FOR SALE: The Cape Dory 300 MS, $69,000
For Specifications, Owner's Manual, and more please go to http://www.capedory.org/specs/cd30ms.htm

Actually, the boat sleeps far more than two.  We like to drop the dining room table and convert the dining room into a queen-sized bed leaving the seven food wide V-berth state room fully ample for another couple or even a small family!

Imagine cruising the California coast with the San Francisco Bay your destination.  You choose to drop anchor in the calm waters off Sausalito with stunning views of the city lights, Mt. Tilapias, and the fog rolling off the Sausalito hills.  What could be better?  Actually, this anchorage is only a few hundred yards from our berth but we often live out this fantasy.

We have done this untold number of times because this is Molly and she is unique and special.  In my previous boats I have employed the ground tackle only once or twice and if you are a boater you know why.  Yes it is great to have your craft securely attached to the bottom and enjoying your own personal island.  However, the dream comes to an end when you raise the anchor and bring up a hundred pounds of mud.  Really messy mud.  Well, Molly is not a normal boat.  First, the 40 CQR anchor and 40’ of chain do their job and do embed themselves in the bottom, mud and all.

 
OK, time to raise the anchor.  Time to start pulling?  No, simply employ the electric windless to raise it but what about the mud?  Simply pull the hidden hose out off the chain locker, flip on the powerful salt-water pump and, as the anchor comes up, hose it off.  Brilliant.  I always suspect that passing sailors are a bit envious as they see my wife slowly piloting Molly as I blast the mud off the ground tackle.

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Dave and Diane tell the story of a Thanksgiving in Paradise Cove on Treasure Island.  They made a complete Thanksgiving dinner from scratch including pumpkin pie (using a wine bottle to roll out the dough).  The stainless propane stove and oven, on gimbals of course, do their job.  The propane has three levels off security including a solenoid that shuts off the external dual propane tanks.

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“Belt and suspenders.”  Dave would say that over and over.  What he meant was that redundancy or back up systems are employed whenever possible.  There is an electric bilge pump and a manual pump, Garmen GPS and a back up unit, VHR Radio and a VHS hand held marine radio.  The folding entryway has both a hook and eye and a snap on a strap.  It seems that everywhere there is redundancy.

Autopilot.  A wonderful item!  It’s like having an extra crewman.  And it's a delight for single handling and sail raising. 

Radar.  I’ve only used it once but returning from Half Moon Bay and entering the Gate  one days in thick fog would have been much more scary if it were not for this unit.

GPS.  She has an older unit but I installed the $2000 fabulous Garmen xxx.  It’s amazing to know within feet if I’m in the channel when returning home. 

Cold and wet?  Time to stay home?  Not on this boat.  How about a Sunday cruise along the Sausalito waterfront in a winter storm?  This is great fun snuggled inside with the xxx heater thermostatically controlled heater keeping everything at the shirtsleeve temperature, windshield wipers flapping.  Toasty and worm.  Molly, under my ownership has never had any foul weather gear aboard.  If you like salt water in your face this is not the boat for you. 

Mechanics who work on this boat say things like, “This boat was done right.”  Dave Symonds is a Harvard graduate who is a bit obsessive.  Remember, he had just spent four years in a 30’ sailboat bouncing around the south pacific.  Probably, at one time or another something needing fixing.  Here was an opportunity to build a boat from scratch and he didn’t want to have any problems with anything.  Everything is top drawer.  You really have to spend time on the boat to fully take it all in.  Four years later I’m still discovering little touches that he has added.  The surveyor I hired prior to purchase said the replacement cost was $175,000.  I don’t think he fully understood the underlying detail this boat possesses.

All the sheets come into the cockpit.  No need to leave the heated comfort of the cockpit to raise or lower the sails.  One of the things we love to do is take a few friends out and motor out to the bridge.  In seconds we often toss up the job for a little extra lift and stability.

And the refrigerator does its job.  It’s deep and roomy and makes great ice cubes for drinks. 

One of my favorite trips was one summer.  I had just started a two-week vacation and was planning on doing some work at home.  I decided to drop by the boat for a moment.  “What the hell, I think I’ll just motor out of the slip for a quick spin.”  The weather was perfect, high seventies, nice breeze, sunny.  I’ll never forget this part.  I had the sails up, on autopilot, all the windows and hatches in the cockpit open, drink in the holder and reading the newest New Yorker.  Every now and then I’d look up for traffic.  Wow!  The day progressed into a wonderful sail towards Treasure Island and then around to the back side of Angle Island, tacking through Raccoon Straits as the sun set, and finally slowly motoring in the dark back to my berth. 

Speaking of dark.  Molly has a full compliment of nighttime running lights, high and low.  Plus, strobe at the top of the mast for nighttime ocean sailing.  I’ve never used it but Dave has in his trips up to a hundred miles off the coast.  But get this!  A number of the lights in the cockpit and on the chart table are not only bright or dim but can be switched to red. (He painted the bulbs red!).  So nights are a great experience to have the right kind of visibility for others to have fun in the cabin while you to navigate with ease. 

Ask me about the Avon Life Raft.

The Perfect Boat!

• Set up for serious fishing
• Easy to live aboard
• Coastal cruising an option
• Full Delta canvas
• “Hot Rod” charging system
• Huge extra battery
• iPod hooked up and ready to go
• Sausalito berth w/ city and Mt. Tamalpias views
• Maintenance, bottom cleaning and painting, and bright work team in place
• Electric windless for easy anchor up and down w/really cool integrated water pump to hose off anchor before bringing on board –- makes it easy and fun to drop anchor set up home anywhere
• The enclosed cabin and thermostatically controlled heater offers shirt sleeve boating year round
• A Cape Dory is “Stout” -- Icebreaker-like hull 

Custom Cape Dory 300 MS for Sale: $69,000. For more info, email fritzlan@comcast.net.
For Specifications, Owner's Manual, and more please go to http://www.capedory.org/specs/cd30ms.htm