The Test Sail

A week had gone by since the offer was made and a conditional sale was on the line. Wendy and I flew in to Seattle from Boise, and my friend Mad Dog flew over from Moscow. We arrived at the brokerage, and everyone was ready to go. Since Bob the Broker didn't consider himself a terribly accomplished sailor (recall he is a self proclaimed power boat guy), he had enlisted Rob the Broker to help out. Rob was great ... very nice and knowledgeable, easy-going, and helpful. Apparently his hobby is finding old sailboats in need of repair, which he salvages and brings back to sailing condition ... he knows his stuff.

It was a beautiful day ... sunny, cool, and a nice steady wind blowing up the sound out of the south. The old Yanmar diesel fired right up, and she put-putted along nicely. We motored out of the marina, and out onto Puget Sound.  Once out on the big water, we raised the main, and unfurled the jib ... and she took off like a stately matron! Steady and true, with a defined purpose ... not wild and unruly. To me, it was sheer bliss.

As we headed west across the sound, Rob decided that he needed to do some line-keeping up forward, so he gave me the helm ... and I was like a kid in a candy store! I love the feel of sailing ... I love the heel of the boat ... and I love the peace and quiet! Wendy says that when I take the helm of a sailboat, it's like a visible mantle of calm and joy washes over me ... sailing is my nirvana. Lutra held a great course ... her full keel keeps her tracking right along ... it just took a light hand on the wheel.

The breeze picked up a bit, and Rob decided to test out the reefing. He and Mad Dog took her in one step ... and she kept cruising like a champ. I honestly can't describe the wonderful feeling of holding her on course ... watching the sails ... listening to the quiet swish of water along the hull. I could easily see this boat taking me across wide expanses of open ocean ... she's made for that kind of thing.

We maneuvered through a couple of tacks, and chatted and laughed, and finally headed her back toward the marina. Rob took the helm again as we approached the entrance to the marina, and we eased her back into a berth, tied up alongside a larger Tayana. Three hours had gone by, and we were all amazed ... as they say, time flies when you're having fun! We sat onboard for a little while longer and talked about her minimal systems (not a bad thing ... leaves her open for making things the way I'd like them), and how her lines could be changed around for more ease of handling. Bob the Broker said to me that he could see that they didn't need to try and "sell" the boat to me ... and he was right ... as far as I was concerned she was mine, we just had a few more formalities to go through.

Bob the Broker ... relaxing and doing what Bob does best ... lets a good boat sell herself:

Getting ready to shove off ... a mighty fine day for a sail:

Wendy and Mad Dog chatting with Rob ... Wendy smiled a lot while we were out, that's a big plus!

The main salon settee:

 

 

All in all, it had been a fine day ... and I was still pleased to be purchasing this wonderful boat! Next - the survey!