To Launch Or Not To Launch

We have been working on getting friends' boats launched the past couple of days. Sailboats are always a bit of a challenge at the marina. Colin's Red Boat needed to have its mast installed after launching, with the help of the forklift.

Even Randy the manatee was hanging out watching all the activity. 

Then Milton's Capri Sunrise was launched and taken over to the dock. It looks so precarious...

Dave has been in charge of getting both this boat and Milton's Edgewater power boat set for winter fun. Today we went to Man-O-War to put the name and registration numbers on Plover, which is hauled out on the railway, having its bottom anti-foul painted at Edwin's Boatyard.

Not ready to sail is the Abaco Rage. Although the boat itself spent the summer on a mooring in Hope Town Harbor, the mast and boom have been on the ground in the boatyard. Dave went to check the mast for any rot and after tapping around he found a nasty rotten spot where the upper rigging chain plates attach to the mast. He started digging around and found this huge spot with ants running for their lives.

He has it all marked as to where the chain plates go, then chainsawing the area back to good wood and trimming it back to square it off.

 

Dave was given this beautiful piece of wood to epoxy and sister in. It should work well because the growth lines are so close together, making it very strong and (hopefully!) able to withstand rigorous sailing conditions with the rigging attached to the chain plates.

Stay tuned for more reports of how that project progresses!