Maiden Sail

We took Asante out for her maiden sail yesterday.  While we sea trialed her back in July, yesterday was officially the first time we sailed her as our own.  Despite the fact that we still have quite a few projects to complete and cleaning up the boat to take her out for a day sail was no small feat, Scott was adamant that the first time we go sailing NOT be to the Bahamas, which I get.  Scott readied the boat, cleaned her up all spic and span, I made sandwiches and packed the beer and off we went with a few of our closest Lauderdale friends.  It was a little nerve racking at first:  new-to-us boat, unfamiliar engine, new deck layout and feel to the helm.  If Scott was nervous, he didn't show it but I had butterflies in my tummy as a myriad of "what if's" scrolled through my worrisome head.  It was all for naught though, because as soon as we made it out to the ocean, our boat behaved beautifully, little Isla was a natural and the entire process went off without a hitch.  Huge thanks to our good friends Travis and Dave for being a big help to Scott while I tended to (and napped with) Isla.

The wind was about eighteen knots out of the ENE with 4-5 foot waves and our boat, tank that she is, handled the confused seas and gusty breeze beautifully.  She's a lot less lively and significantly more solid on the water than our old boat, Rasmus.  She will definitely be able to handle bigger seas and heavier winds with a more grace due to her size and relative weight.  The success of yesterday's sail was exactly the confidence booster we needed to push us through this final stage of refitting.  When we got back to the dock, Scott cracked a beer with a big grin on his face and toasted, "Let's go to the Bahamas!"  The next time we go sailing, we just might!