Blond Ambition, The Sitcom, Episode 5

[Mundaysj]

Hannah is coming, Hannah is coming. 

Fear spread that gale force winds would be reigning down on our harbor.  I was warned that my boat should come out of the water in anticipation of the storm.  Not necessarily because of my tackle, as mine is less than a year old, but because some other boats might not have as sturdy tackle and if they break free ... my poor little boat might get squashed.  So... I asked a friend who is a member of my yacht club to give me a hand. 

We started the day moving his 43ft Mason to the harbor lift.  It took quite a while because he was having problems backing his boat in the shute.  We ended up accidentally "on purpose" spinning it in the middle of the shute ... panicking as it got close to the boats that were docked there.   But by late afternoon it was on the hard and we were off to Blond Ambition. 

It was still a pretty day with the clouds off in the distance, and the wind was blowing pretty nice (20kts), so of course I suggested that we take her for a spin before taking her out.  Whoa ... what a ride.  It was a blast ... we were the only boat in the bay and we had a great time.   Then we dropped sail to bring her back into the harbor and .... The darn motor started acting up AGAIN.  It wouldn't go over a low rev, and we were against the tide,  at one point I thought we might need paddles.  But we managed to get her to the launch ramp about 5PM..... it was just the beginning...

I backed my trailer down the ramp.. which was rather slippery because it was low tide.  Another friend came by to help us.. and he decided that my Jeep had to go lower down the ramp and we better get a truck to help pull me back up the ramp.  So... two more club members came with a truck and they hooked my truck up to theirs... then they were asking me what kind of keel I had... (DON'T LAUGH)..i said it was a full keel... well I knew it was big and it seemed like a full keel ... (the boat is called  Blond Ambition for a reason, after all)... and there was the issue of my rusty winch that didn't have a handle, so we were making do with a wrench ...so.. they had me jump on the boat and stand on the bow to try to get weight to get the full keel on the rollers...then a stranger stopped by to lend a hand.. and the audience which overlooks the ramp was growing.  I'm surprised they weren't handing out popcorn as i seemed to be the best show in town ...  then the strap on the rusty winch broke and they had to jury rig some line to do the trick..  as I stood on the bow of my boat with five men trying to get her out of the water, our launch driver strolled by.  He looked at the crowd, then up at me, then back at the crowd, and then asked me "how many men does it take, Sherie?"  ... I just gave my best blonde shrug ... so... they pulled it out of the water a little and realized it was not a full keel and was not on the rollers properly so it went back in the water...."Sherie , this is called a shoal keel"  "oh, sorry" ...and then they rearranged it and pulled it out again... and it still wasn't quite right ... so back in and out...third time was a charm.  And it was about time... the sun was setting.  Everybody to the clubhouse for drinks!!

And after all that trouble, Hannah was no big deal...figures.

You would think that putting it back in the water would have been easier .. but  oh contrare.. stay tuned for the next edition...LOL

Respectfully submitted,
Sherie

[Bob23]

WONDERFUL!
   You do have a way of writing that makes us feel as if we were there! I believe the emphasis should be on "Ambition" not "Blonde".
   My twin was out of the water for Hannah but many were in. More lines, storm anchor, no problem. Better to err on the side of caution. I've seen wrecked boats and they are not pretty.
   Glad your Jeep didn't slide in!
   Keep writing...looking forward to episode six!
   Bob23, drying out

[curtisv]

Sherie,

If you replace the 2x4 boards on your trailer that guide the keel on with 2x10 and extend them aft a bit you won't have any trouble getting the keel on the rollers the first time.  I had a similar problem getting the keel to go on when trying to retrieve in a side current and that motivated me to try replacing the boards.  I didn't manage to get quite the same audience.

Great story.  Nothing quite like a good sail in 20 knots.  Seems like a great wind speed for a CP23 without too much headsail.  About time to tie in a reef or put the rail in the water.

Curtis

[Bob23]

Sherie:
   When can we expect episode 6? Your fans are waiting!
Bob23