After many months of repair and fitting out, Jay trailered the club's new chase boat, Sir Galahad, to the east basin launch ramp (in the middle of the spring sturgeon season!). Amid the mayhem, he was met by Josh and Thor, who, after a briefing on the controls, hopped aboard and took her out onto the river for her maiden voyage.
A NW wind of 15 knots was mixing with a small ebb current to kick up a steep chop. Outside the East Basin entrance, it reflected off the steel sea wall to set up a mine field of 3' peaks and holes. The new boat cruised through this mess with aplomb, maintaining a steady platform for the crew, with an occasional pitch to the side to keep them on their toes.
Once through the chop and onto more uniform river swells, more speed was called for and the throttle was moved up to halfway. Sir Galahad brought her nose up and settled onto a steady plane, barely responding to the waves passing under her transom.
Out in the channel Cantata and Sisters were roaring upriver on a broad reach, under shortened sails for a comfortable ride. The novice crew on Sir Galahad were able to keep station at their stern, more or less, for a quick conversation shouted over the roar of the 70 horsepower Mercury on the transom.
Josh took the helm at that point and piloted across the channel to the West Basin entrance. Finding Jay's empty slip and liberally working the shifter, Sir Galahad was secured on E dock, having only sipped a small amount of gas over the course of t
he voyage downriver.
The new boat is 2 feet longer than the White Knight, but is roughly twice the boat in terms of sea-keeping and carrying capacity. A crew of 4 or 5 could comfortably ride aboard without being in each other's space.
She will be a worthy addition to the club's fleet.- Thor Sorenson