Splash! The launch and first sail (Building Meerkat, a very small catboat)

Meerkat floats!

And, in fact, does not leak. I splashed the boat this evening, even though I didn't have the rub rails on yet.

I didn't think to get a photograph of the boat taken with the sail up, but here's me sailing it, seen in silhouette so that you can't see how wide my grin is.

Joby, the postmistress of Burton, offered to help me with the launch, which is a good thing because there were a lot of bushes and boughs in the way getting Meerkat out of the back yard. So, gent that I am, I took her with me on Meerkat's maiden voyage, which she enjoyed.

I've learned a few things, like that the El Toro sail I've got really doesn't like being loose footed, so I've got to get the El Toro boom back to working. The boat's a little long for carrying on my back, so I think I'll fix her up with some sort of wheels for launching.

By the way, there's a build thread here: http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?150763-Building-Meerkat-a-very-small-catboat

More posts on this topic:

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/06/building-new-boat.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/07/building-meerkat-very-small-catboat.html 

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/07/building-meerkat-very-small-catboat_25.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/07/building-meerkat-very-small-catboat-yet.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/07/putting-on-goop-building-meerkat-very.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/08/building-meerkat-very-small-catboat.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/08/building-meerkat-saga-continues.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/08/building-meerkat-very-small-catboat_16.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/09/building-meerkat-very-small-catboat.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/09/meerkat-now-black-by-popular-demand.html

 http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/09/splash-launch-and-first-sail-building.html

 http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/10/meerkat-victorious-building-meerkat.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/10/meerkat-gets-meerkart-and-some-sailing.html 

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2012/11/picture-of-meerkat-racing.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2013/02/building-meerkat-alternate-rig.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2013/03/by-john-macbeath-watkins-well-its.html

http://booksellersvsbestsellers.blogspot.com/2013/04/building-meerkats-crabclaw-rig.html