"Dear Francois,
I am very glad to inform you that our 4 years building project of Ebihen 16 have been recently completed!
If you remember some 3 years ago we had the first hull ready for 70%, but it was destroyed by fire, together with whole workshop, and you was so kind to send me the new set of drawings just for free! Once again, thank you very much for that.
We have not gave up and it took us 3 years to build the new boat. We launched her on 23 of September (just before our local yacht season ends) and named her OLVIA what is mean something like a “happy girl” from old Greek, in honor of my wife Olga. Also that is the name of antiquity Greece colony situated not far from my place founded on same 3 000 years B.C.
So, 3 years. Our kids almost grown up. But they were so happy to take a part in building and then sailing!
It was a good school of craftsmanship and patience for all of us, for my family and my friend Yuriy who helped me a lot.
A long time ago, I started to think about this letter. What I would write you eventually about launching. And now I have lost all my good prepared thoughts! I think you know the emotions when you see your nice boat build by yourself, every single piece of it and you love it so much and finally see her afloat!...It was just amazing. How nice her proportions, how she dip exactly to calculated waterline, how easily and graceful she move, how beautiful she is, how she attracts the looks similar to nice woman, how she spreads here wings and how nicely she flys.
At the moment she is the only gaffer exist in my place.
We had trials for 2 days for 2 hours each, in light wind first and then in force 3-4. She have shown VERY good performance especially in the breeze! And that was in condition when sails were not properly adjusted as jib halyard had been twisted over forestay (I noticed it only on photos). On second day I had an experienced yacht master with me who is may be the only one local professional in classic boat. He said he had not even expect such good up-windward performance of a gaffer!....
Dear Francois! On behave of my family, friends who were engaged and from all our local classic yachts admirers, thank you very much for such a nice and beautiful creation!"
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