Splash! And she floats! Right side up even!

Making paddles for the canoe was a good excuse

Finally we splashed.

After months of preparation, niggling little things, interior work, I finally ran out of excuses, and set a date. But they had a major regatta, so we postponed by a week.

I did discover that the little 2hp Jophnston needed more space (what girl does not?) and so I made new legs for the outboard bracket. We tied down everything we could, and then the big moment arrived. She slid into the water like a ... well, duck maybe? And the little motor decided to die on us. Luckily one of the assembled multitude had a firm hold on the 20 meter rope, and guided us to the dock. We avoided spearing one of the shuttle boats on the bowsprit by the grace of fending off, and tied her up. There were no leaks.

David and Mieke following her to the water

No leaks?

We accomplished the first task, which was to mark the actual waterline, which corresponded with one of the waterlines drawn by the designer. Then we did a stability test, well, sort of, because by then the entire extended family had come on board. Still, moving 70 kilograms of lead from a meter to starboard to a meter to port gave a 4 degree change of inclination. Pretty stable, I thought.

Bubbly was applied

Grandchildren were sent off on a minor expedition in the canoe, and, having discovered that the little motor runs better when the fuel cock is open, we embarked on the 50 meter voyage back to the slipway. A little traffic made things interesting, and then, with two people in the water, the boat was wrestled and guided back on to her rightful position on the trailer. We need to work on the guidance system, I think.

Pirate expedition

So, finally, she was afloat. No leaks, to major drama. She seemed to be quite at home, and reluctant to be out. I did say we were going to launch in March. Well, we were a few days early, were'nt we?

Two small horses hard at work

She did not want to come out...

Jobs  now: The motor and gearbox is going to be a major adventure: see the next blog. The waterline to be properly delineated, and then we will do some serious painting. The trailer has to be modified to allow for guidance rails. The sails have to be bent on.

Next major step: sail trials.