John,

Attached are a few photos of my Pathfinder “Spartina” from a trip to Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We took her down there for the annual family vacation. The house we rent has a dock on a canal leading out on to Pamlico Sound, so it is perfect for boating. There is not a lot of sailing done down there as the water is very skinny, much of the sound in that area is four or five feet deep. But the Pathfinder, and I’m sure many of your other designs, are perfect for that kind of water.

I sailed about four or five hours every day. I was usually out on the water at dawn, raising sails for a two hour sail before anybody else was even awake. In the afternoons I was out on the sound again as the wife and daughters walked in to the village for shopping and ice cream. And then after dinner we would all head out for a family evening sail and maybe even anchor for a swim.

Sailing highlights for the trip included a sail in a nice little squall, perfectly under control with mizzen and jib only. I also spent a morning tacking up a long, narrow channel to a sandy little island, sailing in to both the wind and the current. We made very nice headway against both. Winds for most of the week were in the 10 to 12 mph, sometimes a little less, and just one afternoon of whitecaps in a stiff breeze. The boat handled all the conditions very well.

My daughters made a game of guessing how many compliments the boat would draw during the week – they quit counting somewhere after 40.

I’ve made improvements in tension the rig, but still a little more improvement needed in that area. I’ve also got a list of jobs – slight modifications and finishing touches – to keep me busy this winter. I will also be looking in to boom tent construction.

I just can’t tell you how happy I am with the boat, thanks for an excellent design.

Steve