I've had my Hunter 170/18 in the water for about a month, but because of some pretty good reasons, I hadn't had a chance to sail it. Work got in the way, the weather was sketchy (at best), and most important, I have never sailed before with the exception of a few years of windsurfing in the 1980s.
But today, a friend who has some experience and I took the boat out for a few hours - and we had a blast! The winds were not too strong, so I was in a nice comfort zone, and the boat seems to be extremely stable. There were a couple dicey situations, though - apparently, it is advisable to return to your mooring buoy fairly slowly - my first attempt pretty much brought us in at ramming speed. I'll have to work on that. It's also going to take some skill and planning to maneuver the boat between the other moored boats as we set out. So, I have quite a bit to learn.
But it was a ton of fun to finally be out on the water!
Dean
But today, a friend who has some experience and I took the boat out for a few hours - and we had a blast! The winds were not too strong, so I was in a nice comfort zone, and the boat seems to be extremely stable. There were a couple dicey situations, though - apparently, it is advisable to return to your mooring buoy fairly slowly - my first attempt pretty much brought us in at ramming speed. I'll have to work on that. It's also going to take some skill and planning to maneuver the boat between the other moored boats as we set out. So, I have quite a bit to learn.
But it was a ton of fun to finally be out on the water!
Dean
