Plane to Sea Departs, But Not by Sea

Stan, Dave and I helped Don and Jan put Plane to Sea onto their trailer.  On Sunday afternoon we waited until things quieted down at Truxton Park to dock PTS.  Earlier that afternoon, when Don tried to lift the keel, a bolt broke so he was not able to lift it.  The plan was to back the trailer into the water and drive PTS onto the trailer thereby pushing the keel upward so that Don could then lock the keel in the up position.  Due to the slightly lower high tide compared to three months ago when they launched, we had difficulties backing the trailer into the water, so had to nix that plan.  The next day, Don adjusted the trailer and arranged for a lift out at Port Annapolis Marina.  It's truly amazing to watch the process of the travel lift driver jockeying the travel lift into place and moving 20,000 pounds of boat.

Lifting Plane to Sea out of the water

The next trick was to lower the boat enough so that the keel could be raised and bolted in position without putting too much weight on the hull.  It was fun to watch the young guy at the stern do his little dance of directions for the travel lift operator.

Raising the keel

And finally we had to lower the mast.  Don had to unbolt the mast and remove some of the stays (side cables), rig two temporary poles, then attach it to the winch at the front of his trailer. 

Attaching mast via the forestay to winch

Except for one line snapping, which pulled the lowering mast in the direction of the shiny, cherry red sailboat for sale parked just to starboard, it went quite smoothly.  It took the five of us exactly thirty minutes to lower the mast.

Smile, Don!  You've got white duct tape!

The hard part was over.  And we all admire Don.  Every step of the way, whenever there was a glitch, Don would trouble shoot and not give up until he solved the problem.  He is incredibly knowledgeble and skilled with all things mechanical.  We've all learned so much from him and marvel at his capabilities.  Another thing we'd always marveled is the size of Don's truck.  We teased him about his "duelies," but alongside PTS, that truck was dwarfed!

Tres Hombres (note proximity of cherry red boat)

We said our good-byes to Don and Jan and promised to meet again -- the Bahamas or California or Texas -- and left them to finish securing PTS to the trailer. 

The happy (RELIEVED!) couple

Don and Jan are now on their way to the Florida Keys where they will leave PTS, then fly to the Cayman Islands to attend their friends' wedding, then on to Texas to visit family for the holidays.  Right after Christmas, they will return to the Keys and wait for a weather window to depart for the Bahamas on PTS.  Happy trails, Plane to Sea! 

Until we meet again