Insignias

[SailingChris]

Cal 20 # 1220, the lovely Martha C, is afloat for her 24th season in my care, and last night I had the first sail of the season. It was under reefed main and working jib, although I might have done well with a storm jib. Generally I like a less strenuous workout for the first sail after launching, just in case something isn't set up right, or I forget some part of the sequence. All went well, although the rig was a bit loose until I got back to the mooring and tightened it up. And I sailed back on to the mooring, as usual, and absolutely nailed it. That's important because there's a restaurant/bar directly ashore, and any blunders are in full view of all the tourons sitting there.

But my question--while staring at the mainsail I was wondering about my Cal insignia. The glued-on cloth "C20" has long departed, but the old glue has attracted either dirt or mildew enough to be apparent. I was wondering about painting the insignia. So was there a standard color for Cal's big C with the number inside? Seems to me this used main and the original one were both black.

And could I use a good latex gloss house paint for the purpose?

Thanks,
Chris Campbell
Cal 20 "Martha C"

[rcvesselstyn]

Hi Chris. I have seen dark blue and red on various sails, but the most prevalent is black. I have seen people use colored tape for a temporary numbers but I don't believe I've ever seen anyone use paint. Like so many things it's going to look just like whatever it is. If you get enough distance it'll be hard to tell what it is. So it comes down to you being the person who's going to see it all the time and up close. If the stain bothers you it's my guess that paint would also. Just for the satisfaction of seeing a sharp insignia it might be worth the 35 bucks to get the numbers from Sailright. Nice to hear you're back on the water.