Bucentaure: A 1:1 Scale Sailboat Project

 Big nautical doings here in the Lair of the Uber Geek.  My new Sailboat, the "Bucentaure" has been delivered and went on her maiden voyage across the Chesapeake Bay this past Weekend.  She's a Alerion Express 28 and is built to be both a racer and day cruiser.  As sailboats go, she's a beautiful boat and has proven to be a lot of fun to sail.

 Bloody Point Lighthouse, which marks the halfway point in the trip across the Bay.  I'll be spending most of my free time in August getting to know how she sails in preparation for our first race in September.  I'm always looking for experienced crew if your in the Chesapeake Bay area.

 A look out into the Miles River (no it's not named after me) from her harbor slip - it's a very good spot as it allows for a very fast docking and undocking.  The boat features a very nice and large cockpit and the boom is just above head height which means one only has to duck slightly when jibing and tacking as the boom comes across.  It's still a solid piece of metal so one does have to duck if one wants to stay conscious during the cruise.

 A look up the mast on a very light wind day.  The boat's equipped with a self trimming jib boom and has a very efficient line layout.

Another shot out on the river from Saturday.  Why the name "Bucentaure"?  Well it's a long story but since it involves naval gaming and history here goes.  To date my most favorite model that I've built is a 1/1200 scale version of the French flagship at Trafalgar - you guessed it the Bucentaure from Langton miniatures.  In her day the Bucentaure was thought to be the most beautiful ship afloat but, like most french ships of that time, was cursed with, shall we say, less than skilled admirals.  Given I'll be her skipper, I thought the comparison fitting.

The boat does have a removable table for the cockpit so I am anticipating a few games of "Sails of Glory" on the water - any takers?