The boat has been back in the shed for a weeks now getting finished and fixed from the last sea trial session. The list is long and it had been lots of work by Pirate and his team to get the boat going again. The current plan is to be sailing the boat again by this Sunday. We have quite a bit of stuff to do get the boat race ready. We have to build our confidence in the boat, get familiar with the angles and our sails, get comfortable with all the systems, and get the boat fully ready to race offshore. So stay tuned for a few updates in the coming weeks as we work up the boat and get it race ready.
Sea trials video
Take a look at a really nice video from Billy Black from our sea trials.
More sailing
Yesterday was again blown out but today we had a good day on the water. We got off the dock around 8:30 in a brisk, cold breeze. After hoisting the main, we hoisted the jib top and genoa staysail and had our first look at those. We sorted out some sheeting points for the Jib Top and sorted out the GS system. The GS goes on a lock in the mast and then gets tensioned with a ram at the tack, so we had a few adjustments to make it work. There are a few more things to sort out to get that sail up quickly. Then we hoisted the A3 and got a good look at that. We are using a top down furling system for the A3 and so far it seems to work well. This system should make the sail more user friendly and not have the horrendous packing job the A3 was on the old boat. We then sailed upwind for a while and then turned back toward Newport with the A3. Again, the A3 seemed to perform well. We tried a few different techniques to connect and hoist it. Tomorrow we will continue working on the main reef system and we will also start looking at different options for certain sail changes.
Doogie
Sailing Photography
More sailing
We were not able to sail yesterday due to too much wind. We made up for it today with a range of conditions allowing us to really give the boat a good test. She passed with flying colors. More systems to test tomorrow.
Trials, day 2
We had a good second day of sea trialing today. Sailing in 20 knots allowed us to load the boat and rig more than the previous day. It all went really well and everyone was satisfied with the outcome. We are still tuning the mast and keeping a close eye on all the systems. We have a small issue with our outhaul being controlled but we should have that solved tomorrow morning. It is supposed to get quite windy tomorrow afternoon, so boat call is 7:30 am and head out as soon as the boat is ready. We will continue to look at more sails and hope to be able to get a kite up. That will open a whole new can of checks: bowsprit, topmast, sheet sheaves…
The body of water we are sailing is about to get a whole lot smaller!
Doogie
Sea Trials
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.
Rig Up
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. 
We are in the water!
Today was a big day for the team. A little before 4 pm, with all the yard, Hap and his boys watching, the boat hit the water. It was been quite a bit of work to get to this point and everyone is very happy to see her floating nicely at the dock. Tomorrow we will keep working on the boat and rig. The rig is scheduled to go in the boat early Wednesday morning. A very large thanks goes to Pirate, Rob O, Thomas, Ryan, JV, and Kyle who have been putting in some very long hours over the last several months in order to get to this point. The rest of the team will arrive thursday and we have lots of projects to complete before we can go sailing. Wednesday will be a stressful day with the rig going in. This will be the first time the boat sees any serious loads. All ears will be listening to all the little creaks and groans. 
Progress
The boat is coming along. As all new boats, there are delays here and there. But the team is working hard to get the boat in the water early next week. The rig is on location and getting its finally assembly. The work list is long and getting longer. Projects seem to keep popping up but lots of projects are also getting ticked off the list. The finish of the boat looks nice and everyone is looking forward to the next step. The rig will go in right after the boat hits the water. Once the rig is in, we will be doing the dock tune and dock structural tests. These will be nervous times with everyone listening carefully as we load up the boat to full jack pressure.
Stay tuned,
Doogie
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