Haul out

Time to haul the boat out again. We start early, and it is a good thing. The thick mooring lines are frozen solid and we pour pan after pan of hot water on them to free them from the cleats. We motor the boat over by the lift a little bit early so that they were not waiting on us. This extra of time also allows us to see how much current is sweeping under the dock.

The lift operator will drive the Travelift out on the dock and lower the straps into the water, then we will bring the boat into the straps.  I wish I could say that we are old hands at this, and that it is no big deal, but this is the second time we have been to the lift. Ever. And this time we have to back in.

The lift operator stops while the sand truck puts a little more sand out.

My sweetheart is at the helm and I stand on the back deck with a radio to call out distances. We don't get it perfect, but shortly the lift operator snugs the straps up a little and lets us know that he has the boat. He makes adjustments to make sure the boat is balanced correctly, and then lifts us out of the water. He backs the Travelift so that the boat is near the dock and we step off.

It is snowy and icy, but they had plowed the lot earlier and they run a sand truck back and forth for added safety.

Checking the blocks and adding shims.

The boat is positioned and then blocks are put under the keel. The operator lowers the boat till it is close to the blocks and checks how even the distances between the keel and the blocks are. Shims are put onto some of the blocks to make sure that the weight is well distributed.

Thanks Greg!

Stands are put under each side of the hull.

See the guy with the shovel, working really hard to get that stand situated right? That is the harbormaster. Yep, Head Dude In Charge. And he is out here in the snow working along with the lift operator.

Control for Travelift

Here is the control for the Travelift. An eighteen button remote control for a machine that can carry objects that weigh up to 150 tons. Amazing!

There is a list of projects to be done. It is a boat, so there is always work to do. In reality there is the "Need to do Now" list, the "In the Spring" list, the "When we Can" list, and (of course) the "Wish List."

For now, though, we are moving onshore for the next months, and relearning how to live in a house that doesn't move.