Yesterday was our first day of sea trialing. It’s a stressful and exciting time for the team. So what is involved in sea trialing?
Once the rig is in and we have completed all the load tests on the dock, it is time to start sailing the boat. It is very important to go slowly in case something goes wrong, we don’t make it worse.
First action is to hoist the main. At the first hoist of the main, it goes right on the lock. We test the lock and successfully get the main off, but not back on. So a trip up the rig is needed to get it on the lock. Add that to the list but not a major problem.
Once the main is up, it is time to slowly lean on it. All the while, there are half a dozen boat builders and sailors below decks listening for any noises or cracks while on deck the rig team is keeping a close eye on the rig. After some sailing in very light conditions we headed back to the dock to grind away some carbon on the deck at a diagonal terminal. Once on the dock the weather started taking a turn for the worse with rain and wind. So we headed back out a second time to give things another test. It was blowing about 18 knots and we sailed upwind with the main only. We tacked a few times and then hoisted the jib to continue loading the boat. All looked good with the rig with a few turns here and there needed. After some more loading, a crack was heard below at the location of a mainsheet sheave below decks. So back to the dock we go. Not a serious issue but one that needs to be fixed with some proper attention. The boys worked on it last night and again this morning.
If the weather cooperates, we will head back out this afternoon to continue the sea trials and systems check.

Just a quick update. We got the rig up Wednesday morning. The team has been putting in some long days in order to get the boat ready. There have been a few hiccups along the way, but, so far, all pretty standard for a new boat. The hope is to bring the boat to the Newport Shipyard tomorrow evening around the evening high tide.