Pottering About with the Potters
How good is small-boat sailing? We know West Wight Potters aren’t the only small sailboats in existence, but since early September, when we ran a story about the Potters, we’ve been receiving photos from Potter Yachters throughout the Bay Area.
Carolyn Rosner and Mike Hay bought their 2012 Potter 19, Kestrel, in June this year. “We fell in love with her shiny red hull and it turned out the rest of her was pretty Bristol as well,” Carolyn said. As the couple live in Bishop, CA, they have sailed mostly on Crowley Lake, though Carolyn said they are looking forward to sailing on the Delta as well as doing some coastal cruising.
Bud Kerner bought his West Wight Potter 19 in December 2000, direct from the factory — making Cat’s Meow a 2001 model. “She is almost 20 years old, but still going strong,” Bud said.
One of the things we love about the local Potter group is that they are inclusive of sailors who love to ‘potter’ around other small sailboats. For example, Jon Barber joined the Potter Yachter group five years ago and has now enjoyed “many fine sails” with them.
“When I bought my Montgomery 17 Ol’ 44 from Sean Mulligan, he recommended joining the Potter group because with an annual event schedule you sail more. He was right!”
Potter Yachters commodore Eric Zilbert said, “Although Potter is in our name, we are open to anyone that sails a trailerable sailboat. We are all about good times on the water, and sharing our love of sailing and our experiences as trailer sailors. As I often say, pottering is a state of mind, not just sailing a West Wight Potter.”
Despite the 2020 challenges the club was able to run several events this year: an overnight at Spindrift Marina in late May, an overnight at Benicia in June, a sail-in to Loch Lomond in July plus a sail from Moss Landing to Monterey with two nights in Monterey, and then a trip to Huntington Lake in August. In September they had a sail to Angel Island with an overnight at Marina Bay, and a beach-camping trip in Tomales Bay. And this month they had another sail from Moss Landing to Monterey. Talk about busy!
“At each of the sails we wore masks, physically distanced, and ate our own food or ordered takeout and ate on the docks. Interestingly, each trip was made up of a different group of members; only two of us made it to all the sails,” Zilbert said.
What’s your favorite small boat?
Montgomery 17 but like the Potters too! Sounds like a great group!
Montgomery 17
Sick Chicken #375
Seattle
There are 5 Potters on the Foster City Lagoon. The owners get together and sail the 5 mile lagoon. It’s fun to see them out.
Loved the story about the Potters. I never owned one but I did own a Santana 22 for 40 years! Obviously loyal to the fleet and brand. Although a little larger than the Potters, she, Hot Tip provided me many hours and days of sailing out of the Santa Cruz Harbor on Monterey Bay. Technically the Santana 22 is trailerable but for me a challenge. After 40 years of ownership, with the support of Latitude 38’s Classy Classifieds, I sold my boat and relocated to Northern California but still have many, many fond memories with my boat. My advice to sailors … stick with an affordable boat you love and enjoy the sail and experiences !
Years ago I had a friend with a Potter who sailed on SF Bay. I was a skeptic when he invited me but learned to enjoy this fun little boat. Although I’ve had many larger boats of my own since then, I’m now happily sailing the Eastern Med on my Beneteau First 21.7 as I’ve enjoyed the “feel” of a pocket yacht ever since that Potter on the Bay..
Hello
I have a West White Potter 15
I’m based in North Yorkshire and would love to hear from other Potter owners.
I began sailing by accident. A distant family member kept a Columbia 22 at a slip in Marina Del Rey. I was asked to repair his outboard, which I did and he offered to take him motoring around the marina. Ernie enjoyed that. Ernie didn’t sail his sailboat, he motored it. In fact it was so much fun that he suggested we should learn to sail it too. Neither of us had a clue how to sail yet we took it out past the breakwater with sails unstayed to the mast while dragging lines in the water as we motored through swells and bucked the sea in an effort to return back to the safety of the breakwater. I loved it! I read every book and studied hard to understand basic sailing. I was hooked and a few years later I decided to purchase my own sailboat, a Morgan Out-Island 28 (the smallest, yet huge interior room as all Out Islands are known for). That became my first and long time boat in my life. I sailed her often and each time I did I added some piece of equipment I thought she needed, so this little 28 footer soon became crowded over the years, preparing her to go out to sea and “Around the World” as most novices will say is their plan for the future. ANN MARIE and I were together for over thirty years until I fell onto a cleat on a Mexican dock, ending my future as a single handed sailor forever (I thought). Now, a decade has past, and I miss those days I spent out at sea with ANN MARIE, God and me. I thought the impairment in my lower body movement had ended my days of sailing, but No. By chance, a decade later, I learned of a different type of sailboat, a West Wight Potter, and it sounded perfect to me. Some Potters were set up by the factory to be sailed single handed, though they don’t advise this in their brochures, the chance to sail again convinced me to regain my interest in sailing again. My goal was to own a Potter set-up with all lines to lead aft into the cockpit, installed with a roller furling jib, and using its 6 inch draft for beaching when I could, instead of anchoring. No foredeck of mast work and all sail handling would be from the cockpit. I became excited to think single sailing was possible again. I am seventy five and know nothing lasts forever, yet I also believe, through perseverance, I can extend my time to sail indefinitely. I had the choice of many fine pocket cruisers and decided the P19 checked all of my boxes. I found a great P19 in good shape and at a good price and within a week I will be trailering it home. It did not have a roller furling, but there should be a P 19 owner who may want to trade his roller furling for a new North hank on working jib offering some cash as an incentive. I have come this far, so a little bit father is possible too.
My whole life has a new direction as I heard the advice from a wise Coast Guard Auxiliary Instructor, who told a student when asked, “Who is a small craft during a small craft warning?”… His response was brilliant, “If you think you are a small craft, don’t go out”. I took that to mean, “If you are convinced you can do something, you should be able to.” And his simple answer works to influence and guide my life today.