Cruise Log #38, End of an Era
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Updated November 12th
Moving SolMate to Dry Storage
SolMate's 5-mile sea route from Marina Real to Marina San Carlos under
her own steam,
and her 1-mile overland route to Marina Seca on a trailer.
The guys in tan were getting nervous, checking their watches and making radio calls. Stan
and SolMate were in a holding pattern outside of Marina San Carlos. John, Linda (Nakia) and I
waited on the ramp, watching the (in)action.
SolMate's haulout was scheduled for 9AM, just after high tide so that the trailer would have
enough maneuvering room to squinch underneath her 30,000 pounds without scraping her lovely butt
on the bottom. Two other boats were scheduled before her, one to launch, one to haul. As Stan
chugged into San Carlos Bay, the owner of the first boat decided that the new bottom paint wasn't
quite right. I called Stan on the radio and let him know there would be a delay.
While SolMate hung out in the mooring field just outside the marina entrance, patiently biding
her time, Paloma Blanca received her touch up paint and was launched and tied to the dock. Her
owner THEN wandered off to the office to arrange a slip, oblivious of the turning tide. In the
meantime, those wonderful men in tan, the Marina Seca team, were frantically calling boat number
two, which was nowhere to be found. Finally, Paloma Blanca vacated the launch-ramp dock. After
checking watches and tide tables one more time, the crew said, "Forget about boat #2, let's get
SolMate out of the water before the tide drops any lower." One quick radio call to Stan, and in
he came.
Stan and SolMate headin' down the backstretch.
Stan handing over the reins to the Marina Seca team.
Besides a huge crew of pros, who took over all aspects of the haulout as soon as SolMate snuggled up to the dock, Marina Seca owns two battery-operated, self-contained, remote-controlled trailers. A huge land tug hooks up with a trailer hitch off the front to maneuver on land. At the launch ramp, the hitch is disconnected and the trailer is backed into the water via one big cable. Once the trailer is positioned underneath the boat, the trailer operator takes command with his little remote-control box and positions the pads that will secure her to the trailer.
The magic trailer backing in to pick up SolMate.
Minor adjustments of support pads on the submerged trailer.
Another one of the men in tan.
Slack cable while the
trailer pads underneath are adjusted by remote control.
Winding up the cable and SolMate rising
out of the water as the trailer is pulled up the ramp.
Delivery to her spot in Marina Seca.
The rest of a very
professional crew who operated the trailer, then
blocked, braced,
and chained SolMate's stands on land.
Two more days of work and SolMate was ready for an extended stay on the hard. To keep bugs and dirt out, Stan shrink-wrapped the windlass, poked sponges into through hulls and generally made the boat bug tight. There's no electrical hook-up in the yard, so to keep air circulating, a couple battery-powered fans were left running, with the solar panels providing the charge. We'll be visiting regularly to ensure all is well and that she's in show-room condition. The next time SolMate touches water she'll be in the hands of a new owner....snif.
