Resolution

The 30' S-2 Center Cockpit "Resolution" at the dock in Alameda.

This picture, taken just after keel-hauling a miscreant deck hand, shows a rare contented smile on the face of the sadistic bastard.

Preparing to leave the dock for a sailing adventure, Carol gets comfortable behind the wheel. That big grin hasn't left her face even weeks later.

Even though every measurement shows the Resolution as a thirty footer, she looks and feels like a much larger boat. At first glance, I was sure she was at least 34' at the dock.

Standing on the dock looking into the cockpit with a glimpse down into the cabin.

The cockpit is quite roomy and the high back gives good support for passengers. Having the traveller right behind the helm can be awkward when you lean into the block while you're holding the wheel, but the triple blocking system keeps the main sheets right at hand for easy access when single-handing the boat.

The wooden seat might make you think you'd get pretty sore, but it is actually quite comfortable. Even at a good lean, the angles keep you centered to the wheel, in complete control. A pair of handy storage boxes are found on either side of the cockpit, and a couple of great whopping speakers near the aft rail mean you can hear every note from the stereo while under sail!

I stepped across to the next dock to capture a couple of shots from the back. Can you see the tadar mounted on the stern? The propane grill is hanging off the back rail.

We didn't have occassion to use them, but there are a pair of anchors that come with the boat. You can see the stern anchor hanging on the rail just to the right of the (covered) grill. Another anchor is snugly attached to the bow.

The v-berth is six feet deep, and pretty confortable even for someone my size. The curtain is a nice addition for a little privacy....probably won't help hide the loud snoring noises though.

At the stern, a good size bed for the captain and her mate. Yes, you read that right. Make no mistake about who is really in charge on this boat!

Sitting at the navigation table and looking forward into the main salon. The galley is just to the left, including an alcohol stove, hot and cold running water, and a cooler. The previous owner was nice enough to leave a good store of sodas in the reefer.

We couldn't figure out how to get the stereo going on our maiden cruise, but I did appreciate the "MP3-ready" label on it. That makes it real wasy for me to prepare hours and hours of music without having to change discs all the time. Notice the Radar and GPS recessed off to the right, behind the light. The Yanmar diesel is in the cupboard just under the nav table, and when we opened it up to look at it, we were surprised to see a brand new engine. I don't think I've ever seen an engine so clean!

None of this would have been possible without our dear friend Mike White. Carol and I just love him and his dear wife Amber as much as if they were part of our family....which they are, as far as we're concerned! We're looking forward to many years of sharing our new boat with them.

Mike not only did all the driving to get us up to the dock in Alameda, but then he did all the crew work while I sat on my butt like the rail meat I was that day. I can't say enough nice things about him.

The sails aren't new, but they don't show any signs of wear and tear at all. The main is full battened, and in some of the light wind areas we saw this day, they still kept their shape and kept the boat moving. The jib has a jiffy furl, so we don't have to drop it and store it belowdecks every time we go out. There's also a spare jib (a 130 we think) that was in the v-berth below when we arrived.

As if everything else wasn't good enough, we really had the perfect day to demo our new boat. The winds were mild, the aiar was warm, and the clouds and fog stayed away. I tried to get a couple shots with the city and the bay bridge in the background, but you'll have to judge for yourself how well they turned out.

Photos just can't do it justice.

She draws less than five feet of water, so she should be able to get around in some pretty shallow spots.

Freshly painted just last February, and looking great!

Can't wait to get her back in the water and set off to get her to her new home in Moss Landing.