Jack London shakedown

The last of the shakedown days, run out of Jack London Square. Every sail hoisted, every system cycled, the ground tackle laid out and checked twice. This was the shopping list made real: the short passages that tell you whether a boat is ready to leave home for good.

I sailed her light, then loaded, to feel the difference in the helm. She held. The list got shorter each afternoon until there was nothing left to do but wait for a weather window and go.