time for nopantsdance to get back out there, under new management. nat on all the sheets and most of the controls, and me on the tiller. we were hoping for light winds and sunny weather, but in the end it was neither. i guess twelve knots counts as light but for a first outing we would have loved a little less. and while all the controls and sheets were working very well, the new trap lines were a disaster.
oh well, we’ll just have to make new ones. but the rejuvenated kite snuffer did work; nat said the kite was easy to get in and out, just as it should be. and luckily the wind was kind enough to not try to rip off nat’s hands, either.
it may look like a toilet seat, but it sure collects that massive kite in one gulp. nat is pretty good getting it in and out fast, although we had some unexpected hickup when the line got caught around a block.
yes, she’s a big boat. we were properly intimidated and took our first drive very slow: 14 knots isn’t really all that slow given the conditions, and we’re sure that was upwind, which i am a lot more comfortable with, and confident sailing. a class territory so to speak.
i need to work up the courage to get her up on one hull on the downwind. i can feel how this should work, but i need to also get a sense of how much steering is required to balance her on that point. it is a scary though – we get her up once or twice and then nearly pitchpoled. again, because the traps weren’t working as they should have and nat should have been on the rear quarter to prevent just that from happening.
anyway, we sailed her well enough for the first time. we’ll keep at it, and should get a feel for her soon enough. but most of all i am super stoked to be sailing with my daughter! how lucky am i …