The dock was being prepared for us to arrive by our contractor and friend Chris. He fastened 2x6s to the dock and put four extending down into the water. This part of Lake Washington gets pretty heavy wake and wave action, so making sure that the boat doesn't wind up rolled under the dock is important. The deck of the boat is about even with the level of the dock. Rubber cushioning material was fastened to the wood to lessen the impact of the boat hitting the dock.
We attempted to get Fantasia in the water, so that we could get her down to our new moorage. We failed. We were down at the boat launch preparing the boat for sailing. As we were preparing to raise the mast, Greg let go of the gin pole for a moment. The gin pole was made of a 2x4, and had already started to split along where we cut a recess for the mast. Even though the jib halyard and the winch line were supporting it, it split entirely. We decided to quit for the day and build a better gin pole out of a 2x6.
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| Trailer light |
Earlier in the day, while hooking up the trailer, we realized that the left turn signal wasn't working. It was working the last time we tried. After some investigation, we found that the seal around the light fixture had failed and when we launched the boat the last time that the bulb had shattered in the water. We have since learned that it is a good idea to unplug the lights while actively launching the boat.
We got a new light bulb and some silicone sealant from O'Reilly Auto Parts. We placed silicone sealant on top of the rubber gasket on the plastic surround for the light bulb. This should keep out the water. The light now works.
