era that can now be purchased quite inexpensively. The modifications spoken of and many others that may be dreamed up by ambitious young sailors can add a lot, or a new sailor can learn the ropes and gain a lot of info on what will be needed as the sailing career continues. The ability to push a well prepared boat hard can be learned here. Key words "well prepared". With an old boat of any kind, that is on the skipper. Some of us old guys have learned how to make or have made, items of safety gear that can be much stronger than normal. One can find the need for such on a trip where they were bodily thrown around a small boat. These little things roll and pitch vigorously!