posted June 10, 2004 11:18 PM               

I rigged the boat in our driveway. It's always interesting rigging a new boat for the first time trying to figure out how each line runs. Ken very graciously came down one evening and helped in the initial setup. Later that evening we washed her down removing all the winter crud.

Evening three saw us appling a coat of VC17. I'll have to figure a better way to get under the boat next year because my neck was incredibly stiff the next day. Evening four I touched up the boot stripe and waxed the topsides giving the blue hull a deep lusterous shine.

On Saturday we'll be trailering Shortwave to the lake for launching. Both of us are looking forward to our first sail.

D'Arcy

posted June 14, 2004 12:57 PM               

Here for reference are some pictures of ShortWave taken in the driveway last fall.

posted June 14, 2004 10:56 PM               

Saturday morning I finished tying the mast to the boat and we started north. The crane operator who did such a lousy job putting Shortwave on the trailer last fall generated one last curse as I accelerated up the 400. Because the boat was tilted, the left fender was so close to the hull that when it vibrated at speed we could hear it hitting the hull. A piece of waternoodle and duct tape was hastily applied to create a pad and we were off again.

We pulled into the Village of Rosseau around noon, put the mast up and launched. The saildrive outboard started on the second pull. It ran very smoothly as I motored to the cottage while Lynn took the van and trailer. The weather was absolutely spectacular; sunny with an 8 to 12 knot wind. I headed up the granite and pine treed north shore of Lake Rosseau. Not being sure of the depth, I raised the keel before docking. We finished putting on the mainsail and headed out for our first sail.

The wind was coming over the cliffs from behind our cottage. This makes our bay somewhat difficult to navigate as the wind will go from due east to west to northeast all in the span of ninety seconds. The windex is a very useful tool in these winds: By adjusting the sails constantly to its’ direction, we got Shortwave moving along. We then followed a light zephyr out to the main lake where we picked up a light southeast breeze.

Taking turns helming, we set out across the lake on a starboard tack. Sandpipers have one of the most comfortable cockpits I’ve ever been in. It’s hard to believe the boat is only 18 1/2 feet long. It feels like a much bigger boat. Once across the lake, we laid off, following along the shoreline of two small bays we had never explored before. The northeast side of Lake Rosseau has some stunning old cottage architecture nestled in the forests. It is great fun to run along the shoreline taking in the views. When I began to worry a bit about the depth Lynda reminded me that Shortwave has a depth sounder. Thirty feet from the rocky shore we still had 24 feet of water.

We reached back to our bay in an ever-lightening wind. Lynn brought out the cockpit cushions making for extremely comfortable cruising. The wind freshened as we went up the far side of Morgan’s Bay heading home. The channel is known for its’ good breezes. We passed a Soling, Edel, and one of those ugly looking motorsalors (McGreggor I think). There is a great camaraderie amongst sailors up here (probably because there are so few of us. Everyone gave us a big Muskoka wave: "Great to see a new boat on the lake."

Thanks to the depth sounder, I find we have 4 feet of water below the hull so I don’t even have to crank up the keel. To finish off a perfect day, when we were putting on the sail cover, a loon surfaced about 8 feet off the stern to check us out. I’ve never been so close to one before.

I’m absolutely hooked on Sandpipers. We took some pictures with my son’s digital camera and I will try to post them in the next day or so.

D’Arcy