First sail of the year

I’ve been fiddling about adapting a tent for OB. It actually fits quite well and will only need a couple of long seams sown in to eliminate the wrinkles. It was very simple to set up in the garden, whether it’ll be so straightforward at anchor remains to be seen.

I’ve also been over the boat applying thickened epoxy to various grazes particularly the fillet on the skeg, which had been worn down to the wood. And with the resin cured I went for the first sail of the year.

I now have a GPS and was very interested to monitor our speed and distance travelled. With five to six knots of wind and flat water OB made 2.5 knots. When the wind dropped and her speed fell to 1.7 knots I row sailed hitting a max speed of 3.8 knots.

I sailed down to the local marina where I picked up my friend Pep for the return journey. The wind and light were fading as we left and we took turns to row. We inevitably had a macho contest to see who could score the fastest speed. With the centreboard and rudder lowered and the sails set but not drawing, two people and gear in the boat, OB made 4 knots.

The overall figures were: moving time 3.30 hours, trip 7.4 miles, moving average 2 knots.

Sometime ago I put OB’s measurements into an online hull speed calculator which gave me back 4 knots. But I reckon that unloaded and with no drag from the rudder and centreboard she’ll do more than that. I can’t wait to see.

Able seaman Pep.