It took me a while to get around to it, but I finally decided to remove that tapered block of lead sitting on it's side in my bilge, the one with the small rusted eye bolt on it's side. All this time I thought it was securely glassed or epoxied to the bilge floor, but hel no it was just sitting there up against that rusty eye that goes who knows where. I just goosed it around with a crowbar till I could latch onto it with the main halyard and winch it out and onto the pier. I did not risk the rusty eye but rigged a line around it securely. Anyway I got about four hernias humping that lump down the dock and up to my truck. Good thing my bride was there to help me. And no wonder it never moved in the bilge - that little block must be 200 lbs. if it's an ounce.

To celebrate, we took the boat out under motor, and just like Bill predicted, removing that block livened up our baby noticably, and we found it very sensitive to weight shifts fore and aft, and probably to rail meat as well. We are racing the Adele M like madmen this season, and we are currently in second place in the Wednesday night series, Division B, which has raised more than a few eyebrows around the clubhouse. They are calling our boat a 41 year old strumpet. Imagine. Tomorrow we race again, and will see how the leadless hull performs.

ps: Thanks Bill for the racing tips. Ariels--OOH-Rah!