Commodore - Andy Sumberg

Sailing out of Westport, MA, I mostly sail with my wife, Mindy. We took delivery of our new Catalina 350 in April 2004 after five years ownership of a Catalina 320, hull #26. Our normal sailing area includes Buzzards Bay and Rhode Island Sound. In a given year we take a number of day trips out and back from Westport, or over to Cuttyhunk Island. We also get in one or two weeklong trips that will take us to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. We have also sailed to Block Island a few times.

Prior to purchasing the 320, I had a Catalina 22 for two seasons but found it to be too small for the waters off southern Massachusetts.

I was raised in Miami, Florida, the only member of my family to take to the water. As a teenager, I learned to sail on my friend's 18-ft Flying Scott. I also was an avid Scuba diver and owned a small 15-ft powerboat that was used to get to the reefs south of Miami and in the Florida Keys. We also used it for water skiing in Biscayne Bay. The boat was kept on a trailer in my parent's yard so I developed excellent trailering skills.

When returning to boating as an adult, I used Power Squadron courses to refresh my knowledge. I have since remained active in the Power Squadron. I like to work on my boat and maintain as many of the systems as possible.

In addition to sailing my own boat, I have bare boat chartered in the Bahamas, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and twice in the British Virgin Islands.

Vice Commodore - Jeff Blank

My first sailing experience was on a Sunfish as a kid while growing up in NY. I knew immediately that this was something I would do for the rest of my life. Since then I have sailed an 18 foot Hobie Cat and a 22 foot Spindrift Day Sailer in Galveston Bay for about 3 years. Later I moved to North Carolina and sailed/raced on a lake North of Charlotte. While living in the Carolina's I enjoyed trailering my boat to the coast. It was great sailing along the coast and exploring new sights. Then I moved to Delaware and bought Gemini, a 26 Seafarer, and sailed her on the Chesapeake.

After sailing on a small lake East of Dallas, for about 9 years, I decided to attend the local boat show. My wife insisted she go with me just to make sure that in a weak moment I wouldn't buy a boat. So we enjoyed looking around but she wouldn't let me look too long at any one boat. That is until we went aboard our Catalina 350. Long story short - our Catalina 350 is now called "Family Affair".

I'm currently spending every possible moment sailing on Lake Texoma which is located on the Oklahoma/Texas border. One benefit of sailing in Texas is that you get to enjoy your passion all 12 months. Our two girls have been sailing since they were 3 weeks old and are very much at home on the boat. I think the aliens have swapped my wife, Kathy, as she is now reading sailing magazines and spends all her free time on the boat. We especially like how "Family Affair" accommodates our family of six and all the amenities of home to entertain our friends.

Treasurer - Ed Hemstreet

My most recent venture back into sailing occurred in 1996 when we purchased a 1986 Catalina 30 which we sailed for three summers, enjoying Fishers Island Sound and finally getting up the nerve to cruise for a week in the summer of 1998 after taking part in the Catalina Rendezvous in Newport, RI. We enjoyed cruising so much that we traded our 30 for a 1990 Catalina 36 which we sailed happily for four summers, until Catalina introduced the 350. We purchased hull #25 in October of 2003 after I sailed her back from the Newport Boat show and have LOVED every minute of sailing the new Elusive.

I started sailing as a teen racing with my cousin on his 9-foot Turnabout in Hingham, Ma. I then crewed on and eventually skippered a 42-foot ketch for four years racing in Long Island Sound while attending the US Coast Guard Academy. I also took part in four summer cruises on the Coast Guard Bark Eagle visiting ports in Europe and along the Eastern and Western seaboards of the United States and Mexico. Upon graduation, I served as a deck watch officer on a Coast Guard Weather Patrol Cutter for 18 months and then commanded a Coast Guard 95 foot patrol boat for a year. I served in the Coast Guard for 26 years and retired in 1992 as a Captain having served in mostly Civil Engineering jobs after I discovered I get seasick on ships.

I have a Coast Guard 100 Ton Master's License for Near Coastal Waters and am a certified keelboat sailing instructor for the American Sailing Association.

Secretary - To be announced

Membership - To be announced

Technical Editor - Skip Penizotto

I am a retired corporate jet pilot and I began sailing in 1997. Our first boat was a Catalina 30 that we purchased in 2001 and sailed out of Rock Hall in Chesapeake Bay for 5 years. My wife Kathy and I love the Bay and we spent most of our time cruising there and anchoring out in various locations.

Last summer we decided that we needed a boat with more amenities and room so we sold the 30 and purchased an 18-month old 350, hull #230, which we re-christened "Ithaca".

When we purchased the 350 in September of 2005 it was slipped in Baltimore Inner Harbor. We remained there through to the end of the season and managed to fall in love with Baltimore so we've have made plans to stay at Henderson's Wharf Marina for next season.

Although my experience in boating does not date back too far, I found that some of my aviation skills were transferable to some degree and that has acted to shorten my learning curve. I also try to personally perform as much work on my boat as possible to gain technical and practical experience. Additionally, I spend a significant amount of time sailing with a close friend who is a highly experienced sailor and the owner of a Shannon 43. I have sailed with him many times from Raritan Bay, NJ to Bristol RI and back, with side trips to Nantucket, Cuttyhunk, Block Island and Martha's Vineland. I also sailed with him on one trip to Bermuda.

While in aviation, for a couple of years I was a technical writer in a training program for a four-engine jet, the Lockheed Jetstar. With the input and assistance of the many knowledgeable Catalina 350 owners, I am hopeful and I expect that my prior experience will enhance my ability to function as Technical Editor on the Catalina 350.

Association Editor - Elizabeth Beckmann

Starting out as power boaters, my husband Carl and I gradually converted to sailing in 1997 with the purchase of our first sailboat, a 1981 25' Catalina. The previous owner had severely neglected her, but with a lot of TLC, maintenance and help from Marvin at Catalina (CA) we had her up and sailing. "Lillie Marlene" served us well as a learning vessel - all manual operation! As we got closer to retirement age, we sought out a newer, less manual model Catalina. We zeroed in on the 310, when originally debuted. However, due to Uncle Sam's marching orders, we delayed the purchase. Then the 350 arrived on the scene. We took delivery of hull #223 in April 2004. Living in the Charleston area, gives us the opportunity to sail when the mood strikes, which is often. We do weekend cruises monthly (within a 35-mile radius) with the Charleston Cruising Club. We are now gearing and training up for our first long distance cruise in May to the Bahamas in "Palmetto Moon".

Web Master - Jerry Nielsen

My wife and I began sailing as team in 1969. We were looking for an outdoor activity that a New York City gal and a California country boy might both enjoy. I grew up in San Luis Obispo, CA, not far from Morro Bay. My Dad and I built a 22 foot boat when I was in my teens, and building and going out on Rocky II was the beginning of my love affair with boats.

We've owned a Newport 16, MacGregor 25, Catalina 30, Catalina 34 and now the Catalina 350. I wanted a C350 the moment I saw one! We sail out of Marina del Rey, CA where we belong to the Venture MacGregor Fleet of Marina del Rey. VMFMDR is a very exclusive club, a Groucho Marx club. You have to have heard of a MacGregor and pay $20.00 a year. (You can lie about having heard of a MacGregor.) My goal for this web site is very simple - to build an on-line community for Catalina 350 owners where they can share their ideas, solutions to problems, and the joys and headaches we all experience when we sail our boats.