My uncle gave us the Happy Dragon after 15 years of lake cruising in Bella Vista, AR. My 14yr old first mate Davis and I flew into AR, spent two days working on trailer and battening down mast, and hatches. Tossed all removable equipment into the back of a 10' U-Haul and hit the open road.

We hit some big waves between Vicksburg and Jackson on I-20. literally. Anybody who has driven this stretch of road knows exactly what I mean. The bolts holding the wench to the trailer sheared off and the only thing holding the boat was the rear strap! After a quick stop at the only store open on a Sunday night we got new bolts, nuts and washers, reattached the wench and were back on the road.

After 1100 miles through AR, LA, MS, AL and FL we finally made it home. Two days of driving with no cruise control.

My wife Julie was duly impressed when I backed the trailer into the side yard on the first try. We will now take the rest of the winter (or what passes for winter in N.E. FL) repairing the functional aspects of the our little Dragon. Our hopes are to get it into the water in spring, enjoy the summer and next fall start working on some of the cosmetic issues.

Stay posted for pictures and comments as the surprises and adventures begin.