My Hybrid cormorant got her bottom wet April 9th, just over three and a half months after cutting the first scarf for the hull panels. No photos of the first trip on Ullswater, as it was a solo paddle, but I managed to persuade a friend to stay ashore and take a few of our weekend trip to Lake Bala - many thanks to Sue Sharman for the pic below and others on the website.

The name does not seem to roll easily off the english tongue, leading to a nickname, that I hope will only be temporary, of "Buggrit, Millennium hand and shrimp". "Piqqalujamik takujumavunga" is West Greenlandic, and means "I want to see an iceberg", which seems an appropriate sentiment for this style of boat, although at times this weekend on Lake Bala, it felt as though the wish might be fulfilled at any moment :-)

There is a brief assessment of how she feels to paddle on my website, but I need to take her out on the sea in a variety of conditions before I come to any definite conclusions. I am off for a four-day trip over Easter, but this seems a bit too committing to do in a boat I have only just launched, have little experience with, and which is not yet properly finished, so reluctantly I will be going in my all-fibreglass Northshore boat this time.

Andy