A peaceful haul-out

Sunday was haul-out day at Raritan Yacht Club. Sadly it signals the end of the sailing season and the beginning of the "got-to-go-work-on-the-bloody-boat" season. As ever it's a jolly affair where 30 or so members gather, a very large crane is rented for the day and 20-25 sailboats are hauled up and put on stands for the winter. Unlike last year it was pretty uneventful. No brides went swimming. The 30 experts were pretty subdued. I didn't get barked at once. The trick this year was not actually hauling my boat out. This year, I am having the boat towed over to a boatyard where I will pay a bit more but can have someone who actually knows what they are doing (i.e. not me) work on the @#!%&$ing outboard. Not only does the ignition need replacing (OK I could do this) but I need to replace the bracket which is at the end of its life. Not something I want to bugger up. I am determined to have a working outboard for more than 2 weeks next year, although Alice and I have become pretty good at sailing on and off the mooring.