maiden voyage

Today (25th November 2016) is the day. I am going to launch the boat at Lake Ngaroto for the first time to find out whether everything is working: centerboard, rudder, sails, all running rigs and to check the integrity of the hull (leaks if any).

After the welder and electrician have finished with the boat trailer I went for the WOF the second time and passed!

I put back the mast and outboard engine. The sails and rudder are stored inside the cabin. For towing long distances, I strongly recommend the use of a heavy duty tie down as shown here.

I was all ready to go, first thing the next morning. I used a long check list; no good if you forgot to bring the rudder or something else!

On the way I stopped over at Count Down to pick up some lunch and soft drinks.

On arrival at Lake Ngaroto, I removed all the tie downs and bungees from the mast, rolled it back and pin the bottom to the base attachment on the coach roof.

Then I rigged up the mainsheet blocks to the forestay wire, lifted the mast with my shoulder and inserted the choke (wooden chair). Next I tensioned the blocks and cleat the main sheet (so that I can climb down to take a few photos).

a closer view of the set up for raising the mast alone by myself; using the existing main sheet blocks (red lines).

Then I walked around the boat checking everything, especially the side stays. Raising the mast with the main sheet blocks was quite easy because of the 5:1 mechanical advantage; no more bad backs for me! That aluminium step ladder kept me safe during the rigging up/down process when I climbed up and down from the ground to the cockpit, at least 20 times.

I raised the main and jib, removed the wooden mast support and stepped the rudder;

reversing slowly to the boat ramp for launching. The whole process took me more than two hours because this is the first time I sail this new boat. I stopped many times to double check everything. With more practice, I expect to be able to rig up this boat within an hour or less.

I always stopped at this point to remove the trailer winch shackle /hook and tying a 15 metre safety line from the fore deck cleat to the trailer winch base. This way, there is no need to rush out of the car during the launching for any thing. In fact I just sat inside calmly watching my boat float away slowly from the trailer...

Nowadays, I usually used the John Cusack single handed boat launching method: Reverse at some speed down the ramp and slamming ON the brakes, just at the point where the boat floats free. This method is especially useful for fresh water lake launch; not so good if seawater is touching any part of your car.

Boat launched without any mishap. Many boating accidents happen during the launching process when we are very anxious to get on the water. It pays to slow down this process, especially if you are doing it alone, on your own. On more than one occasion, I have forgotten to remove the winch hook! For some strange reason, this usually happened when I had an audience. :)

It is common courtesy to park far away from the boat ramp, to avoid obstructing other users who may turn up when you are sailing and cannot shift your car.

An excellent opportunity to check all the rollers of your boat trailer; or even do some touch up paint job which is awkward or even impossible when there is a boat on top of your trailer.

I sailed around the lake for about an hour, working the centerboard crank, up and down a few times. I test run the outboard motor for 10 minutes to warm up the engine, observing the tell-tale (water jet). As far as I could see everything seem to be working fine.

After the trial run, I reversed the empty trailer down the ramp until the last roller is submerged and winched the boat up the trailer cold turkey. This boat seems slightly heavier than my previous boat, a Noelex 22.

At this point I usually checked whether the boat is seated nicely on the center of the last roller. Making sure that the rudder and propeller are raised and clear of the ground, before I drive off slowly to an open space for rigging down. At Raglan ramp, beware of low hanging power lines!

It took me slightly over an hour to rig down and secure everything ready for towing 35 km home. Rigging up, took me 2 hrs because I stopped to check many things because I am not yet familiar with this new boat.

There is a new safety rule regarding boat towing on the highways in New Zealand. All propellers must be highlighted by using a red cover. This makes the boat more visible for other motorists following you. It is very expensive to let them hit your rear end.

The most important check: I opened the plug under the boat and nothing came out. I have a dry boat! There was also no obvious sign of any leak inside the cabin. I am very happy with this Magnum 21. The Nanook had a cracked centre board housing which gave me troubles no end. Fixing that leak cost me more than the whole boat! Hence I kept the Noelex for 15 years, trying to get back my money's worth.