THE RUSTLER ARRIVES

After three years of construction, Will Brocklebank takes delivery of only the second Rustler 41 ever built...

- Will Brocklebank

Tuesday had been pencilled in for the launch, but a biblical deluge turned Penryn into a blue-grey waterfall and revealed a small leak in the sealant around one of the saloon windows. My solace was the thought that if there's got to be a leak it's a hell of a lot better above the waterline! The Rustler team duly stood in the downpour recaulking, with plastic sheeting tenting the area, and by Wednesday morning, the sky was scrubbed clean and the leak was banished.

THE BIG LAUNCH

As I watched them gently lower Ennor into the water, the mechanical lead threaded himself through the engine room, zapping everything with his IR thermometer. The electrical engineer was equally busy, zigzagging through the forest of CZone modules and Mastervolt components she had installed. We slipped out into the Fal with barely a ripple and when I brought the throttles up, she ran sweetly on her twin 370s, planing by 15 knots and settling into a 22.5-knot cruise until the port engine died. Apparently, a loose bag strap had caught a fuel shutoff! Tap open, line bled, dignity mostly intact, and we were back on song inside five minutes.