To Venice for a week's sailing ...
Sunday, 20 May 2018
Monday, 14 May 2018
Sunday, 13 May 2018
At last :)
First sail of the season!
We've taken full advantage of a couple of bank holidays to do some maintenance work on the boat , mostly repairs leftover from the last sailing season.
After months working on planning, building and finishing our new house it was a great feeling to take the boat cover off for the first time in ages and get on with some long awaited maintenance works.
These included improving the cb pivot fixing and seals, adding Teflon pads to reduce cb play in case, adding a cb slot gasket, light sanding and two coat of clear varnish , gaff repairs, adding licker drains where needed, replacing the electric bilge pump and servicing the motor.
I also had to validate the procedure of getting the boat out of our (new) garden using an electric cable winch I installed for the purpose.
We had two days sailing both alone and with up to 4 kids onboard. Ideal conditions with nice steady winds around 15 knots. The boat sailed like a dream, I have to say that having produced a constant stream of little improvements to the ergonomics, the rig and storage areas is really starting to show in terms of ease of use and sailing pleasure.
We feel the boat is ready for the upcoming adventure: one week sailing and camping in the Venice lagoon. We are becoming regular participants of the "velaraid" sail gathering which is organised every two year by a phenomenal bunch of people from a sail club in Venice.
Astrid was christened and launched there two years ago.... I realise now how much of a gamble it had been back then to take a brand new, home built, untested boat to a venue such like that one. Velaraid provides great sailing environment and experience , but conditions can be tricky (traffic, shallows, currents, local knowledge) and it is better handled with a tested and trusted boat.
Really looking forward to take the boat there with wife and the two boys.
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