..afloat!!!!!!!!
The plan was for me to tow her across the road from the sailing club and launch from the slipway I used last time [click here] - I need to do this as the sailing club slipway is on the opposite side of a low bridge to my mooring, so if I didn't tow it up the road I'd be looking at a long trip, to sail her all the way round Hayling Island to get her to the mooring. All in all, a 50 yard tow up the main road (with the mast up!) is far less hassle, though nerve wracking none the less - the trailer is old, and I have constant visions of it losing a wheel and "Papillon" lying on her side in the middle of the road.... 
No such worries this time, and before you know it I was on the slipway waiting for the tide to come in... the tea flask was deployed and following a couple of cups of tea all was looking well with the trailer wheels already submerged... the only problem being that this was within 30 minutes of high water and we still needed a lot more to get her off the the trailer! The problem of course was that the tides were neaps - not big at all - happily though, with a bit of shoving, and using an oar as a makeshift leaver, we got her off the trailer and into the water.... it's never easy getting her on or off the trailer!!
All went well and the lessons learned last time were deployed in full, all in all a much less fraught occasion. I was on the mooring by 9, tidied up, then into the tender and back to shore and at work by 9:45... no time off required!
The good news is that the oars I recently bought as an upgrade for the tenders power plant (me!) worked well - both is the propulsion mode they were desgined for, and as an ad hoc way of getting the boat off the trailer!!
Thoughts now turn to the first sail.....
The plan was for me to tow her across the road from the sailing club and launch from the slipway I used last time [click here] - I need to do this as the sailing club slipway is on the opposite side of a low bridge to my mooring, so if I didn't tow it up the road I'd be looking at a long trip, to sail her all the way round Hayling Island to get her to the mooring. All in all, a 50 yard tow up the main road (with the mast up!) is far less hassle, though nerve wracking none the less - the trailer is old, and I have constant visions of it losing a wheel and "Papillon" lying on her side in the middle of the road.... 
No such worries this time, and before you know it I was on the slipway waiting for the tide to come in... the tea flask was deployed and following a couple of cups of tea all was looking well with the trailer wheels already submerged... the only problem being that this was within 30 minutes of high water and we still needed a lot more to get her off the the trailer! The problem of course was that the tides were neaps - not big at all - happily though, with a bit of shoving, and using an oar as a makeshift leaver, we got her off the trailer and into the water.... it's never easy getting her on or off the trailer!!
All went well and the lessons learned last time were deployed in full, all in all a much less fraught occasion. I was on the mooring by 9, tidied up, then into the tender and back to shore and at work by 9:45... no time off required!The good news is that the oars I recently bought as an upgrade for the tenders power plant (me!) worked well - both is the propulsion mode they were desgined for, and as an ad hoc way of getting the boat off the trailer!!
Thoughts now turn to the first sail.....
I wish her smooth sailing on this next first sail.
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