We've scheduled to splash Raconteur from Branford Landing Marina the week after next. It will take two days because the high tide is at 1030 so by the time we are in the water it will be much too late to make it through the heavily silted inlet at Guilford Yacht Club were we keep her in summer. We will splash on the 20th, overnight on the river or maybe in the Thimbles, and then head to GYC on the 21st.
This is her at Branford Landing in November, with cover installed:
We had kept her nearby at a different marina last summer but it took way too long to get the engine replacement project done and we didn't splash until sometime in late July! Branford Landing is a little bit more of a "bring your own" (contractors) kind of yard, so we'll see if it turns out to work better for us.
Float plans are - floating? Susan is doing less labor-intensive gardening this year, in theory - at least, no tomatoes this season, which is a full time job - but we do seem to have a few things scheduled: Third Flight haul out in June; Reese and Kayla (niece and BFF) visit to Guilford in July, followed by Leigh's 50th high school reunion; ten days in the Galapagos in early August. We'd like to get to the Maine coast this season, even if just to the southernmost bays (Kennebunkport maybe?), so that will likely have to wait for mid-August to mid-September (ahead of BRRRRR season).
Between the Europe trip and some less than cooperative weather we didn't get much more Third Flight time after the excursion to the Jupiter area in March. I don't remember if I posted this after we got back from that trip: Many Small Bags!
We will haul out for the 4th? year to Banyan Bay, south of us and west on the Dania Cutoff Canal. They have been great to deal with; we basically give them a list of projects and they do estimates and bring the contractors. We're lucky to find a yard that still wants to deal with small boats in South Florida.
Still no game plan to bring boat #3 back into use - Baladin (the 19' daysailer) is at Susan's sister's farm in Bowie.
Sad news from Grenada today: Patrick "Shademan" the taxi driver and guide and cruiser support go-to from our time there, has died. I had some inkling that his health wasn't great. He wasn't that old...he was a memorable character, and he will be missed. I'm trying to find a photo.
