S/V Ripple

Spruce sweeps (7 ft) for my new (to me) 9 foot Fatty Knees dinghy

Yesterday I sailed Ripple for the first time, really. A perfect day, in the 60s, cloudless, a fresh breeze out of the north. Three sails and a tiller are a lot to handle alone, and my inexperience with the rig is painfully evident in tacking. Managed to sail her wing on wing for a bit, and late in the trip, jib struck, she still easily managed 4.5 kts, and nearly buried the rail. Topping off the day, another sailor in Lake Union asked 'say... Is she an Atkins?'

Spent a good deal of Saturday and Sunday on Lakes Union and Washington.  Too much  wind to sail on Saturday, too little on Sunday, but wonderfully pleasant both days. I made the run down to Seward Cove on Sunday, only a couple boats there, and I had a glass of wine on the hook, and enjoyed the quiet.  On the way down, a couple were rowing a skiff out with an as-yet-unfurled gaff-like rig.  We noticed one another's boats immediately, and exchanged compliments. The skiff was clearly nicely cared for...skookum.  The skipper hailed with 'that's an Atkin design, isn't it?'  It is such a pleasure to be caretaker of a boat as recognizably special as Ripple.  Each short passage deepens the patina of our connection. And who ever imagined one could fall in love with a diesel engine, besides?

Ripple has been accepted into the 34th Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival , September 10-12, 2010. Motivation to get the brightwork into shape!  She was in the festival at least once before ('07).

I spent the day on Ripple on Sunday... first outing in some weeks, as travel schedules consipired to keep me busy elsewhere.  Ripple had no water in the bilges at all, and this after several weeks of disuse.  She's tight and dry. The day was beautiful, a slight overburden of thin clouds mitigated glare and kept the sun manageable, and the mid-sixties temperatures made for a  pleasant time on the water. After gunkholing about Lake Union, I headed for Lake Washington, and motored down to Seward Park, south of the I-90 bridge.  There were no breezes to speak of, but the Yanmar cranked right up and ran like a top the day long.