Late evening, drifting

I spent most of Sunday on the water, taking family and friends out for spins. I established that the rudder issue has been resolved, it was simply a question of taking the ‘rudder down’ rope to the rudder head rather than the across the sternsheets.

During the week I had also remade the forward thwart that incorporates the centreboard.

The original thwart wasn’t structural and (I think) it may have been the reason for the slight flexing of the sole just aft of the centreboard case which I witnessed while hammering to windward. This second thwart grips the whole case from either side and is very firmly cemented in place with epoxy and screws. The wind was too light on Sunday for any tests to be run, though rowing fast through motor boat wake still produces a judder along the length of the sole. My feeling is that this is relatively normal in any lightly built boat.

An hour before sunset I got to take her out on my own. I pointed the bows towards the horizon and had just settled into a long, easy rowing stroke when I sighted a friend paddling down the coast in his kayak. I turned the boat and putting some work into it sped over the smooth waters to intercept him. Kindly he agreed to my request, I passed him my camera and he took photos while I row-sailed around him.

After this impromptu photo session Onawind Blue and I got some distance on the land. I drank a quiet beer watching the sun slip down the evening sky while we drifted on the mirrored waters. I built the boat for moments like these and it wouldn’t surprise me if the glow of satisfaction I felt was discernible from the beach.