Hi Judy, (Sorry, I thought I had a workaround going for having my replies stripped - it's not working anymore)
The clam shell vents are facing down near the top of the transom flanking the walk through. That makes it sound like they are far inboard; I'd guess they are 4-5 feet apart. Lazzerette latches are always a concern. The C270 has three with hasp that turn to latch. I use them like that but in heavy seas they should get a snap hook through the eye. Thinking in the same vein; don't forget to secure the anchor and anchor locker hatch. I knew a couple who silently had an anchor deploy off Ensenada on a boat they just took delivery on. I made for an interesting 2-3 hours in heavy seas with a boat that didn't want to track. Phil Agur <http://www.catalina27.org/public_pages/profile270.htm> s/v Wing Tip C270 LE #184 MMSI 366901790
