The first Antares Hybrid catamaran, Lonna, splashed earlier this month, so we'll be getting more updates and more photos from the factory in the coming month, but not until the sea trials and commissioning of Lonna are completed. They are testing out the new electric hybrid motors and trialing two different propellers to determine which one will give the best regeneration under sail. The winner of that contest will become the standard on all the upcoming new hybrids, of which ours is next. We are very happy not to have Sorella be the guinea pig, but we are a bit envious of everyone who was there for all the excitement.

We received the following photos of Sorella (sorry some are a bit dark), which is in the process of getting the deck glued onto the hull. Speaking of hull, we just learned that the US Coast Guard considers our catamaran a monohull, since the hull is actually one solid mold, rather than two separate hulls affixed to a top piece. We've just sent in our Application for Initial Documentation from the US Coast Guard, which required a form from the factory with all our boat-build info. The completion schedule from the USCG is estimated to be about two months for this application, so the timing should be perfect.

We've decided to go ahead and put Marlborough, NH as our port of call on the transom (back of the boat). This is not glamorous, nor is it even a city on the coast, but it is where we've made our official permanent residence, and where we will register the boat (which we have heard conflicting information about its necessity when one has USCG documentation). Since New Hampshire doesn't have personal property tax, this could potentially save us a chunk of change, should some state along the coast feel the need to insist our boat needs state registration, which requires paying property tax on the value of the boat.