Adventuress Haul Out

By Zach Simonson-Bond

Yesterday, started out with bright stars and a crescent moon as I rode my bicycle to the Boat Haven shipyard.  I was excited to see Adventuress hauled-out again so I rode fast.  As I arrived, I was wished good-morning by a smiling crew; it was obvious their excitement matched my own.  Adventuress was scheduled to haul out at 8:00 a.m. and there was plenty of prep work to do.

We quickly finished the pre-haul out chores: warm up Jefe (our small boat), get rid of extra docklines, do the engine checks, and so on.  The heavy haul-out lift--a beast and beauty of mechanical prowess--honked across the harbor signaling they were ready.  The sun had just come from behind the mountains as Captain Korie backed Adventuress into the lift.

Adventuress
     Slowly
          Left
               the Water

It's very difficult to describe how odd it is to have Adventuress suspended in mid air.  Obviously, having 98 tons swaying gently in the lift straps is mind boggling: you can walk beneath her, clearly see her lines, touch her keel, and admire.  For me, having sailed on her so frequently, her transition to land is a little jarring.  It's hard to accept that this lively ocean entity will rest land-locked for 4 months of restoration.

After Adventuress was entirely over land, we paused for cleaning.  We had a bet with the Port that we could wash the grime from Adventuress' hull in a half-hour.  Donned in foul-weather gear, eye protection, and fueled by the challenge, the crew sprang to the pressure washers and methodically blasted the hull clean.  Thirty minutes later, Adventuress was clean but the crew was FILTHY!

The heavy-haul out slowly wheeled Adventuress to her place "on the hard," just beside Haven Boatworks.  It's been great to see familiar faces again: Blaise, Leland, Brad, Joe, Antonio and all the other shipwrights.  I admire these folks for the quality of their craftsmanship, but also the quality of their character.

The rest of the day we took care of necessary things:

• We deflated Jefe and stowed it for the winter
• Emptied the grey-water
• Set up the winter grey-water system
• Dried docklines
• And little things here and there

The shipwrights began setting up the scaffolding for the major projects that lie ahead: the starboard bow restoration and the counter stern restoration.  I'll explain that more later, but if you absolutely need details, you can visit our website: http://www.soundexp.org/index.php?page=centennial-restoration-project

Today begins Adventuress' biggest winter project while under Sound Experience's care.