1st Sail on Westerly

[keelbolts]

Sunday, we got the Westerly out for a sail. Winds NE at under 10, waves small & lumpy, sunny & warm. She was slow, but I?ve read that, being designed for British conditions, Westerlys need a bit of wind to get them moving. Those of you with Alberg or Rhodes designed boats may not be able to relate to this, but boy is she skittish! On Favona, I could often set her sails and leave her helm unattended to fiddle with something on the foredeck. With the Westerly, in the time it takes you to look down for your chips, you can be 30 degrees off course! I was flapping the helm around like I was sculling her. Speaking of which, I?ve never been a fan of wheel steering in boats under about 45 feet; I scoffed when people claimed that a wheel is good because a tiller takes up too much room in the cockpit. I guess I?ll have to take back my scoffs. With the helmsman flapping that 4-foot tiller around in the Westerly?s cockpit, nobody is safe. Toward the end of the sail, better sail trim and anticipating her movement with the helm improved things a fair amount. I took her in and out with an outboard, but, in spite of my stated appreciation for the simplicity of an outboard engine, I?m going to get back to trying to get her old Volvo MD1 fired up. I have some words to eat on that subject too. All in all, it was a pleasant day on the water. I?ll have to learn her dance, but her practical aspects make her attractive enough to make it worthwhile. With the bloody developers buying up all the marinas around here to build ever more damned condos, her ability to effortlessly dry out at low tide for a coat of bottom paint and new zincs, alone, makes her attractive.