(First installment)

Hello, my name is G Marlyn! On a beautiful California morning back in 1994, I was prepared at the W.D. Schock factory for a road trip to a place in the middle of Michigan. Shortly before, I learned that I had many other brothers and sisters that were proudly called Santana 2023 just like me but wouldn't be making the same trip. They had other places to go and other people to make happy!

Three types of us were born into what was called A, C, and R models. All of us measured in at 23' 3", unless you count the temporary length of the long round noses on my R relatives, and are eight foot six inches wide.

My type is an A model. The A signifies that I was styled after the first 2023s to be born. Some of the others seemed to enjoy Cruising or Racing and that's how they got their letter designations.

For over three years I was kept in a cold showroom so people could look at me but I wanted to get out of there! Then a 6' 4" tall human called George E. Norkus showed his good taste and I went home with him in April of 1998.

At first I thought he would be like the other humans and just look at me but he treated me real nice by adding things that made me look like a seasoned veteran of the water and best of all, he took me out to go dancing!

My new human used to be part of a bunch that raced an NA 40 on Lake St. Clair, which is just North of Detroit, Michigan. He also used to help a little bit on a 32 Morgan. Another thing I found out was that he owned a stinky and thirsty 20' powerboat. I don't really mind because he showed me his true colors when he replaced it with me.

Because he showed confidence in me I thought it would be fitting that I impressed him. So whenever we left his home to go dancing I would trailer very nice, similar to some of my little relatives around three feet shorter. After we got to the launch area I gave him another easy time and let him set me up real fast, sometimes in less than 20 minutes. Like so many other humans he liked to talk allot so a more realistic time was around 30 to 45 minutes.

Back when I was in that cold showroom, a dealer-salesman switched my lower shrouds with a C model. I feel kind of sorry that George didn't notice anything was wrong with the shrouds at first. After a year passed the dealer forgot about me and wouldn't make any changes. Then I gave him the idea to call my birthplace. Within a week the proper shrouds arrived at his doorstep. They didn't charge him anything for my medical supplies either. Needless to say, that former dealer does not sell any more of my relatives.

A nice addition the factory gave me was a 30' long tall mast. It really makes dancing in light winds a breeze. Many others got a shorter 27' mast that is great for generally higher winds. They don't really have anything on me because in winds greater than about 10 mph I can reach a constant 7.5 miles per hour. Now if George would only get me a 135% Genoa to replace my 110-working jib, then I could point with the best of them, wait a minute… I'm pretty good right now!

There are times when he brings his family with us. For some reason his wife and daughter do not like to heal beyond 10 degrees. I'll be the first to admit that I have a hard time holding back in heavier winds and with full sails. Those two just don't realize half the fun IS leaning over! George is pretty good at keeping the list down to 10 and is still able to get a pretty good top end.

One day the two of us were enjoying the sights and he suddenly changed course. 'Must have been a bug in his pants because he took me to a real windy spot just to see what I could do. There had to be at least 25 to 30 knots of wind hitting me for several miles. Sure I was doing my 7.5 mph but then we started to made me list over allot. He really enjoyed that and I was pleased to make him happy.

As I leaned over a good 40 degrees the wind blew water spray towards my cockpit. Getting your seat wet is something a lady never wants even if it's only a couple drops! So I pulled a fast one on him and turned into the wind to settle down. He called it "weather helm"; I call it the proper thing to do.

One time a his daughter was riding my bow and I thought it would be fun to dunked my bow partially under a huge wave. The screams of joy can be so wonderful!

Then there was the time my transom got wet. "oooo…!" That immature powerboat spraying cold water got me so mad! By the time we parted I quickly rid myself of the water out my two drains.

In the four years George has known me the only thing we've done together was day sailing. Never have we spent the night or made an extended trip together. The subject always comes up but has never been acted on. If we ever did I'm sure my four large three-inch padded bunks would meet his approval, well maybe not the rear two. Those are plenty long enough but lack headroom.

Whenever nature call I'm ready. A porta-potty was put inside at the factory. My head is so small; the door is nearly impossible to close when a person is inside of it. This is why I was so glad he repositioned it to face the center. Now the door can be left open to block all vision from the cockpit. Humans love their privacy.

Should a long trip be planned, I have a small sink with drain and a small icebox. Any cooked foods need to be prepared just like you would for a picnic and could be stored in any one of my seven compartments.

George works at a research and development center. When he first looked at me four years ago I imagined him comparing my quality and price against several other sailboats. Knowing I was the best, it was just a matter of time before he found out for himself.

Having hand laid fiberglass I know he'll have no trouble fixing any future medical problems I might have. Inside my cabin is finished with sprayed gel coat. This makes sure that no raw fiberglass particles stick into anyone's skin. That is a major drawback some other boats have.

Talk about a fast setup! My stock rigging was designed for speed and ease. With exception to the lower portion of the forestay, everything is already fastened to my mast. After stepping it up, attaching the lower section of the forestay and Harkens furler, all that is needed to hit the water next is the boom/gooseneck, sails and sheet attachments. Other items, like the rudder, keel and filling the water ballast tank, can be finished off while in the water.

As mentioned earlier, I have been out in some pretty stiff winds. Many times I've had to battle against four to six foot choppy waves. Through all this nothing has ever given me reason to let George down. No matter what kind of dance routine we went out in I have never flexed, peeled or delaminate. You should know that he peeled after a sunburn, but not me!

Some of my relatives have mentioned having problems. They include failed tillers, lower shroud mast mounts on my spreader bar, and some who live for several months at a time without drying out my stomach have reported getting ulcers. (That's my water ballast tank for those humans who don't already know!) Thank goodness the younger children from 1997 on have a fiberglass WB tank. They should never experience that problem.

The compromises my owner is concerned about is basically talked about earlier. That includes the tiller, shroud mounts and spreader bar, and my wooden stomach. Oh yes, he also mentioned having a more space in the head and using solid teak instead of teak plywood.

You already know George is a "fiddler". You should see some things he has modified on me! One thing was to add an electric start 9.9HP four-stroke outboard motor. It's awfully heavy at 120 pounds but I can live with that. A small and inexpensive thing was to add a 2:1 outhaul so he could play with it. Others include stand-up springs on the sheet blocks and furling block. That way the pulley units won't mar my beautiful deck while he's towing me around.

Of all the modifications on me, I like his gooseneck mod best. All the other 2023's have their gooseneck sticking out front of the mast. Most every time we tack, the jib sheets get hung up on it. His modification removed the forward portion. With a flush mast front I can tack all day without a problem. This is truly worth the time and money he used to build it.

On a 1 to 10 scale, (10 being best), he would rate me a nine. I do just about everything he wants, I perform great and I am a breeze to trailer and setup. When you add all that to my bargain price, I'm convinced he's going to keep me for a very long time!

Good bye for now, G Marlyn.

(Second installment)

This is a picture of three hours of sailing on 11/11/2002.

According to my wind indicator it was 1 to two mph of wind. Ten minutes later I found the other side!

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