Chapter 18

There was a lot more to hauling my boat than just the haul. The masts had to be pulled and that meant she had to be unrigged and that meant ... remove the sails ... flaked, rolled and bagged ... except ... it was raining ... and they can’t ... or shouldn’t ... be bagged wet. No help for it ... they were hoisted up the drying mast at the marina shop. They’d get a good rinse in the storm. Hang the coiled lines on the safety lines. They have to dry, too.

All the standing rigging needs to stay with the mast. Mark them so they go back where they belong after the debacle. Unbolt the furling. It needs to be inspected ... after the mast is down.

Remove the boom.

Pull the mast.

I had to hire a crane ... the marina jears were too short.

Do it twice ... a schooner has at least two masts.

Why? The schooner was bigger than any of the outside spaces available and there are high tension power lines between the ramp and the vacant lot across the highway.

I had to buy the lot from the motel. As you might have guessed ... it was the middle of November before the boat got moved. We careened her ... tilted her sideways on the mud flats by the east end of the lake. With the starboard side out of the water ... I replaced the busted thru-hull with a new, and very expensive, bronze one.

All in ... replacing the batteries, the wiring, the waterlogged instruments, the repairs to the engines and interior... $167,325 ... and the cost of the lot.

I’d rather not reveal that cost. I’ll sell or develop it in the spring.

Now I know why the former owners abandoned the boat.

Oh ... a buck a foot per week for it to sit by the side of the road looking pretty ... pretty forlorn. There is something about a dismasted hull washed ashore that causes pangs of the heart in the minds of true sailors ... and she did look abandoned.

“If you didn’t own the lot,” David said, “Four bucks a foot per week.”

“But ... I DO own the lot ... why are you charging me to store my boat on MY lot?”

“Insurance ... we have to cross a major highway just to work on her.”

“But NOBODY uses US 31 in the winter.”

“Tell that to the insurance company.” He said. “They won’t care. The law requires insurance on the boat even if it’s not in the water.”

“Junior!”