First Test Sail

Hooray. Today we actually went sailing. After weeks of preparation we finally took Juno out for a sail to make sure that all our modifications are working. Paul was at the helm negotiating this big boat out of the marina and then into the river Orwell. In particular we wanted to test the rig in a strong wind to make sure that the mast and all the standing rigging was tuned. Fortunately we had 23 knots of apparent wind (the wind blowing across the decks) and quite a lot of rain, and John, Claire and Rupert from Oyster were able to make a few minor adjustments before declaring that everything was set up nicely.

Caroline used the new electric furling system to set and reef the big Genoa and everything seemed to go smoothly. Now we are back on the pontoon with Paul writing the diary and Caroline packing 36 chicken breasts into the freezer. Even the dishwasher is working fine now that we have found the water valve.

Juno looks amazing now with her sails on and her new name and livery. Tomorrow we set sail for Portsmouth.