Want to meet Packet Cat owners on Chesapeake Bay

Hello All, Barb and I are new "want-to-be" IP Owners. Our interst is with the Packet Cat and would love to meet any current owner that is willing to share their feeling about this very interesting boat.
We currently sail Stargazer, a Hunter 32, out of Herrington Harbour North. The retirement carrot is getting closer everyday and the plan is to spend the winter months aboard a catamaran in Florida's Gulf Coast, or even the Bahamas.

Please contact me by phone, 301 619 8139 during working hours, or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks,
Bill and Barb

Bill and Barb, Bonnie and I purchased a Packet Cat new in Rock Hall and sailed her for 13 years, the last nine as liveaboards. We enjoyed the PC and particularly Island Packet for its quality and support, both factory and other owners. We spent a lot of time aboard her traveling the east coast, all of Florida to Louisiana, spending the most time on Florida's west coast, Everglades and the keys. The PC is a great liveaboard yacht, very user friendly. She sails good, not great, but that suited us fine. If there are any specifics you would like to talk about or any areas of comcern feel free to reply to this post or call us at 610.762.8473. Fair winds. Bonnie and David

Thanks for the offer David and Bonnie, it seems we will be following in your wake. I'm convinced the PC is right for us, now it's a matter of finding the right one.

Hi all, we are very happy new Packet Cat owners here on the Chesapeake.
We found our 1974 Packet Cat right here in Deale MD at Harrington Harbor North. After a month on the hard, she is in tip top shape and ready for cruzin !

We would Love to hear from anyone with or wanting a Packet Cat and share tips, tricks, experience, etc, as we continue to upgrade our new baby. Stop by and say hi, or give us a call or text 301-646-6340 Fair Winds to all, Ron & Myra

Bonnie and I owned The Brac Cat for 14 years and liveaboard for 9. Other than sailing her we also like talking about her. Feel free to email or call. We are interested to hear about your PC and sailing plans. Bonnie and David

Hi David & Bonnie,

Nice to hear from you. The Packet Cat is sure a unique vessel, we couldn't be happier. For the next few years we will be mostly on the Chesapeake, after that many adventures are planned all up & down the East Coast, Keys, & Bahmas.

I would like to add a full Bimini with enclosure to expand seasonal usage. To do that I am planning on a structure like a radar arch so I can add a traveler toward the stern to make it easier to handle the boom and give us more enclosure over the helm. Have you seen anything like this done on a Packet Cat ?
Any input would be helpful.

If you are ever this way let us know & we can enjoy some time on the Bay, LAter, Ron & Myra

Good to hear of your plans. We sailed out of Rock Hall for 5 years before starting our trip. The Chesapeake Bay is a wonderful area. Over the years we touched, fixed, replaced, added, modified just about every system on the PC. We loved our boat and enjoyed living aboard too, very accommodating. I attach a pic that shows our enclosure with the arch/davit. The enclosure dod not circle behind the helm, it would have been nice if it did, we did have a "bimini" type attachment that went over the helm to the davit. Call if you like to discuss any PC modifications. We sailed the Chesapeake this past summer and hope to get down next year too. Maybe we can meet for a sail. Fair winds. Bonnie and David 6107628473

Hi, I just signed up for this group, and the first search I did was for "Packetcat", and found your post from a year ago. We have owned Grace, a 1995 model since 2008 and are FINALLY heading south this fall, from Buzzards Bay. Our boat has a full enclosure on a stainless steel frame. The material is stamoid with Strataglass windows. We usually sail with just the front 5 panels, like a dodger, but in Maine we did have all the panels zipped on, but sometimes unsnapped at the bottom for ease of sheet handling. We have 4 flexible solar panels mounted on top, and just installed davits 2 years ago. Our radar is mast mounted. If you're interested, Chuck or I can send some pictures. Hope to see some owners in the Chespeake area. Where are you located? Judy

Judy, After 13 years of owning our PC, nine living aboard, we sold The Brac Cat in 2009 and bought an RV. We since have been cruising on the ground. The Chesapeake is a wonderful cruising area, we have always been partial to Rock Hall for any long term stay, but anywhere you stop should be enjoyable. If this is your first time cruising south you may like to see our log, which was published some time ago but tracks our early adventures. fhayden.com/rockhallfleet/TheBracCat.htm. Fair Winds. Bonnie and David