Sides painted with an undercoatGetting a good finish is the name of the game. To that end I did quite a bit of fine sanding on the sides of the hull and the spars before painting and varnishing them.
I don’t suppose I’ll be able to see my face reflected from the paint when the boat is finished, but as long as she’s smart, that will satisfy me. My moods oscillate between wanting to finish her quickly so that I can sail her, and wanting to take my time to make her look presentable.
As I work towards completing her I find myself dreaming of being out on the water, testing her to see how she goes. Will she be a good all-round sailing boat, one that will respond to zephyrs, as well stand up to a good blow? Will she be a dry boat when the water is choppy? Will I feel secure and comfortable in her? Shall I be able to reef her lateen sail easily, and shall I find launching her relatively easy? How will she sail to windward? Will she be close-winded? I wonder how well she will tack. My guess is that she will carry her way through each tack, because of the weight of the keel and her comparatively slender hull.
Well, all of these things are for finding out. How long will it be before I take her for her first sail? That’s hard to know – maybe within a fortnight. It depends on many things, but that is what I would like.
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