Maiden Voyage...

We are lucky to have good sailing water only five miles from our home. Union reservoir, actually a natural lake, is managed by the city of Longmont, CO and allows only motorless craft. The lake is roughly a mile in width and length and has a max depth of 28 feet. The water is warm by Colorado standards and the view of the back range is superb.

I've been chomping at the bit to get Melissa in the water, but under the right conditions, and yesterday was almost perfect. My son Quinn had the day off and volunteered to assist. We arrived at 1PM expecting the wind to pick up around 2PM. The forecast was for mild 4 to 5 mph winds from the SE throughout the afternoon. However, it was dead calm when we put the boat in the water.

Now all we needed was a breeze. I was happy to see the trim looked good with nobody aboard.

My wife made plans to join us but hadn't yet arrived when a very mild wind finally came up, just a few puffs at first, but enough to get us sailing. When I first stepped aboard I was surprised by the stability considering the beam is only 64 inches. We hoisted the sail and ghosted away from the dock. As novices, we spent the next couple hours puttering around and getting a feel for the basics. Occasionally the wind would pick up a bit and put a smile on our faces. The boat does quite well in light airs and was relatively nimble with a 3 to 5 mph wind. This boat should be really fun in 7 to 10 mph winds.

Some kind folks from Estes Park took a few pics as they sailed by. You can see how nice the view is.

I love the look of a gaff rig.

90 square feet of sail seems just about right as the boat moves easily in a mild breeze.

Around 4PM the mild winds began to dissipate and we headed back to the dock. I was kind of amazed how well the boat pointed in the very mild breeze.

As we approached the dock I scandalized the sail and took out the oars. What ensued can only be described a Laurel and Hardy moment.

The guy in the other boat was laughing his ass off. Eventually we got her to the dock.

A successful, and slightly boring, maiden voyage comes to an end. I can't wait to try her out in better winds.

The proverbial 'Miller Time'