The bottom on ZSA ZSA is finished, so it was time for a float test. ANd since we were going to do a float test, why not rig for sail? We launched ZSA ZSA from the dolly and I walked her out a bit to clear the dock, Skipper on the helm. A light push and she was underway, for the first time in at least 5 years and many more before that.
There was only a wisp of wind but that is where these boats have a great time.
Barely enough wind to disturb the water but enough for Sea Trials.
Skipper on her high speed pass. She was working hard to maneuver the boat in about 30 inches of water, I had waded out to get pictures, 500 feet off shore and still only waist deep. WE used a longer daggerboard today to improve tacking, more about that in another post. Once she got ZSA ZSA off the shoal she didn't have to hold the daggerboard up with her feet :)
Another pass over the shoal, Skipper and ZSA ZSA were good sports posing for the paparazzi.
Out to play for a bit, tacks and gybes went beautifully. The boat sat great in the water, beautiful lines. Alcort tucked the bow up a little bit from the original design, that helped prevent submarining that was common on the first model.
One more pass for the photog. Skipper has found that on the Super Sailfish that it is easier to lay back to tack versus bending forward, better balance on the boat.
My turn, I used our mini Greenland paddle to get clear of the treeline wind shadow, it worked great. We wanted a small paddle that would fit in a Sunfish cockpit with the Greenland style blade, this works nice and takes up very little room, easy to use one handed because the blade is not too big.
The paddle tucks out of the way nicely on the Super Sailfish, I think we'd need a lanyard on windier days :)
A few quick strokes with the paddle to get through a lazy tack.
Light wind day, fun to just put the tiller over and do donuts. Back to the beach, Sea Trials successful.
ZSA ZSA will head back to the shop to work on the deck fit and finish now, we had a few tiny leaks in the deck seam, daggerboard trunk and mast step. No leaks on the bottom seam or keel! The sail set beautifully and we were very happy with how she handled with her new skeg, in light winds and shoal water she didn't really need the daggerboard. Rudder stayed in place and felt very secure, the tiller straps could be straightened a bit. Overall an enormously successful and fun time!
Log of ZSA ZSA.
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