HAPPY DAY

As the saying goes, the two happiest days of a boater's life are the day they buy a boat and the day they sell it. Today was one of those days. Idris is on her way to Arizona. She will be happy with Scot, and hopefully join the Texas 200 group one summer.

I know she will get more time in the water with Scot, than I could in West Texas. She found a good home.

When the weather warms up, I will figure a plan to get out on the water. I'm thinking maybe start with a kayak, then think about building a small sailboat... Spindrift!

SHE WILL BE KNOWN AS....

IDRIS

If you are a diehard Dr. Who fan, you might know who Idris is. If not, I will explain. In one episode, the TARDIS landed on a far planet, and the "soul" of TARDIS left the ship. Needing a vessel to occupy, TARDIS  took over the body of a peasant woman... named Idris.

I think Idris is the perfect name for this boat. It has the "soul" of my Paradox I named TARDIS. In her, I will have fun adventures and make special memories.

My 2.5 hp Tohatsu outboard is my mode of propulsion when the wind is not favorable. I have no experience repairing outboards, so I thought I should get a new motor. I got the motor a couple days before my last trip, so I just put it in the living room floor. A friend came over, walked past it and stated, "Well, that's not something you see everyday."

Drink holder, very handy!

And the seats needed cushions. DONE!

SPLASH!!!!!

The wind has been blowing like snot for the last two weeks! But today, it calmed down and s/v IDRIS got wet.

Bert and Sheri, my former co-workers, wanted to witness this momentous occasion, so they joined me for the shakedown cruise.

She performed beautifully. Coming out of the local ramp, it is surrounded by mangroves blocking the wind. Luckily, there is a current that was running down wind and in the direction we wanted to travel. We only had to push off and take a few paddles to get in the canal, and we were on our way. The water is very skinny coming out of there, but since it was 3/4 high tide and she doesn't draw much, we only bumped a couple times.

Once in the wind, she took off. She performed well with three aboard, and Bert supplied us with champagne to toast the occasion.

I'm also pleased with the sail. I used a 3.3 oz tarp from Tarps Direct. I plan to build one from heavier material for stronger winds. She sailed close to the wind, and was easy with a jibe and tack... no problems at all. I guess I had her balanced.

I had both hands full most of the time, so Sheri took most of the pictures and video. However, her phone is not sharing those pictures at the moment. It doesn't feel like turning on right now. So, I put together a video taken with my GoPro.  You can see it here: Maiden voyage

Love that water!

FL2282RC

Today, my boat received her title and registration. She is official! I wasn't sure how difficult it would be to get these documents, but it was simple. I just filled out one form and within 15 minutes the transaction was complete.