Posted by lance_ryley (lance_ryley@…>)
This past weekend, my wife and I took “ownership” - actually the bank
is letting us borrow their new boat - of “Glory,” a Freedom 45 center
cockpit. The trip nearly didn’t happen, as there are always last-
minute things to attend to, and an unusually busy stretch at work
brought things close to an end before they began. Additionally, we
had some fuel issues, which fortunately were resolved early on
Saturday afternoon, allowing us to leave Brewer’s Sakonnet North
Yard. Our original intention, since we were getting a late start, was
to go to the beach at the mouth of the Sakonnet and anchor.
This was my first time backing out of a slip. In addition, there are
2 sharp-rights to get out of Brewer’s. Some neighbors gave me some
friendly advice, and with barely any fanfare, we were off. Glory made
it look like I’ve been doing this all my life. As much as I love
Bright Star, there’s no way I could have made the turns with the ease
that Glory did. Safely out of the marina, we made turns for the
Sakonnet and an early dinner.
the problem was that Glory just wanted to motor so darned quick, that
it wasn’t long until we changed our minds and decided to motorsail to
Cuttyhunk so we’d have a better start on Boston the next day. We left
the marina at 5, and at 8:30 we were anchored outside, just in time
to watch fireworks all over the shoreline of Rhode Island and
Massachusetts. I’d like to say I slept like a baby, but I actually
spent a lot of the night getting used to new sounds on the boat. For
safety (new anchor, new process, new…well, everything) I set the
anchor watch on the GPS and fell into fitful sleep.
The next morning we had winds from the West at about 15. We hoisted
the main, raised the anchor, and bore off for the canal. Once we got
the camberspar jib up, the wind piped up to around 18. Of its own
accord, the jib swung out to windward and there we were - wing on
wing, heading for the canal at around 7.5 kts. I think that’s when I
was hooked. We ended up catching and passing several sailboats that
left before us. The canal passage, under power, was mostly
uneventful, and then on the east end we re-raised sails in a beam to
close reach that brought a consistent 7.5 - 8.5 kts straight up to
Boston. It was a real pleasure to be able to take a break from the
helm by turning it over to “Otto.” We saw a Freedom 28 CK just as
they were anchoring, and we were keeping pretty good pace with a
Pearson and another boat.
Just north of Scituate, the wind shifted almost instantly from West
to East, so we donned our foulies and waited. sure enough, as we were
headed toward Minot’s, the wind started blowing the rain sideways,
with gusts over 30 kts. Glory just feathered up into it and kept
driving. I should have put a reef in, but I didn’t, and she didn’t
complain much. The squall blew out in about 10 minutes, and the
visibility went back from 0 to about 7 miles. I could see Boston
Light clearly, and though the wind had dropped a bit and the current
was setting us downwind, we were still making consistently 6.5 - 7
kts. Clearly, the Freedom 45 is an excellent passagemaker. We were
looking at having completed 75 miles in 10 hours, which beats by
about 15 miles anything I ever did in Bright Star, with less fatigue
at the end of the day.
The only blemish on an otherwise perfect trip was that, when the wind
died in Boston Harbor and I started the engine, the
alternator/waterpump belt broke and I didn’t have a spare, so…
Towboat US “escorted” us the last few miles to our slip at
Constitution Marina.
My first impressions of the Freedom 45 are that it is a very solidly
built, well-designed sailor. The decks get pretty wet working into a
chop, and despite having sailed aboard a boat with two freestanding
masts and a huge expanse of deck for the past 3 years, it will be a
while until I figure out how to traverse the 45’s shroudless
expanses. The camberspar, when down, makes anchoring a little more of
a chore, but when up makes a really great sail with very good
characteristics. I wonder how long it will be before I’m used to
seeing the forestay bending to windward. The center cockpit on the 45
seems to be the right height - it protects you from the weather,
without making you feel like you’re towering over the water. The
visibility is excellent. The response to changes in windspeed was
also pretty impressive, although I imagine some long days when the
wind is below about 7. Down below, the layout is very good, although
I still can’t figure out why the chart table doesn’t have a lip.
About this particular Freedom 45 I will just say that Herk and Milly,
besides being excellent people, were obviously excellent sailors and
they have taken great care of Glory. I’m sure that she’s going to be
an excellent home for me and my wife for many many years to come.
Lance
“Glory”
Freedom 45 CC #28
