Sailors occasionally ask questions about the seagoing capability of the Catalina 36. We all realize that the C36 was designed to be an outstanding coastal cruising boat, and that it has achieved that status with renown; there's no debate about that. But in the hands of a capable skipper exercising good judgement and top notch seamanship, the Catalina 36 has proven itself on long ocean passages, as well. In fact, C36IA Member Craig Mortensen, owner and skipper of the S/V Patriot, a Catalina 36 Mk I based in Portland, Oregon, has been inducted into the Catalina Yachts Offshore Cruising Hall of Fame for his circumnavigation.

The text of the Hall of Fame Award reads as follows:

Catalina 36 Patriot and her skipper Craig Mortensen returned from
their circumnavigation on June 29, 2007. They departed San Diego on April 1,
2003, making the 3000-mile crossing to the Marquesas in 23 days. Their
odyssey took them across the South Pacific to Australia, with stops at the
Society Islands, Tonga and Fiji, where Patriot spent the tropical storm season
of 2003/2004 on the hard. In May 2004, Patriot was struck by a whale in the
Coral Sea on a passage from Vanuatu to Papua, New Guinea. She took on no
water, and continued 600 miles to Cairns, Australia, with no engine
propulsion. From Australia, Craig and Patriot sailed to Bali and Singapore.
She crossed the North Indian Ocean in January and February 2005, literally in
the wake of the resulting tsunami – negotiating a 100 mile debris field near Sri
Lanka before stopping in the Maldives. They had a brush with pirates in the
Gulf of Aden. After passing through the Suez Canal in April 2005, the next 18
months were spent cruising the Med, then crossing the Atlantic to enjoy
winter in the Caribbean. Patriot concluded the adventure by transiting the
Panama Canal and sailing to Hawaii, with a final 19-day passage to Astoria.
Craig and Patriot always had additional crew for the various passages.