Our first Sea Trail - will it work or not?

We had to wait a long time for our Sailing Grace, a Hanse 588. But the wait was worth it! A great sailing yacht, equipped with a hardtop, a furling mast, a self-tacking jib, electric winches and a large dinghy garage. Just the right yacht for two persons to sail and spend many enjoyable hours on board.

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Full of anticipation, we look forward to our Sea Trail. But already in the harbour we have our first challenge: the tube for the jib cannot be removed! Without further ado, two workers are ordered away from the rigging job and one has to be pulled up with the boatswain's chair, where he can loosen the tube. It was a bit too tight. Now we can start. However, we have to hurry. We have to motor along the Ryck River for about ½ hour to the Wiecker bascule bridge. In the low season, the bridge only opens a few times, and we really want to cross it at 13:00. The sun shines brightly as we enter the Wiecker Bodden. Now it's time to set sail. But the next challenge is already there: the mainsail won't furl! Is our Sea Trail not going to happen after all? The shock is over quickly. It was only due to the labelling of the clamps, which had been inadvertently switched. We also raise the jib and enjoy a great trip on the Baltic Sea. At around 3 to 4 Beaufort, we make it to a maximum speed of 8.8 knots. We are happy! The start was a success!