First, some good news. Ken came to Topeka for the 3rd time and completed almost everything electrical. Wires no longer look like spaghetti, modules are neatly installed and working, the boat has working lights and a way to recharge the batteries. YAY Ken!
Bad news: anything electrical not done, might not get done. This includes the solar panel hookup (mostly done but needed a set of cables to be ordered) and the LED cabin lights. I guess we'll have a fishy aroma but romantic lighting at night. 💘
Good news: We launched the boat into water for the first time since paint job and new motor.
Bad news: "We learned a lot," said Sid. We both ended up in the water, and that was just to get it off the trailer. Ultimately, the keel got hung-up. (A keel is a heavy 'fin' on the bottom of the boat which acts as resistance in the water against the wind in the sail.)
Our boat has a swing keel, which means it tucks under the hull (bottom of boat) for travel on the trailer, then can be dropped down into the water to do its work. The boat eventually came off the trailer and we got some time on the new motor.
However, in the midst of puttering around the cove, Sid decided he needed to inspect the keel. I'll spare you the details but it involved securing the boat to a dock so he could swim under and take a look. In order to add some fun, he jumped into the water, which caused the pockets in his shorts to balloon outward. He later realized he had an important key in his pocket. 😲
Putting it back on the trailer was also tough. Sid was in the water, I was in up to my hips. (Did I mention that neither of us was really dressed for swimming?) It took some fancy finagling but we did it! I can say I hope we never have to trailer the boat that way again, particularly in mountain lakes. 🌄
I missed taking photos of a lovely sunset, except for these lingering streaks of color.
No comments:
Post a Comment