The Maiden Voyage

This morning we set sail with the Nellie Sue on her maiden voyage on Chickamauga Lake. The wind wasn't very strong so we didn't go very fast but we did manage to get out in the middle of the lake where we jumped in and swam. The heat index for today was 108 degrees, so the water felt VERY refreshing!

After our swim, we had a picnic lunch and sailed back to the beach from wenst we saileth. Here are a few more still pictures of our sailing trip.

Thanks to Todd for taking these last two pictures for us.

It's Finally Finished!

Tonight we pulled the boat out onto the lawn and assembled the mast & sail for the very first time! I wanted to make sure everything worked the way it was supposed to and that I had all the correct parts before we hit the water...

It really does look like a sailboat now! Maybe not necessarily like the stereotypical triangular sail sailboat, but nevertheless I am still very proud of my little boat!

Earlier this evening I went to go check out a trailer that was for sale -- I'll probably end up buying it. Tomorrow I'm getting a trailer hitch installed on my car, so hopefully by this weekend I'll be ready and equipped to go sailing!

If you're interested in watching the maiden voyage with me, just send me an email and I'll let you know when and where to meet.

Registration, Rudder and Tiller

Woohooo! My boat is officially registered and legal to be out on the open water! With the registration process and rudder completed, it's essentially finished!

On Friday I left work early and swung by the Tag & Title office. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes with people who were standing just a little bit too close to me, I finally was able to do my registration paperwork and pay the tax fees - $2. Since it's a homemade boat, there's actually no sales tax to pay! The $2 was to cover the processing fees. :)

So then I had to mail in a check for $28 along with the registration papers to get my 3-year boat license and registration card. But until then I can still legally go boating. I just have to keep my registration receipt with me. And again I say, "Woohooo!" . :)

On Sunday I finished building & painting the rudder and tiller. I had to fabricate some kind of hinge mechanism for the rudder which I made from pieces of metal strips which I bent into shape with a vice and a hammer. It was tough work, but it turned out very well!

I then attached nylon rope cleats to the sides of the boat, and some metal rings to the back of the boat. The rings are to either tow my little inflatable raft behind me, or to tie the boat down during transportation.