Several Mac Crew members suited up The Big Girl with some of her new wardrobe earlier this month, specifically: New A3 Reacher and new bomb-proof 90%+ Kevlar-Technora heavy-air genoa, which is stiff as a board and flaunts four battens, no less. Can we point in heavy air now? You betcha!

Finally! Lochaber gets wet Friday, June 3, at Torresen Marine for a season of racing, cruising and mooring ball testing. Partial Mac and Tripp/Queens Cup race crew due for shakedown sailing this weekend. Still, there are projects to be completed: sails to be hanked on, mast collar to be sealed, junk to be loaded and off-loaded. But -- at last -- some SAILING!

After two weeks of sanding, filling, fairing, sanding, filling, fairing (see bad weather), Lochaber FINALLY got her first two layers of Interprotect 2000e Barrier Coat. Friday and Saturday (5/20 and 5/21). First grey, then white. Next week, hopefully (see weather) she'll get 2-3 more, the final one coming after she's moved on her cradle so the spots under the pads can be sanded (read remove ALL old blue paint), faired, etc. We've been focusing on the first 2/5ths of the bottom, but not ignoring all little pock marks (sand, fill and make fair), as this is where she parts the waves and builds speed (See Lochaber, the Fair Land Where Magical Waters Flow Over, Aye!). With any luck (see weather) and some help (Guys, we're almost there!), The Big Girl will have all of here bottom makeover finished by the end of Memorial Day Weekend and ready for launch June 3, 10 a.m. She may slip at Torresen's for a week post-launch while she's rigged and electrical work is completed. Stay tuned on that.

Special thanks to all who have contributed -- either via CA$H or sweat equity -- to this year's arduous commissioning!