Testing ‘Sandpiper’ - Part 1

Tuesday, 26^th June, 2012

High water at Burnham Yacht Harbour was at 1743. I took an hour to make ’Sandpiper’ ready and to launch her. Disappointingly I could not persuade her to slide off her trailer without the wheel bearings getting wet. Had she not been fully loaded with cruising gear, including the outboard motor, I think it would have been possible to manhandle her off her trailer.

The wind was blowing directly onto the slipway which helped by keeping the boat nudged against the mud to one side. That meant I did not have to pull her onto the slipway while I took the road trailer to the car park. I moved the boat to her berth with a makeshift paddle that I knocked up before leaving home.

I was relieved to find that not a single drop of water entered through the centreplate box where the bolt that supports the centreplate passes through. I am hoping that will be the same when I drop the plate and start sailing.

I should have a fairly peaceful night in the Yacht Harbour. Tomorrow, I am planning to test the outboard and go for a sail. Depending on the strength and direction of the wind, I’ll decide where to sail, but it is my intention to return to the Yacht harbour for the night.

So far things look positive. Sandpiper is loaded correctly, and with the amount of gear I have aboard she is exactly on her marked waterline.

Note

This is the first of a three-part account; each one was written on the day in question.