April 17-18, 2023 - Back in the water!

Monday was splash day.  I had a few last-minute projects to wrap up, so got busy first thing.  The first item was to double-check the knot meter.  It is hard to tell if it is positioned correctly, but it looked good, so we'll see.  I cleaned up the deck and got all the lines ready and put the fenders over the side.  I also marked the correct place for the slings so the lift operator will see where to place them for the lift.

There was another boat ahead of me, so I made some breakfast and took a walk.  I also recruited my neighbor Shannon to give me a hand on the boat.  She will help toss lines or fend us off anything the wind might blow us into.  Our turn came about 11:30.  They picked up the boat and as they begin lowering it into the water, they pause so we can climb aboard.  Once in the water, I check all the thru-hulls for leaks, especially the knot meter.  All good!  I fired up the engine and let it warm up a bit, then off we went.

Pierless in slings about to be launched.

We motored back to my slip and nosed into the dock.  All went smoothly and we tied Pierless back up.

I spent the rest of the afternoon going through lockers updating inventory and getting rid of things I don't need.  I  also washed down the deck to get rid of the boatyard dust.  Being back in the water is nice.  Less dirt, no ladder, cooler and the fridge can be turned back on!

I also set up my deck tarp.  This really helps keep the boat cooler.  It is a bit of a pain to walk under, but it is worth it to keep the cabin at a reasonable temperature.

My lovely grey tarp - so worth it in the sunshine!

I finished working on the engine cover latches as well.  I did most of the epoxy and wood work earlier.  The final task was polishing up the old bronze and attaching the latches.  The polishing took much longer than I expected.  I'm not sure they were ever cleaned.  Anyway, it all worked out fine and they look much better.  Now the engine cover is well secured.




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