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

Sailing Season '09 Officially Begins
Launching Chip Ahoy
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Description

As luck will have it, or timing, just as we were about to launch another boat arrived to launch on the Friday afternoon tide too. Wally back Chip Ahoy into Marblehead Harbor right on schedule, under a gray sky with occasional light showers.  The motor kicked over and started right up, hallelujah!  We were going to get wet bringing the boat around to its mooring, but Chip Ahoy was back on the water at last.  (Jun. 26 2009)

Ah, I can feel us floating . . .

Michael seems prepared -- hey, that jacket looks good on him, fits better than on me though still seems large even for him . . .

The moment!  Chip Ahoy is on its own, back in its element.

And we're on our way, while Wally pulls the trailer out on his way to bringing it back to my house. What a team!

What happened to that rain? Those thunderstorm warnings? They never happened! As we motored through Marblehead Harbor the sun began to break through the cloud cover -- and stayed out for the rest of our trip around the peninsula to Chip Ahoy's mooring on the other side in Salem Harbor. Off came the foul weather jacket -- it was summer at last!

The sun was out, the temperature in the low-80s, what a nice start if unexpected. Maybe an omen?

The sun didn't phase Michael -- he seemed to like that foul weather jacket so much that I gave it to him! It fits him better than it'll ever fit me, it might as well get some use.

On our way through Salem Harbor to the mooring we swung by where John Graichen moors Malacass, off the town cemetary. He was planning to launch today as well, from Winter Island across the harbor, and sure enough there she was. Nice job, John; it looks great!

Coming into the home stretch. We picked up the mooring --which was waiting this year -- tied up, closed up, grabbed the launch service, and headed in to the Village Street dock. Barbara picked us up there, drove us up the hill to the house, and the mission was accomplished.  (Jun. 26, 2009)

Today I took the launch out to Chip Ahoy -- it was great seeing it out there, bobbing, swinging, beckoning, at home again at last.  The way life is supposed to be!  (Jun. 27, 2009)

Though it'd rained overnight, the weather was still great come morning -- sunny, in the low-80s, wind from the NE at 10-15 mph. Oh man, I was sorely tempted to just cast off -- but first I wanted to do another check of everything. Good that I did. I discovered the portside upper shroud -- somehow -- hadn't been pinned. It's more difficult doing that from aboard than from a ladder alongside; I ended up just using cotter pins instead of rings. I did a few more tweaks, cleaned the new filth off the deck and cockpit (where's it all come from while just readying to launch?), and stifled my impatience, called it a day.

The new shinguard didn't last very long, apparently a casualty of yesterday's launching. Of course this is exactly the spot the usually catches my shin. I'll replace the foam gasket material the next time I'm aboard. It appears to have done its job though, saved someone's shin from a lot of pain!  More likely, something caught it while being dragged out of the cabin -- sail bags maybe. Tomorrow Chip Ahoy and I sail!  (Jun. 27, 2009)