Bob Trygg and I had been corresponding for a little while, and he wanted a daysailer with a cabin for outings on Lake Superior from his home in Duluth, Minnesota. But he wanted a cabin big enough for a head, space for two to be comfortable in, a “real “ cockpit and a rig that was easy to tend without jib sheets and stays. We agreed on one of my “Tread Lightly” designs, to be built with a short cabin and an altered cockpit that was better suited to stiff knees and backs. The boat was short enough to fit his lovely little workshop, and roomy enough for all the other requirements, so he got to work. I had the occasional question over the next 12 months or so, and was very glad to receive a CD of photos shortly after he launched “Gizmo”. He’s made a wonderful job of her, and although quite different from the original layout which sleeps one in the little cabin and has the skipper a lot more sheltered in a low seat cockpit she looks a real treat. May she see many summers on the greatest of the Great Lakes. John Welsford. Bob Trygg sent this note to John. John: Thanks for asking about our sailing. We have got to sail "Gizmo" quite a bit and have only good things to report. The sailing ability is I think better than I expected. With two people ( my wife and I ) aboard she is a bit tender if we do not coordinate our moves, but with us both on the windward side we can sail in some pretty strong wind conditions with very good performance. So far we have not used the jiffy reefing much, but it is always available for those blustery conditions. The sailing season is over for us here, but we have hopes that after the first of the year we will be taking a trip to Florida for a month or so and hope to give it a go in that area. We'll let you know how that goes and may be able to send you a few pictures from the trip. Thanks again for the wonderful design. I know that I said this would be one last boat to build for me, but now you have me interested with "Gimli". I will be awaiting the details. Bob Trygg Duluth Minnesota |
