Launch of the Son of a Birch
By Andrew Oates #982 (2ar)Launch of the Son of a Birch
Everything went well with the handcart (it was able to fit through the trees), and we got the mast up before launching. I had a few friends and family come by to see the launching (in the background is the family dog Juno)
Launching the boat was thankfully easy, and I could probably do it myself, but my father in law was a great help.
We put the boat in the water around 3pm, but for most of the 5 hours or so that we were there, there was no wind. Still, it didnt leak, and I could get in it without it falling apart, so it was a technical success. This picture was just as a little breeze came up, and I rushed to get out on the water.
It was tied up to a rock as an anchor, since I really wanted it to be tested as far as leaking was concerned. From now on I will probably beach it when we go ashore
There were only a few minutes of wind, but during that time the boat sailed very nicely. After the wind died out, I paddled back into shore, and made some adjustments to the rigging.
I figured that even if there was no wind, I might as well sit in my boat for a while, so I did. It was a good day.
Also, it shows the full sail of the Son of a Birch. Since there isn't much in the way of other sailboats here yet (for racing against), and I have no way of transporting the boat again, I decided on a smaller mast/sail than called for. Since usually, this lake gets a lot of wind (with the exception of the launch day - murpheys law I suppose), I figured a larger sail may become unmanageable. That said, I am already making plans for a second mast/sail rig :)
.
Everything went well with the handcart (it was able to fit through the trees), and we got the mast up before launching. I had a few friends and family come by to see the launching (in the background is the family dog Juno)
Launching the boat was thankfully easy, and I could probably do it myself, but my father in law was a great help.
We put the boat in the water around 3pm, but for most of the 5 hours or so that we were there, there was no wind. Still, it didnt leak, and I could get in it without it falling apart, so it was a technical success. This picture was just as a little breeze came up, and I rushed to get out on the water.
It was tied up to a rock as an anchor, since I really wanted it to be tested as far as leaking was concerned. From now on I will probably beach it when we go ashore
There were only a few minutes of wind, but during that time the boat sailed very nicely. After the wind died out, I paddled back into shore, and made some adjustments to the rigging.
I figured that even if there was no wind, I might as well sit in my boat for a while, so I did. It was a good day.
Also, it shows the full sail of the Son of a Birch. Since there isn't much in the way of other sailboats here yet (for racing against), and I have no way of transporting the boat again, I decided on a smaller mast/sail than called for. Since usually, this lake gets a lot of wind (with the exception of the launch day - murpheys law I suppose), I figured a larger sail may become unmanageable. That said, I am already making plans for a second mast/sail rig :)
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