OK, the big day arrived to get Norma out on the water to see how everything, including me, performed. My girlfriend Jo came down to make the trip to North Carolina with me, so she, my friend Captain Buddy, his lovely wife Lee Anne, and I took Norma out for a four-hour sail around Charleston Harbor.

We saw about every condition from nearly dead-calm to twenty-knot winds. Captain Buddy and I took turns at the helm and Norma handled everything like a champ. Once, when Captain Buddy was at the helm, we even managed to bury the starboard rail in the water.

Aside from a loose shifter lever, everything worked great. As I write this, its Saturday, April 24th and Jo and I are in Oriental, North Carolina and should be in New Bern by mid-afternoon. I'll post details of the trip north pretty soon. Later!