Dear Friend of CHARIAD:

At long last, CHARIAD is being launched today. Frustrating story about the long delay – later.

A huge effort was put in by a lot of crew members this past two weeks – in the heat – to get her ready for launch. Because we had access to a private shed while the Dion’s yard in Salem was going slow with their work, we did a lot of cosmetic upgrades that we just do not have time to do for a normal spring effort. Dion’s has not done the cosmetic repairs to the exterior of the boat – scratches and gouges in the cockpit area from when the mast came down – that were their responsibility. I told Dion’s that I would not wait any longer and just put the boat in the water.

The odd situation is that the interior of CHARIAD looks great and she has new windows. But the exterior looks a little beat up. I will have someone else do that work in the fall.

Launch of CHARIAD racing sailboat

This weekend, we will put all of the pieces back together and see if we actually remember how to sail her.

I hope you are doing well and surviving the hot weather. Look forward to sharing some actual sailing stories with you and to getting some of you out on the water.

My best,

Rick