Delivery and Orientation Day!!!

After months of waiting, it is finally ours!

We pulled up to the fuel dock at G. Winter's Sailing Center in Riverside, NJ (I realized we forgot to name our dealer earlier)... and there it was with a big red bow on it!  Fruit was set out on the cockpit table and champagne and gifts on the table down below.  We had some requisite photo ops... Vicky and I came prepared for a "three hour tour" (along with her godparents).

I was given the honor of being the first to board, with Vicky getting the first chance at the helm.

Brian Winter was our sales person...

So after enjoying a bit of fruit and some drinks, we set off, motoring out the private channel to the Delaware River where we headed south towards Philly.  

The wind was low - maybe one knot or so - and we just barely kept up with the 1.5 knot current heading north.  But we got to learn how the sails are set up and what the various lines are for... so much more complicated than Yacht(ette).

Capt. Gary was our instructor.  He will also be our Delivery Captain/instructor on our cruise around NJ in a month or so.

We finally got a little ahead of the current (which we were tracking relative to a nearby red buoy).

Then we saw some rain clouds approaching and since time and tide was limited, I was given the helm and we started motoring back.

This was the point where I realized I was paying too much attention to Capt. Gary working on the electronic systems and not enough attention to how far we were drifting over towards the riverbank.

As the rain approached, it got a bit cooler.  The Catalina 315 has these nice pushpit seats, but I never realized how far you're sitting out over the water until I saw this photo...

Once back in Dredge Harbor, we practiced some maneuvers and learned how to reverse the boat, and finally set up our slip.

Then we went below and he explained all the systems on the boat.  I left the camera away so I could pay attention, but we opened literally every compartment and he explained what we needed to do.  We then spent some time tidying it up, and filled a tote bag with owners manuals we have to digest.