Good news: It’s a girl! Which would make this a mid-berth update, I suppose…
Sorry, I will make better jokes next time. I promise.
This post comes to you from Grand Marina in Alameda, where we are waiting for the boatyard to step the mast. Since she arrived on a container ship from China last Thursday, we’ve been watching our 30,000 lb. bundle of joy turn into real sailboat.
The owner of Outbound Yachts, Phil, has been commissioning the boat over the past few days. Of course we expected him to have a firm handle on everything, this being the 65th Outbound he’s delivered. But it has been remarkable to watch just how deep his knowledge is. He has no checklists and no manuals for several days of work and hundreds of pieces of gear. He is a walking owner’s manual, and we are lucky to have a few days to pick his brain.
Here are a few photos to show the highlights. Still lots to do, but already the first few days have been an unforgettable experience.
Coming off the ship in Oakland. The boat looks like a toy!
Phil safely brought the boat to Alameda for commissioning.
Name and home port on the transom. Woohoo! Want to come aboard??
Deck hardware installed, minus the rig.
Mast is rigged and ready.
These guys were total pros, but we were a touch nervous for a few minutes.
This whole process only took a few minutes, drama free.
Starting to look like a sailboat!