The Boat Arrived Safely

Abreojos arrived safely thanks to the effort, skill and experience of Warren Moger of Moger Yacht Transportation.  In speaking with him, we learned that the State of Texas routed him very differently than the route we took.  He had to follow the western edge of Texas as far south as Lake Amastead before he could turn east towards Corpus Christi and Rockport.  Warren and his pilot vehicle driver, Mike, did a great job avoiding trees, wires, and other low hanging objects along the way.  The boat was dirty when it arrived, but not a scratch, ding, or dent otherwise.  The yacht transportation business is shrinking.  At least as far as truly experienced operators are concerned.  If you ever decide to ship your boats overland, make sure you call Warren Moger first.  I know certain yacht brokers who will try to convince you that it's ok to hire some "mom and pop" moving company.  They are NOT yacht transport experts.  So, you may pay a little more, but when it comes to your home and your love, it pays to hire the best.

This is the travel lift at Rockport House of Boats that would lift Abreojos off her trailer and place her gingerly into the Gulf of Mexico.  It is old looking, but it certainly did the job. 



Now, the lift is positioned over the trailer.



In Marina Del Rey, it took 6 guys to handle moving the boat onto the cradle.  Here in Texas, it took only 2.  This is Randy.  He had the rather dangerous job of pulling the straps under the hull.  You might notice that the pads holding the boat in place are gone.  Now, Abreojos is resting on her hull and two small pads under the back.  Note, the wind was blowing 20-30 knots, gusting to 40.  You could not have paid me to go under the boat as she was so unsupported at this point.

This is one of the tires on the travel lift.  You would not likely ever see a tire in this condition on a lift in Los Angeles or Ventura.  Ok, so I was a little nervous.  I did not get a chance to photograph the holes in the steel ramp on which the lift travels over the water with the boat.

Ok.  Now she is off the trailer and heading towards the water.  Recall I mentioned how the wind was blowing that day?  The boat was rocking back and forth and side to side in the slings.  Ok, so perhaps I was a little more than a little nervous.  I think I smoked a whole pack on one match.

Well, the old girl is getting her first dip in the Gulf of Mexico.  The water is war,, around 76 degrees F. We are at the sevice dock right behind the causeway.  It's a good spot.  However, when it was blowing so hard the other day, the boat was covered in sand and other dirt blosing out of the yard. 

This is the electrical service we are currently connected to.  It is rather spartan, but it seems to work.  We have popped the breaker a couple times doing laundry, but other than that, it seems to be working just fine.

So, nearly 24 hours, a lot of sweat, cut fingers, banged knees, twisted backs, etc., etc., we are now cruise ready.  Ok, my head, neck, shoulders, back, legs, knees, and feet all hurt.  My hands are swollen from all the little nicks associated with wire work.  There was certainly more than one occasion where I was about ready to throw tools over land and overboard.  But we made it.  Brenda did a great job getting the inside of the boat back together.  So, now we are ready to go - TEXAS STYLE!

Unfortunately, we cannot leave just yet.  Brenda has to fly to Detroit for a couple days.  She has a ticket to and from Corpus Christi.  Originally, we planned to cruise up there and get a slip for a couple days.  Unfortunately, because the boat was delayed leaving Los Angeles for a week, those plans got trashed and we just don't have the time to get up there.  I suppose we could, but we have weather coming tomorrow and it was just not worth taking the chance of getting stuck somewhere and Brenda missing her flight.  This is an example of a land based enterprise interferring with cruising.  Let me explain.  When you are cruising and someone askes when you will be there, your answer is generally, "Oh, gosh, I'm not entirely sure.  It could be sometime next week."  This kind of lifestyle, also known as living on Island Time" is not at all compatible with dirt timing.  So, if you're getting married, bar mitzva'd, confirmed, circumcised, whatever, we probably will not make it because we just cannot be certain where we will be when.  Sorry.

Happy Halloween, everybody!  Hey, Can you find Waldo in this photograph?

Yesterday, the final thing we had to do was to put the dinghy in the water.  There is a launch ramp across the parking lot from House of Boats, so we attached the wheels to the dink and then wheeled her down the ramp and into the water.  I'm sorry, but you can't just put the dinghy in the water and just leave her there.  No, you have to take a little cruise.  The following photos are from the short cruise we took in the dink.

Here you can see where Abreojos is relative to the yard.

There are a lot of Egrets around here.  This one was particularly large.

He got spooked and took off.

An odd crew chilling on a rock pile.

