Sea trial. It's the one day we actually want a little drama on the water and, of course, we get a suspiciously polite sea.
Lovely for a picnic on deck. Less helpful when you're trying to test the one system designed to tame the roll.
There are some boat projects that feel optional. Nice-to-have or future-us problems.
And then there are the ones that become the thing everything else is waiting on. For us, the stabilizer was that thing.
After weeks of refit work, rewiring, crawling into lockers, chasing parts, and keeping our optimism above the waterline, it was finally time to find out if UNDRA's new gyro actually worked.
On paper, it should. In theory, it would make life aboard more comfortable, more livable, and more stable both underway and at anchor. And stability matters. Because if something needs attention in the middle of a crossing and one of us needs to climb into the engine bay, that is not the moment we want UNDRA rolling rail to rail.
But boats have a way of humbling theory.
So, with the whole team and then some onboard, we left the dock and went searching for wind and waves. Not too much drama, but enough to answer the question that had been sitting in the back of our minds since this whole refit began:
How big of a difference will it make?
Of course, because this is boat life, the answer was not as simple as "yes" and "off we go." The sea trial revealed one more thing that needed changing. Which led to more projects. Which led to Jason cutting the wrong pipe. Which led to a new nickname that, unfortunately for him, may stick.
But somewhere between the success, the new gear, and the chaos, we hit that familiar point every cruiser knows well.
The boat is not done, but we are close enough. Because if we wait until everything is perfect, we may never leave.
So we stopped waiting. And for the first time in several weeks, the view out the window is actually changing.
As we are making upgrades and changes, I am updating our gear guides. So if you are curious about what or why, you can find it there. If you don't see what you are looking for, let us know!
Nikki Wynn
Jason
