My friend's new boat

Contrary to popular belief - I do have one friend. He got me into boat building - he gave me his three-quarter finished Selway Fisher highlander 12 and the benefit of his wisdom. It's what started me off on a completely new hobby and interest - a  swap from mountaineering and camping to sailing! He's a really good amateur boat builder - skilled, well read, knowledgeable and meticulous. He's also an extremely experienced sailor who makes it look so easy; he has huge amounts of patience and a wonderful way of helping you learn. Coupled with a warm sense of humour and easy going manner - sailing with him is great fun.
Anyway, he's just got a new boat after a gap of several years without one. It's a character post boat about 14' 6" long - the same length as Arwen. There are some differences - it's a gaff rig and a hell of a weight compared to Arwen as I discovered when I tried to help him launch it - oh boy! I went to push it off the trailer with one arm and nothing happened - it was like running into a wall! Don't get me wrong it comes off the trailer easily - its a wonderful set up - but Arwen is a real lightweight in comparison!

We had a good day out - reaching and running between the breakwater and back of Drakes island. I've uploaded a short film I made of the day with cheesy music   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL8Tn5bkk5o  Its a great boat, sails really well and looks fantastic. It was a gusty day winds around F4 gusting F5 and my friend took it carefully but his experience shone through constantly. He was able to point closer to the wind than I can  - he seems to sense wind shifts before they even happen. Anyway - it was a fun 4 hrs or so and its great to know that Arwen will now quite often be sailing on company!

Steve