Sea Trials

The Walkabout has had three trips to the lake. First trip was in pouring rain, just to relieve my nervousness and find out if she would float level, track in a straight line, float without taking on water and that I could row at all! We were mostly a success, but found that one seam where the dagger board box met the hull needed more attention as it let in a few cups of water.
The boat returned to the shed, got dried out and warmed up. The seam was found and more epoxy filler was added. That evening we went back out to the lake in sunshine but a cold wind. There we found that crew placement on the boat is important. If the boat is lower on one side, rowing is unbalanced with one oar angle markedly different from the other. If the crew sat high enough for the wind to catch them, the boat was thrown off course. Best position was stting on a cushion on the floor of the hull. Weight in the center and no wind resistance.
Third trip was again in sunshine, but no winds. My friend Diana sat comfortably on the floor of the boat, in a shaped seat. It was a glorious three-hour trip around the islands of McIvor Lake in Campbell River, BC. The boat was travelling at an easy 2.5 knots. Pretty good for an old geezer who has never rowed before, moving a boat that weighs over 200 lbs with a combined crew weight of over 400 lbs!
It was terrific to be able to move all around the boat without having to be so careful of my balance (thinking of my kayak here) I love being able to lounge against comfortable back rests and having great areas for spreading out lunch, gear, charts, clothes etc.
All in all, I am very happy with the rowing part of the boat. As I get more practiced, I expect to get comfortable enough to row in the local ocean waters too.