I finally got my boat in the water today. This summer has just been too busy. The day was one misadventure after another, but we finally got a bit of sailing in. It was blustery, a bit more than I like especially for the first time out this year in my own boat. You really had to want to sail badly to go out today. It blew all day at 25 - 30 with gusts to the upper 30s. It even blew our ladder over backwards when we were rigging the boat prior to launch! The old Pacific wasn't very peaceful so we stayed in the river with only a storm jib and double reefed main. Even the river threw some steep 3 foot waves in groups that were only 1/2 a boat length between crests. Rodeo sailing, but you have to hang on for more than 8 seconds. We didn't break anything or lose anything permanently (we did need a MOB drill for a fender that jumped ship). The boat is safely in a slip for the next month or two so I hope to get a number of sailing days in before the winter storms take all the fun away. It's great to finally join the rest of you on the water. Mark and Roberta Dvorscak M23 Faith