The Adventure Continues!!!

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Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman

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Dec 25, 2009
269
American 26 & MFG Challenger 12 American 8.0, Challenger 12 Lake Pepin, Wisc.
Well, after several weeks since the last aborted attempt to get the boat in the water, we will be on the way again tomorrow bright and early, we will meet up with Dave (Cephius (Dave) - of this Forum) who has kindly taken this novice under his wing and will be in attendance to help with the mast raising with all my new hardware, that I didn't have before to help us get it up, should be easier this time.

We have a slip for the 4 days and 3 nights that we will be up there. We are going to Pepin, Wisc. to Dan's Pepin Marina, a nice facility with almost exclusively sailboats. We have a slip with no slip partner and it is big enough that I aught to be able to get the boat in, if I can only get it lined up. Dave will probably help the first time and be there for our maiden sail if conditions are good.

Temps are suppose to be fall like with brisk winds. Sounds like fun.

Will take lots of pics.

Hope you all have a great weekend too.

Tom...:D
 
Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman

.
Dec 25, 2009
269
American 26 & MFG Challenger 12 American 8.0, Challenger 12 Lake Pepin, Wisc.
Finally got the boat in the water. Mast is up. Spent our first night on the boat. Since I had never manuvered a boat this big. I was very reluctant to try and back out of the slip with a cross wind situation, we had our motor die the first day when turning across the wind to go into the slip and barely missed ramming the neighbor. We managed to get the boat into an empty slip by pulling with the dock lines. Once there we got the motor going again and got it completely warmed up and then the Marina guys came and helped get it moved as the owner of the slip we were in was unloading their boat and would be arriving soon.

Dave went home to take care fo family obligations and we settled down to spend the night. I got some help the next morning by a friendly neighbor off a beautiful navy blue Island Packet. He came over and helped me get the sails up and checked every thing over.

Saturday arrived and we had brisk winds and I was reluctant to try and go out by our selves for the first time. I called the Marina office and the got me a qualified instructor to come over 7:30AM to take us out. Our first lessons were to get the boat out of the slip and back across the cross wind. He did that and then we went out on the lake. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but what he taught us was to back and manuver in a cross wind out on the open lake time after time until we had both done it at least 15 times apiece.

Then we went into the Marina and did it there at least 10 times each. No sailing. But you know I was really glad that he took the time to teach us all that. No telling what chaos I would have created, had I not had those lessons.

(Dave and his wife and married kids showed up on Sunday afternoon, and invited us to go along on their really nice Hunter 26, we spent a very nice afternoon and I took the helm for an hour or so.)

The Sailing instructor was scheduled to come back this morning and go out with us again to raise the sails and start a little sailing. Something got in the way and we didn't end up doing that.

Some of our family showed up and we called the weekend to a hault and headed for home. We did get a few pictures, and I will post those later tonight.

Tom..
 
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