The never-ending project to fill my hole in the ocean while bailing it out

Sailing Season '08 Officially Begins
Launching Chip Ahoy
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Description

What's raising the mast without the inevitable snag?  Toby got it cleared and we were back in business.

Toby and I preparing to take the pressure off Wally with the forestay to get the mast all the way raised . . .

And up it goes.

Toby tied off a halyard while I wrestled with pinning the forestay beneath the furler drum.

The mast raising crew for 2008:  Wally, me, and Toby.

Wally with "official photographer" Barbara, the fourth crew member without whom none of these photos would exist!

Toby bicycled back to work; Wally and I rigged the mast and installed the new boomkicker.  (Thank you again, Russ!)

After Wally left in the late afternoon, I kept plugging away until early evening at finishing up more pre-launch preparations.  I've still got a few more to get done -- like finding those missing mast gates and getting them on -- before Wally arrives in the morning to back Chip Ahoy down the ramp and into the harbor.  (Jun. 2, 2008)

I got down to the parking lot and Chip Ahoy early this morning, three hours before high tide.  I hoisted the new radar reflector, tuned the rigging with the Loos gauge, and installed the mast gates (after finally finding them stashed in my seabag).  The boat was ready to launch when Wally and I met back at my house so he could leave his truck parked there and bring back my Blazer and the trailer.  Barbara came with us to again serve as the day's "official event photographer."

We hit the tide perfectly, a few minutes before dead-on high at 11:40.  With the trailer hitched to the Blazer and me onboard, we were ready to go.

While Wally removed and secured the the stepladder for the short drive back to my house, I finished refastening the sail cover from my morning's work on the mast. 

One last look around to insure that everything was shipshape, all systems were go.