First Launch
A break in the weather brought a more typical San Deigo winter day of full sun, light breeze and 75degree temperature on the water. Deciding boating was more fun than work I concluded it was now or never to get Mary aboard and introduce her to the boat. After loading up the boat and hooking up the trailer to the Ridgeline we were on way to Oceanside Harbor, Ca. 13 miles away. No sooner did we exit our small, gated community and got on a main road we received the first of three "thumbs up" from other drivers. This is starting to become the "norm" while trailing the Sandpiper and something we will need to get use too.
When we arrived the launch ramp, we were surprised to see the level of activity for a weekday. Getting this little boat ready for launch takes more time and effort than our Mako 22 Center Console (20 years ago). My first attempt to raise the mast didn't work out well as the boat was parked on a slight angle and I had to move the truck / trailer. The silicone spray applied to the mast hinge worked great. With the mast raised, rudder and tiller installed and everything else loaded into the boat we backed her down the launch ramp at low tide. The new rope finished fenders worked out fine forward and aft but the West Marine fenders mid ship fenders did not. I will need to purchase the flat / square fenders to protect the wood finished run rail.
Installing the Torqeedo OB took two minutes and we were ready to go. Backing out the first time in a cross wind did not go well and I decided to hand walk the boat to the end of the dock. Once we cleared the dock and started down the channel, I started playing with the Torqeedo control and tiller / rudder. It only took us about 10 minutes to have everything dialed in and feeling confident with handling the boat under power. We stayed out 45 minutes and only used 10% of battery capacity.
A few observations are below:
1. The boat feels much larger than 15' 6" due to its large beam and very safe underway. She glides through the water as one would expect and handled a few good size swells on the transom very well.
2. Steering with a tiller is both fun and interesting with the barn door rudder
3. The side mounted Torqeedo appears to work just as well as a traditional transom mount. I could not feel any pull to either side possibly due in part to the large rudder which for trawler owners may open the door for some back-up power options??
4. Never needed to exceed 50% power even while going against the current. Average speed around between 5 - 6 knots
5. Cockpit design is about as perfect as you would expect for a boat that has been around of over 100 years. Everything from the height of the seats to the back rests to access to the tiller and lanyards is perfect.
6. Plenty of storage room forward under the boat deck (glade we did not go with the mini cabin design which takes away from the boats great looks)
7. Center Board was not required for directional stability while under power
Being able to place my hand over the side and touch the water while underway felt great and something I have been missing the past few years.
Getting the boat back on the trailer required a repositioning of the trailer (I went in too far) and realizing you need to use the winch and strap to pull the boat up the final few feet versus "driving the boat up" as most people do on the west coast and we did with our 22' Mako CC. Preparing the boat for trailing takes a little time and something we will improve over time.
We had five people stop by ask questions about the boat including one sailor who knew about Cat Boats, knew this was a Maine built boat and knew of the builder. Compliments were amazing on this little boat.
Take away: We have enjoyed many "first launches / cruises" over the years and everyone is special. Something about this boat was even more rewarding possibly because it was our first sailboat and a totally different journey. The boats classic styling, color and woodwork along with its beautiful fit and finish is also something new to us (not to say our trawlers were not nice boats). Being able to reconnect with the water and touch it while underway felt great capped a great day.
Looking forward to many additional outings under power while we schedule the sailing lessons for the spring (I'm not in any rush).
You will notice that our year away from boating shows up in the photo of us underway with the fenders still tied (ouch), good thing the sails were not up or else we would really be a spectacle for other sailors to laugh at.
John