Swelling Up

Our Abaco Dinghy Dandy was put in the water today. First though, the forklift that launches the boats had to be fixed due to a flat tire. It is quite a challenge to repair something this big here in the islands, and certainly it can't be done in Hope Town. The wheel was removed and brought by boat over to Marsh Harbour, where a truck repair shop supposedly got it fixed (it ended up having a big slice in the side).  They put down carboard to keep the tire from making marks on our nice new dock.

After the wheel was installed, we grabbed Brandon and Charles to get Dandy launched before they completed their backlog of work from the forklift being out of commission. One of the advantages of living in the boatyard! Brandon easily lifted Dandy off the trailer...

Then carefully Dave and Charles laid the boat over on its side and it was brought over to the 'well' to be lowered into the water...

I ran and got our skiff, picked up Dave and Dandy, and we brought it over to its high visibility slip out front of the marina for the remainder of the season. Tomorrow we will put the mast and boom on.

This year though, the boat has been taking on a lot of water, more than in previous years. That means it has been out of the water too long and the wood needs to swell up. Dave is leaving a little bit of water in it to help that process. Hopefully in the next couple of days, the wood will swell and the seams will seal up. Then she will be ready to sail around the harbor again.

Oh, and the forklift tire repair? Tonight Dave walked out in the boatyard and the tire was flat again. Good thing all our boats are in the water now, since they will have to repeat the process or wait for their newly ordered tire to arrive. That's life in the islands!