06.17.18 Launched!

My girl Mimì was launched over the weekend. Yes, my little Rhodes 19 is in the water and sailing season for me has officially started. There is always a lot of work to be done, once the mast is stepped we have to sort out all of the lines (where does this go? Is a frequent question) and the rigging has to be tuned. Not to mention the dozen or so trips from the car to the boat bringing back the sailing gear.  No doubt I got my 10,000 steps in there.

But the moment of truth comes once the main sail is up and we are on our way. It was a very smooth sail for us downwind as we came to our mooring at Cottage Park Yacht Club. While I am still patiently awaiting her new main sail, the old one did the job. Next steps will be to clean her until she sparkles in the sunshine and moonlight. There is always a lot of seaweed on the line at the mooring, once it dries on deck it will be easier to clean. A little teak oil on her trim, a bit of a scrub of her deck and she will look great. And I am looking forward to a few sails in Boston Harbor. Always a nice afternoon with me and my girl. Just some peace and quiet as I can listen to the water move around her bow as we gently take the waves.

After she was secured at the mooring a friend was installing a grill on the back of his boat. Confirms that he will not be racing this year! He fired up the grill and we had a great supper. A meal on the water is very refreshing – in the right circumstance, of course. The sun was setting and the breeze was welcoming and there were no blackflies!  And of course, I slept very well at night.

Here are a couple of pictures of the day. I will need to take one of her under sail. Had completely forgotten to do that yesterday.

My little girl is in the middle.

Happy Sailing!