Outfitting

The Kenwood radio is installed above the galley cabinets with mini speakers for the starboard hull and 6" speakers in the cockpit. This is a neat unit with a USB plug that plays MP3 players or Flash drives with music files.

I installed the VHF in the companionway and a wireless mike behind the wheel. The GPS has a depth sounder and the transducer is epoxied to the hull under the starboard rear berth.

I constructed a dingy engine mount out of scrap and lashed to the targa tubing. Then I duplicated it in pieces of teak I had laying around. The whole construction went so smooth, maybe I have a future as a carpenter?

I played around with straps for lifting the dingy until I found a workable system.

There were hundreds of smaller jobs to complete. Painting markers on 150' of anchor chain stands out as a real back breaker. By my measurement I got 17 extra feet of chain for free!

But finally I was tired of working and on June 1 2008 I took my first real pleasure day cruise. With 3 friends and a ton of food we left at 10AM and headed down the river. The current was going out and the Riverwalk Jazz Brunch was setting up along the river. This usually brings out lots of boats but we had the river mostly to ourselves. Heading towards bridges with the current behind did not bring out the usual terror. Its nice to have two engines.

The wind was mostly around 10Kt and the ocean was lumpy. With main and jib we made 4-6Kts. My old boat would have just been wallowing around in these conditions. Around noon rain clouds built up over Ft. Lauderdale and by 2:30 they seemed to be moving North so we headed in. The river was again surprisingly quiet and we made it back without incident.. Here are the intrepid mariners of Winim's first daysail.