As you know, it's frightful bad luck not to say a prayer to Neptune and the gods of wind before sailing in a new boat. So, the first order of business was to test sail her, pick an appropriate name, have a few friends over for a libation.....
The yachtclub event was cancelled that day, due to the lack of winds. But, my friends and I went out anyway.
Info on renaming ceremonies is at:
She heeled over about 25 degrees and was unsteady. It seemed like she wanted to capsize and I was surpised at how she slid sideways in the water; this would have been mitigated if I'd reefed.
On the bright side, when close hauled, I'd let go of the tiller. The boat acted exceptionally well. She'd slowly point higher until the sail started to luff. Then, she'd fall off and pick up. The effect was that she scalloped along pretty much on course. The boat tacked and jibed easily under main only.
Overall, my first outing was "interesting". I learned allot and was generally pleased.
A young man named Mark Owens helped crew. It was his first time aboard a sailboat. I enjoy introducing people to the sport and hope he'll continue to learn and enjoy it.
Lesson learned: replaced the jib sheet while underway. First time!
For more pics, go to:
We got underway about 5:30pm. After rallying with the other twelve boats, we became a Christmas parade on the water.
Hundreds of people lined the shore as we made way back into the marina. Of course, Santa was on the last boat.
Unfortunately, because of some rain, the pictures didn't turn out. You'll have to wait for next year to see what Scallywag looks like all lit up.
(Jan - Mar 2007)
