Captain Murph

The original "Kelly" (now sometimes referred to as "Kelly I"), purchased in 1992, is a standard rig Catalina 25 swing-keel sailing sloop built in 1986.  Captain Murph cruised "Kelly" out of Bay Harbor Marina, Erie, PA.

Captain Murph's two sons were 3 and 6 years old when he and his wife began cruising on "Kelly", their first keel boat.  Their early cruises were mostly weekends sailing 5 to 15 miles out into Lake Erie, then spending the night at anchor in Presque Isle Bay, or Marina Lake in Presque Isle State Park.  The family sailed across Lake Erie to Port Dover, Ontario at least once a year and some years they crossed the Lake 2 or 3 times.

Before taking his young family across Lake Erie, Murph first recruited a couple close friends (Robert Zimmerman and Dick Beamer) who sailed the trip to Port Dover with him, just to "test the waters", so to speak.  The first trip was navigated with only the ship's compass, a handheld compass, and the chart, as this trip pre-dated the small, affordable GPS and the new-to-Lake-Erie crew (including Murph) didn't yet know how to use the handheld Loran unit that came with "Kelly".

In 1998, Mrs. Murphy and the Captain trailered "Kelly" and the boys to the North Channel of Lake Huron.  They launched "Kelly" at Killarney, Ontario and sailed her to Baie Fine, The Pool, and Snug Harbor for 3 nights and 4 days of cruising.

Two other Catalina 25s joined Captain Murph's experience when he began sailing with Captain Troy Cain and Captain James Clark.  Captain Cain's Catalina 25, "Persistent" , was a tall rig with a swing keel, built about 1989.  Captain Cain sailed "Persistent" for many years on Lake Arthur before he began trailering her to the Chesapeake Bay where he sailed her from Don and Donna Hekler's seawall on Whitehall Creek.  Captain Cain has since sold "Persistent" and now sails "Relentless", an Irwin 34 out of the MWR facility on Carr Creek, Annapolis, MD.

"Maggie's Mate" is a late 80s or early 90s standard rig swing keel Catalina 25 owned and sailed by Captain Clark on Lake Arthur.  Captain Clark, now over 75 years old, has been sailing most of his life and is still actively sailing "Maggie's Mate" and frequently brings crew on board to share his experience.  Of course, as you sail with Captain Clark, you'll also meet "Maggie", Captain Clark's second canine by that name, who is his constant companion, on board and off.

Just email or call Captain Murph to discuss your plans and to set specific details to suit your goals.