We got the boat out on the water yesterday,with minor mishaps and slip-ups and absolute delight.
As planned, we took it to a local lake. There were no crowds on a weekday, so we had plenty of room to set up and launch.
Set up, which we have never done before, took over two hours, with a few bruises and a pinched finger. Aside from our inexperience (ignorance), the only problems we encountered were dealing with the attached spreaders and shrouds and getting the furler connected (required alot of force to close the last quater in gap for pinning the furler to the desk mounting).
Then it took several tries to back the trailer down the ramp, adjacent to the dock (my first mate is better than I at this task) but we got her in the water, floated her off the trailer (I started filling the water ballast too soon, and made this harder than it needed to be) tied her off, removed the trailer, and got on board.
It was windy, so we tried motoring alone this first time; the outboard started fine, but the electronic meter kept showing water in the fuel (I'm not sure if this is true, or if the meter is on the fritz...get out the maintenance manual), and the throttle had mediocre response from 700rmps to 1200rmps (it would hang above 700 and then jump to 1200 abruptly).
We were out on the water....I turned off the engine....we drifted as the wind pushed our freeboard. We sat in the cockpit and did not care about meters or throttles or work or to-do lists, and it was perfect.
Then we powered back up and returned to the dock (where we were introduced to the joy of docking with a crosswind) put her back on the trailer, broke down the setup, and drove away.
We had Mexican food for dinner (with beer) and retired several hour early. What a perfect day!
Next time, solve the power quirks and sail!
Fair Winds
James and Theo
