Living on your boat presents special problems, but with grown children and parents not living very far away it was a good time for me to move in with them for a couple of days. One of the problems with moving on to this 65' foot boat, is that it does take two to maneuver her around. To let her lines go from the dock and to give the captain encouragement. As our first haul out looms, the ease of escaping disappears. I am needed. Days before the big event we have begged, pleaded and asked all our friends to come out and give us a hand. This
might be a good place to explain that the ways that we are booked on are familiar to us. We have been hauling out our other boat at this place for years. We have a lot of faith in the owner. The problem being is that one must travel between two marinas with expensive boats protruding out just a little father than the docks. The space between the two marinas must be 100 feet.(the reason I know this, is our boat is 65'long and with the davits it reaches around 75'long and there is no room for us to turn around once we start down towards the ways) The corridor is approx.1000 feet long to the ways. Just before one reaches the ways there is a little dog leg in the approach. The process of reaching the ways is very intimidating. Hence the call for support from neighbors, friends and just about anybody else we could find. The high tide of this day is at 1.30 in the morning. So rousing our helpers at that time was miraculous. I am still amazed at the army of people who came to help or even watch at that ungodly hour. The day of the haul ~ 35 ~ out we visited all the boats of the two marinas and asked that they perhaps nudge their boats into their dock spaces as much as they could. For the boats that had absentee owners we received permission from the two marinas to tighten up their lines, as long as we released them when we where finished. Everyone one was very helpful and wonderful. Kudos to all those people who showed up at 1.30 in the morning to help.
We released the lines from our buoy and proceeded toward the ways. We had several helpers onboard as we made ourway towards the ways. We arrived a little early and idled outside the marina for awhile. It was such a relief to hear and see our army of helpers with their
boat poles standing at the end of most of the fingers of the docks on either side of the channel... Were they there to help us or protect their own boats? At this particular time to tell the truth I could have cared less what their reason, but I did assure them that there would be plenty of refreshments on board after we had gotten the boat up on the ways. As 1:30 approached we bolster our selves and lined up the Atrevida and started the passage of rights. The gods of the night were helping us, the slight wind that played havoc all day suddenly died, although the moon didn't make her appearance the night was not dark. The currents were slack, if there ever was a time to do this it was now. Engaging the engine into forward, we started down that long and lonely channel. All was going well. Crawling at a snails pace, everything seemed to be going well. Our army of friends all shouting encouragement. As we neared the ways we could see we needed to maneuver the boat to the port, but going at this speed we did not have any power. A quick reverse maneuver to head off the inevitable. The 90 ton vessel is not responding. She wants to go to starboard. We are now only 40 feet or so from the safety of the ways but it might as well be a mile. I have visions of slamming into several boats that are dead ahead. Suddenly I could feel Atrevida lumber to ~ 36 ~ the port but it was not soon enough. The boats dead behind are now in serious trouble. Does this sound like bumper cars. Well once again the gods from somewhere came through.
Mike, a friend, who owns a small tug appears out of the night like magic and places his boat between us and the onslaught of destined bumper boats.With his tug he pushes our front end around and lines it up with the ways. A small burst of forward speed and Atrevida slips on to the ways and rests ever so gently as we tie up the side of her to the pilings. A near disaster averted. A cheer goes up from our army.Yes we are relived, grateful and all those other things that pass for emotions at a time like this.
The owner of the ways put his huge wench into action and started the ways on an upward motion and the process of pulling the Atrevida out of the water starts. Moments later the owner shuts the wench down and walks down the ramp with a troubled look on his face. The Atrevida is not sitting quite right on the traveler. she is listing to the port side. This presents the problem of her not sitting right on her keel. So back we go into the water and the question of how to make her sit properly is now under hot discussion. The solution it seems is to put some weight on the starboard side so when she is hauled up she will sit properly on her keel. The solution is to bring our army of helpers onboard and have them stand on the starboard side of the boat. Mike and his trusty vessel comes once more to our aid and transfers our army of helpers on board. Once the transfer is done the huge wench comes to life and pulls the Atrevida once more out of the water. The site of a 65' foot ex BC Ferry being pulling out of the water is something one has to see to believe. 3:30 finds us sitting at a rather strange angle dispersing refreshment to all. With our boat sitting high and dry, and a ~ 37 ~ somewhat relived captain, we can now watch as the workers of the marina will be power washing and painting and replacing zinc's. Our work is over for the time being, that is until the reverse procedure of going back in happens.....
As is turns out, after our boat was washed , painted and checked over, the procedure of going back into the water was not as hair-raising as the coming out. With Mike and his trusty tug, we put a bridle on the back and he pulled us out into open water and we steamed back to our buoy with out further incident. The haul out completed. I think I will disappear the next time and reappear when it is all over. I just am not made to handle these stressful incidents...... I truly think this is a man- thing, as they seem to be able to handle these things with a lot more calm.
Do I sound like am I whimping out..... you bet
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