08/27/2018. Today, I had one objective. Drop and Pick-up Cricket…Solo. While I would have liked to take a 1st quick sail, the tides were not very cooperative.
At Mobile Yacht Club, the hoist area can have a lot of water due to tides. So, I decided to wait until the tide started to recede before proceeding with the solo launch. This delay would have me going past sunset, but I was determined to get this done and get it behind me.
My first solo attempt could not have been smoother.
The Stewart Marine bridle is heavy-duty, giving you confidence the boat is secure during the hoisting process. Picking up the boat was smooth, the hoist swung around to the water…Solo Drop complete.
Since I was timing the procedure, I removed the hook from the hoist and removed the bridle. This would allow me the experience of attaching the bridle from the water and re-hooking the hoist.
Now that Cricket was in the water, I thought this would be a good time to start the new Honda 2.3 outboard motor. Three pulls and it cranked. No surprise there…it’s a Honda.
Just as I was getting ready to reverse the process, I just happened to look toward the west…another beautiful sunset. So, I took a few minutes to enjoy a little of God’s handiwork.
The pick-up went a smoothly as the drop. Cricket was easy to line up and secure to the trailer.
My friend, Captain Doug, thinks all of this practice is a waste of valuable sailing time. But, then again, he has done this drill hundreds of times during his life and to him, it’s second nature.
But with my aviation background, I just consider this as some extra Sim-Time. I bet he will really get a kick out of my Drop and Pick-up checklist…laminated and color coded.
pb