floating ........................from P

When the travel-lift straps dropped down out of sight into the murky water and I felt her bob up and down freely, I could not restrain throwing a fist in the air and letting out a whoop! Finally - I can bring her home. But first, we had to see if the new diesel would start. Hold the pre-heat button, count to ten..... yes! she fired right up. I had a great single handed motor trip for the 16 or so nautical miles through the harbor, between the bridge-tunnel islands and into the creek. On the way I set the auto pilot and started thinking back over the last few months. So many decisions - so much money. But I also kept seeing mental pictures of the people I met in the yard and thinking how we had come to know each other so quickly. Apparently common suffering and poverty breed friendships. Who knew? There were at least eight skippers I had not seen in a while from my old boat club who got lifted out, took care of business, and splashed in a few days. There were a few good friends and sailing buddies usually around, one of which still has his boat in for repairs and may be there a few more weeks yet. We often spent Friday afternoons standing around the back of a pickup drinking cold ones and swapping stories. There were a couple of seemingly semi-permanent residents of the boatyard including the Frenchman working on his huge steel hulled ketch with rusted-through everythings. He has now hired my friend Fred (see OK Marine Services in my second entry way down below) to re-weld flat iron around the rails and weld panel patches in the hull. He helped me launch Senara too. That's what happens; everyone talks to each other and all of the sudden we are helping out on each other's boat. Or we just hire each others' help. There were a few good guys working for the yard who seemed to take an interest in the customers. I even reconnected with my ex brother-in-law who was doing some intricate carpentry work on another boat in the yard. It was great to see him again. I got used to looking around for the white and gray cat who lives aboard one of the permanently ensconced, possibly abandoned, boats in the back. This cat's ingress and egress required climbing up a ten foot extension ladder propped against the boat, and back down the ladder head first. Quite a sight among many interesting sights. No, I don't want to take Senara back to the yard. I want to go sailing. But I might drive over there next Friday afternoon - you know, just to say "hi."