Thought you'd like to know that I got my Whitehall Spirit 14 out on the water for the first time this weekend. I took it over to Fort Walton Beach on a trip with my wife and toddler daughter to go see my family. I went down to a neighborhood boat ramp in the area I lived in as a teenager, and my friend David and I rigged it for the first time, slid it in, and went sailing over to the barrier island. I was not really sure how well the trailer was going to work, but as it turned out, it worked well.

We set the sails, climbed in, and pushed off. The first impression I had was that the extra weight of the teak floorboards and bronze centerboard made the boat much less tippy then I expected. This is good. The sails filled, and off we went.

We sailed out into the Intracoastal Waterway, and there were boats of almost every description out on a holiday weekend. The worst were large, heavy, sharp-bowed powerboats with very large engines that could go very fast. They're useless for virtually anything but going fast. Their wakes were a bit smaller than you would expect, but that's because their engines put most of their hulls out of the water. If they went slower, the displacement would create pretty big waves. As it was, there were all kinds of boats and the various wakes gave us a good test of the Whitehall's ability to stay dry in a chop; and we did.

David (and my brother Jack, who is a licensed building contractor) was very impressed by the degree of workmanship and selection of hardware and lines. The lines of the 14 are really classic and lovely. I also like the fact that things have been kept simple. Being a former racing sailor, I might want a few more sail controls, but I also appreciate the simplicity and traditionalism of the boat. The bronze and the teak, while expensive, are perhaps the best materials for salt water boats, and I expect they'll hold up a long time. There's a lot of teak on these boats! It's almost embarrassing, but I'll get used to it.

We sailed the boat across the Intracoastals at an angle, and headed for the beach and into shallow water. I had to pull the pin out of the rudder so it would flip up in the shallows, but it didn't come up out of the water. Having that large tiller is nice too, and allows you to keep a firm hand on things. I didn't notice any weather helm at all. We sailed into a foot of water, turned into the wind, threw the bronze picnic anchor into the water, doused the sails, and drank a cold beer. We then took turns doing a short solo sail so as to be able to stand on the beach and check out the boat's various angles. It's a pretty boat. I installed a bronze flag pole mount on the rear starboard quarter handhold, and stuck a teak 18" flagpole with a U.S. flag attached to it. Very yachty-looking.

The return trip was lovely. The boat seems to go to weather fairly well, and it sails easily in light airs. The centerboard was the correct choice, as it would be a bit tricky to fiddle with a main, a jib, the rudder, and a dagger board. As it was, we lost little ground, tacked just once, and were able to shoot the narrow passage to the boat ramp. We ghosted up to the boat ramp with the assistance of a few zephyrs.

We encountered some additional chop on the way back and shipped a few cups of water, but it indicated to me that the hull can take some chop. I think the lap strake hull helps keep water from entering the boat by giving it a stepped surface to flow against. Safety is a real concern of mine in boats; my uncle once flipped a boat in the Destin East Pass on a fishing trip, and he ended up in the hospital. The pass is tricky under the best circumstances and there are many large fishing boats that ply this area. Their wakes can be as large as surf, and if you don't have a boat that can take it, it can take you.

At the ramp, we broke the boat down pretty quickly, slipping the oars and main sail into their respective nylon bags, and putting everything else into a large duffel. The boat itself went up onto the trailer easily, and I was both relieved and proud to see that it slid onto its runners like a custom-made shoe. I took it back to Mom's house, hosed it down and put the cover on after it dried.

Stephen M. Hodges
Tallahassee, Florida