Two welsford navigators in one week..................

And another navigator is launched and on its way. Hey two in one week. Wonderful. Rob launched his navigator but in September and sailed it out in Maine where it had been built by an extraordinary craftsman Ray Frechette. Rob launched it for the first time back in sunny California. As Joel observed....is this the first navigator to be sailed in both the pacific and the Atlantic? I think so but hey I wait to be corrected. That is pretty cool isn’t it – both in Atlantic and Pacific.

I think this Ray at the helm....hope I got that right Rob!!

Rob had mid 70’s temps (which in my language I think works out at around 20C or thereabouts with westerly breezes of 5 – 8 knots. He was worried about towing the boat up the ramp with only a front wheel drive vehicle but everything was fine (he has no idea about two wheel, front wheel drive. I damn near lost the car, trailer and Arwen last year at low tide when the wheels spun continuously on the algae and we didn’t advance anywhere as a huge spring tide came rushing in and up the exhaust!)

Rob took an hour to rig his boat (it does get quicker as you remember where things go and you develop short cut strategies. I’m down to around 25 mins from completely disassembled to ready to go). Of course, he was hindered in a very nice way by all the people who stopped to say hello and admire the boat. Navigators do seem to do that. Whenever Arwen gets launched there will be a few who stop by to admire the lines, cringe at the gouges in the rub rails and suggest useful (or on occasions not so useful) tips and short cuts in rigging.

I admire Rob – he sails off the dock under Jib and Mizzen. I have never done that. I always motor out using the excuse that my exit from pontoon is along a 3m wide causeway between moored boats either side, invariably at a head to wind position. I’m not even sure I can control Jib and mizzen sufficiently yet to get alongside a free floating, un-crowded pontoon!

Once launched, he headed out in to the LA harbour basin moving under jib and mizzen in only a 5 kt breeze. Does that sound pretty good sailing to anyone else, because it sure does to me! LA harbour, I’m sort of assuming he means Los Angeles harbour...that sounds soooo cool!

From jib and mizzen, he set the main and shot off in a 9 kts breeze bringing smiles to the faces of his accompanying children. Ah what it is to have your offspring actually want to go out in a boat with you. My sailing buddy (my daughter) is away at University and I miss her. My son doesn’t do boats...scooters, gliders, planes yes......boats never! Lucky man, he had an opportunity to teach the family how to tack as a team and later allowed children to do the helming AND tacking.


As Rob concludes:

“To top off our luck, we ran into a small pod of Bottlenose Dolphin in the middle of our sail. Nicholas is a huge fan of all sea life, and to see dolphins up close and for several minutes was a real treat for him. He took lots of pictures and video. Next, I told him, we will look for Gray Whales, which are currently migrating up the CA coast from their breeding grounds in Mexico to their feeding grounds above the Arctic Circle. They will pass by LA Harbour for the next 3 months only a mile or so offshore”.

Now if I had the possibility of Whales moving up our coastline, well I’d be out every day! I am desperate to see a basking shark off our headland in the summer. I used to see loads when I was fishing along the coast. They hung like huge shadows in the upper surface waters...amazing creatures, drifting in the currents. We have had news that Orcas have been spotted off Trevose head in Cornwall and that is a pretty impressive sighting for our coastline.

Rob clearly had a lovely sail but he went on to conclude his feedback to JW forum members by making some observations about his navigator. He found that the Navigator has enough pointing ability to claw back up wind but that it probably takes a few extra tacks compared to a modern hull and sail plan; which is exactly what I have found.

At the end of his day out Rob said

“With wind less than 5 knots, we tacked right into the launch area, released all sheets, drifted toward the floating dock and at the last moment turned into wind to put the boat alongside. A perfect landing, as far as I was concerned. No splintered bow sprit or rub rail”

Wow, I just know I do not yet have the ability to pull off that manoeuvre!

Rob has posted a link to his Picasa web page where you will find some photographs of his lovely looking navigator (nice colour hull and beautiful tan sail combination)
https://picasaweb.google.com/117126495892679023925/Boat
Rob. Congratulations, what a lovely looking boat. A lovely yarn about the first sail in California waters too. May you look forward and have many more special days like this one. Welcome to the navigator family.

Steve