Puffin is wintering in our yard. How awesome is that? Why, might you ask, do we want our boat so readily accessible? We can winterize and do the myriad thing necessary to prepare Puffin for our trip in 2017, right here at home instead of carrying tools and supplies back and forth to a boatyard. Additionally, it is less expensive than boatyard storage.
Dean piloted Puffin around the corner to the Niemiec Marine boat ramp and hauled by Brownell Services, Mattapoisett, Ma. Specialized boat movers and sailboat transport services, South Coast Massachusetts. The Brownell people were awesome, Jonathan the hauler, knew and handled everything to do with getting an 18,000 lb. sailboat's masts unstepped and the boat safely to it's destination. We would highly recommend their services including their stands - they manufacture boat stands for all sizes of boats-"Best Boat Stands Ever Made" many distributers worldwide.
Now to our coming out of the water experience.
As we came around the corner to the boat ramp, Jonathan was there with trailer backed into the water waiting. He had told Brownell he'd like to haul our boat as it was an older boat from England with classic design. The boat is a North Seas trawler style sailboat, very sturdy and rugged, with nice lines. Dean motored the boat onto the trailer with the hauler's direction, and was pulled up the ramp to a resting place at Niemiec for unstepping (taking down) the masts. When that was finished, the masts were strapped to each side of the trailer ready for the short journey to place Puffin in our yard.
The driveway was empty, the fence was taken out, and low branches were cut from the trees. Jonathan backed the trailer with boat diagonally into position as close to the side fence as possible while being able to drive the empty trailer straight out of the yard without touching the boat. For us it was a feat, for the hauler, all in an afternoon's work.,
The boat was backed into the yard diagonally, not as close to the side fence as I would have originally liked and actually where it ended is a better position, nestled among the trees before the back deck with masts laid along side on stands.
Now we can get electric to the boat and ladder to reach the side deck to organize during the winter.
Now comes winterizing water tanks, lines, engine, and whatever else is needed.