Cowan Lake-May 07

At last! The Surprise finally made it to its home waters; Cowan Lake State Park! The day was a little overcast, and as Chris and I started putting the mast up I didn't even feel a breeze. No worries though. In addition to being excited about going out for a sail I was also eager to finally try out my little Sears 1.2 HP outboard, fresh from the service bench! We set up and put in. I pulled the rope on the outboard and she perked right up! We pushed off and I pressed on the throttle and off we went! The motor sat pretty awkwardly on the transom (the previous owner installed a strip of acrylic material in attempt to protect the gelcoat, but it sat at such an angle that didn't allow the motor to fuly grip to the boat). In addition, once the sails went up, the main traveler constantly caught on the motor's tiller, and a few times dislodged the motor and almost sent it to the bottom of Cowan lake. Fortunately the wind had picked up so we pulled the motor off the transom and set in the cockpit.

The day was a little overcast, but the winds were great! As we made our way into the middle of the lake, we were greeted by the site of many of CLSA's finest getting in on some of the wind action. Many Flying Scots (CLSA has an active FS racing fleet), a Lightning and a few others. We were able to make a run from one end of the lake to another, exploring the coves and dock spaces. Unfortunately I was so eager to get out there that I neglected to fasten the outhaul properly and the sail began to lose its shape. In addition, I also rigged the mainsheet improperly and while it was functional it looked like hell! Unfortunately the wind picked up so abruptly that every time I pointed us into the wind and hove to, we were almost immediately pushed back into a beam reach. Finally after a few white-knuckle moments I sailed us into a sheltered cove and was able to fix mainsheet and outhaul. Soon we were on our way again.

After being out for an hour or so we decided to try and get back to the ramp so we could remove the acrylic strip and mount the engine properly. No sweat! Just put the motor back on and putter back to the ramp. Being a prudent sailor I tried starting the motor before taking the sails down. Unfortunately since the motor had been sitting on its side it had flooded and wouldn't start. After wearing my (and Chris') arm out, I shrugged and said "well, let's just sail it in." Not that it would normally be a big deal, but the ramp was more crowded than usual with fisherman launching/retrieving as well as a large group of spectators fishing on the nearby shore. With the wind blowing us via beam reach to the ramp's dock I knew my timing of releasing sheets and pointing into the wind would have to be perfect. We got closer and closer, and magically the wind slowed and we drifted perfectly to the nearby dock. 3 points. Gary Jobson would have been proud!

We removed the strip of acrylic from the transom and we were able to to get the engine to sit properly (I had also packed a piece of rubber sheeting I had made from an old bike innertube). We retightened everything down and went out to catch some more wind. The outboard started up, but was not running nearly as strong as it had. While a little disappointed, I didn't care! The sun started peeking out and the winds remained strong (even greeting us with spray)! We went wing to wing and made another run down the lake.

Chris' sailing skills are getting better so we felt more confident with letting the boat heel more and opening her up, and man did she fly! The picture on the right shows our wake (not from the motor)! It was quite a ride! At times we heeled between 30-40 degrees!But then the wind would calm down long enough for us to take a swig of gatorate (beer next time) or grab some pringles. Isn't it amazing how much better food tastes on the water?

After being on the water for about six hours we decided to sail in and head home. We sailed right in (and rather quickly I must say) back to the launching area, and after a lot of coaxing we fired up the outboard and motored to the ramp. The motor was still running terribly and we couldn't figure out why, until Chris fiddled with the spark plug wire and suddenly it perked up and worked like a champ! Turns out that the traveler caught onto the spark plug wire and loosened it. I think it will take some time and patience to figure out how to best configure the boat so the outboard and traveler don't interfere with each other.

Well, in a little over a week we'll be heading to Norris Lake in TN for an extended weekend! Now my wife will finally be able to experience the boat again! Stay tuned for photos and updates. Chris is bringing his Mariah as well so we should get some excellent shots of the Surprise under sail!