Launch day

With much help from Mr Wood yesterday, I managed to get Ciao Bella's mast up and eventually float her off the trailer.

Hooked up and waiting to be strapped down and mast loaded.

With all the pre-ample of loading the mast, filling the fuel tank, fixing the trailer board and dealing with all the other stuff that slows you down out of the way, we made our way down to the slipway at Baiter park.   Raising the mast seemed to be a bit more hassle this year for some reason.  Is the mast heavier or am I just feeling older?  Anyway, the mast was finally up and all shrouds attached. We mounted the engine and attacked the anchor chain, By this time Paul needed to head off  leaving me to push her down the slipway.

As it was neaps the water was a bit thin, I pushed the trailer right to the flags but she still didn't float free.  The high tide still had some time to go I climbed aboard and waited for some movement.  Despite the good weather forecast a particularly nasty shower went over.  Being inside waiting for the tide gave me the opportunity to check the seacocks and ensure the new heads pumped as expected.  Eventually the I could feel some movement so I started the engine and moved her away from the end of the slip and dropped the anchor.  I paddled back to shore in the inflatable to recover the trailer.  No hope there, the wheels had dropped off the end of the slipway and there was no way I could pulled her back on my own.  The rope that I'd attached wasn't long enough to reach the car so after much huffing and puffing I decided to leave it there until the morning and come back with some longer rope.

I motored over to the mooring, a dizzy 1.36NM :)  It did give me the opportunity to try out the Autohelm,  I'm really happy with this as it will make life so much easier, particularly when I  need to move around the boat for things like stowing the anchor chain etc.

Back on the mooring and everything tidied away I paddled back to the sailing club. There was a good crowd there as it was race night.  Good to have a chat and a beer with the guys.  Arjen kindly offered to drive me back to Baiter to pick my car up which saved me about 30 mins walking, thanks Arjen much appreciated.

Swinging on her mooring

Foot note... I got up at 6:30 this morning, grabbed a few bits and headed back to Baiter, stopping at B&Q for 30m of cheap blue poly rope.  The trailer was still there when I got there, I don't suppose any one would wade out in the middle of the night to pinch it.  Even with the extra 30m I still didn't have enough rope but fortunately people were starting to turn up so an extra bit was soon forthcoming. 

The trailer is now back on my front garden waiting for the bearings to be cleaned and re-greased.