Editor’s Note: Haulout madness – I’m stuck

Haulout Madness


Oct 27, 2022

When the stories rolled in for this issue, it wasn’t really a surprise that two of our columnists, Ask Andrew and Marc Robic, had haulout and winterizing on their mind. Interesting to note that their advice, in both cases, was really good and well organized. But it was also evident that there is more than one way to do this and undoubtedly, your methodology may differ here and there.

Neither of them addressed my problem (no snickering please) – mud. With the help of a towboat and a lot of tugging, the crew at my self-help club got the boat to the barge and signalled the crane to drop the slings. That’s when the serious trouble started.

We had anticipated that the keel would be buried in the mud, but what we had not foreseen was that it was so shallow that our rudder would also drive a foot into the slime. As a result, the team couldn’t get the lifting strap under the rudder.

No problem, we’ll just put some people on the bow and the rudder will come out. Negative. OK, we will tie the bow to the floating dock and put more people there and that should do it. Ummm no. In the end, the boat had to be pulled backward to deeper water, the crane boomed out and we moved the whole works back closer to shore so we didn’t roll the crane. Was I nervous – not a bit.

The boat is safely ashore, yours may well be as well. We will be with you right through the off season with more boating info, columns and whatever else turns up. See you in a couple of weeks.

 

Photo caption – I couldn’t watch, but I managed to grab this shot on my phone.

John Morris
Online Editor
Canadian Yachting Magazine
CYonboard@kerrwil.com

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Starcraft SV 16 OB

By Craig Ritchie

Photos by Starcraft Marine

Building great boats has always come down to a mix of art and science, and that’s particularly true when it comes to meeting the biggest challenge of all—creating an appealing yet affordable family runabout. Buyers want a boat that is affordable but not stripped to the bare bones.

Enter Starcraft and its delightful SV 16 OB, an all-new-for-2025 family deck boat that elegantly balances comfort, amenities and affordability.

Read More

Destinations

The Erie Canal – An Extraordinary Waterway

By Mark Stevens

Photos by Sharon Matthews-Stevens

As I shift our chartered canal boat into neutral, I’m soothed by the soundtrack of bird calls, the occasional plaintive horn of a distant train and the hum of our engine.

I reach for the VHF to radio the lockmaster in charge of Erie Canal’s Lock 32 dead ahead. Our boat spins gently in the current like a maple key in a mud puddle.

“This is Onondaga,” I say. “Headed westbound and requesting passage.”

Read More

Lifestyle