So I was starting to dig on this keelboat thing. No capsizes, steady headings, easy motion. A bit slow compared with planing dinghies, but ok. So I'm out yesterday. Tooling along. 6 knot reach in about 10 knots of wind. Feeling good. Smack between two islands in Casco Bay. Its sunny, warm. I'm feeling pretty lazy. My girlfriend's cousin is watching for traffic and debris. I'm mostly relaxing. So I hear a beep - beep, beep - beep. I look at the cousin, who is not looking at his digital watch. I look at my wrist, where there is no digital watch. I look at the lobster boat twenty-five yards to portt. Its skipper is looking at me, a bit concerned, I think. I look at the bulkhead, recognize the beep - beep as the depth sounder shallow water alarm, look at the depth sounder, just in time to see it register '2', as in two feet of water under the keel, at six knots. I am proud to report that my boat will gybe like a dinghy when necessary. I appologize herewith to the lobsterboat for suddenly changing course at him. The depth sounder transducer is mounted aft of the keel, in the flat beneath the cockpit (yeah, yeah, I know, its where the dreaded previous owner put it). I didn't realize Standard instruments would register negative numbers! So it was only mud, and pride. And maybe a scared lobster boat driver. Moral: When all the Islands in your bay run parallel to each other, make sure you are between the islands you think you are between, because there might be a lobster boat around to see you hit the sandbar and lord knows they think sailors are nuts alreaedy. Alternative Moral: Those big red and green floating things? They're there for a reason, and its not so hard up cruisers can steal the solar panels off of them. Justin - O'day Owner's Web