Last week was a good one to haul out on the coast of Maine. The schedule was nearly empty as was the harbor so I could pick my time.
Only one public dock was left in the water but that was empty.
Time to do things is a luxury and we had ample of that over the weekend.
The next gale, in-coming, was well forecast and we'd beat it easily.
By the time I had the sails stripped and the spars on the dock, the tide was low. These days I get some help lifting them onto the 'spar truck'. But rather than wrestling them up the 45 degree incline, I left them until morning, and high water, and changed the oil instead.
The next morning, my fit wife and I handed them easily across the dock to the parking lot and truck, now all at the same level. Easy with the time and tides help.
The next gale was a honker! I felt 50 knot gusts rattling the windows in our old house. Her granite moorings are well tested in over 170 years of coastal storms.
It was good to know that the boat was on jack stands down below, as our harbor took the brunt of the South winds.
The last gale, like the few previous, did some damage.
The Hinckley SW 42 below (not my photo) was somewhere around (or in) Bass Harbor to the east.
Meanwhile, I had ample time to remove and paint the old front door now that the season is over. It's nice to have the time, and a good old storm door.