After two years in the barn, finally SAILED HER

Well.  I have to tell you about my first sailing experience.
Dragged her down to the water on the ICW and put the sail up.  It was about sunset one night about 3 years ago.  As soon as I put the sail up:  the wind died.  I was a sitting duck.  After about 15 minutes of drifting, I shamefully rowed her back to the landing.

Until last week, I never tried sailing again.  I had done it as a boy scout but really none since.

Then my family and I took a trip to Bath NC (a wonderful place by the way, shhh don't tell anybody) and I got a chance to redeem myself.

Getting her off the bulkhead wasn't easy, and she felt extremely top heavy with the mast up.  But with me sitting in the floor and the daggerboard held down with bungees, she performed like a champ.  Day 1 I took her almost a mile upwind.  Day two I took my wife.  Day three by myself again, and day four with my father-in-law on board.

It was exhilarating.  Something I look forward to again!  here are some pictures with the sail up.

oarlock collars

today I had an oarlock collars with the kit that was supplied by Chesapeake light craft

they are high quality leather and they tacked onto the oars quite easily...even more easy than expected. 

i mounted them a little closer to the handles than the instructions suggested

cold january 2015

well we took a long haul today

put in at dons beach headed north in skinny water past the old boy scout house on the peninsula that faces greens channel. went about a mile. corbett land. then we found some really gorgeous creek beds running up into the woods. some of them had live oaks and spanish moss hanging over both sides. really pretty, almost like being on another continent. 

it was cold. as H says it was CUhHL.  high today 48. KC clark visiting from pittsburgh, thats him in the stern of my boat. 

nice new secret spot up there.  

theres clint in the allendale

out first ding...

well i dinged her pretty badly trying to get her off of the trailer by myself. 

i filled it with epoxy paste mixed with some silicone filler then carefully sanded, filled again, then primed and painted. 

I thought the result was pretty good. 

then we were back at it. 

christmas day was gorgeous so we rowed a mile or so for some exercise

we headed north outta dons beach for the first time....nice water back there. 

love this boat

well so far so good. shes a little too sensitive to the wind when rowing. 

still havent sailed her yet. 

wwe had a wonderful time this weekend rowing out into the marsh. 

notice clint and frankie on the paddleboards in the background

owen and jake on the paddleboard

owen is a fish!  still working on swimming though. 

we are going to try again this weekend

enjoying her so far

wind blows her a little bit but she still handles great

one last touch