Anyone know what these long beaked birds are called?  I think they are Oyster Catchers.

This dude was standing on the bottom while fishing.  The GICW is pretty shallow in many places.  We hit the bottom in the dink!!  I pulled out my Droid and opened the Earth NC Navigation Program to see where we were and it would appear that if you do not follow the pink line, you are bound to hit the bottom.  The pink line represents the dredged channel.  I'm not sure yet how deep it is, but there are lots of commercial tug boats and barges plying the GICW, so there has to be deep water somewhere.

This is a really nice RV park right on the GICW.  Not sure if it is permanent residents.  Some spaces looked pretty lived in.

The GICW has many many sandy grassy islets.  This is a bird watcher's paradise.

I think the picture says it all.

There are some very beautiful homes on the GICW.

.....and some beautiful girls, too.  ;}

We had never seen white pelicans before yesterday.

 That's all for now.  There is so much to write about, I'll have to start keeping a notepad in my pocket.

Hello Rockport, Texas

We arrived in Rockport, Texas with zero expectations.  We have been pleasantly surprised.  Rockport is a pretty cool resort community where people live and work.  Rockport Harbor is really old school with docks made of wood plank, not those fancy concrete docks we have become accustomed to.  Also, there are no cleats around here.  Folks tie their boats to bollards.  There is a good variety of boats in the harbor - a lot of sail boats, plenty of power boats and lots of shrimp trawlers.



This is the bay out in front of the hotel.  The structure in the background is part of the Rockport-Fulton Beach Park.

So I woke up on Wednesday morning and took a little walk.  Across the street from the hotel where we are staying is the Rockport beach park.  It was cool getting a first daylight look at the Gulf of Mexico.  I had never seen it before.  What I immediately noticed was that it does not look like anything I had expected.  I have been studying NOAA charts of the area for nearly a year.  The charts show what appears to be a fairly narrow waterway between the coast and the barrier islands that form the GICW.  But, it would appear that the islands are very low lying and made of sand and grass.  It will be interesting to see how they show up on the radar, if at all.  I walked around Rockport Harbor which is a very small harbor, about one quarter the size of Santa Barbara Harbor.  There is a maritime museum and an aquarium, both of which were closed.  Maybe we’ll get a chance to visit them in the next few days to take a break from putting the boat back together.

This is another photograph of the Bay in Rockport.  Off to the left is the town of Rockport, proper.  However, the town seems to go all around us.  There are mechanics shops tucked back in the trees in some cases, and the GPS takes us to what looks like someone's home as opposed to a restaurant.  It's quite spread out and seems to lack what one might consider a city center.

I saw this dude standing alone in the sunrise and thought it might make a nice photo.  This is a rather large blue heron, similar to the ones that prevent new construction and roof repairs in Channel Islands Harbor.

 As I was walking along the waterfront, Brenda called announcing that she was awake.  I was surprised because it was so early.  When I got back to the hotel, we took off again.  We first drove out to House of Boats where the boat is to arrive and be launched into the water.  The place was interesting to say the least.  Again, it was nothing like the modern concrete and steel boat yards we have become accustomed to.  This place is old and is a large dirt lot.  There were plenty of boats on blocks undergoing some sort of work or another.  We located the office and went in and introduced ourselves to John who is covering the office while Jeff and Annie are out of town.  He was nice enough and Annie briefed him on who we were and what was going on.  Then, we took a walk around the yard.  Out front on the concrete quay was a Newport 41 undergoing work/preparation for cruising.  There we met Xavier and Natalie, Belgian cruisers who were there getting their boat ready to go to the Bahamas.  He was working a large sewing machine putting a UV cover onto his gib and she was cleaning the inside of the boat after a bug bomb.  They were nice folks we will get to know better once our boat is in the water on the quay behind theirs.

A typical "Shrimper".  Notice the hanging nets and trawl poles.  There were several out working the waters in front of Rockport-Fulton and Matagorda Bay.  They must be doing OK insofar as all the restaurants seem to be offering fresh shrimp.  The shrimp I have had thus far has a slightly different taste to it.  I know they are fresh and not frozen because all the tails are of a slightly different size.  Oysters, on the other hand, are seemingly impossible to come by.  As a result of the BP problem in the Gulf, fresh oysters are simply not available and the restaurant owners refuse to serve frozen oysters.  No oil on any beach to be found.  Unfortunately, we have seen plenty of trash.

Here's a sailboat and a power boat living next to one another in Rockport Harbor.  It's a small harbor.

 

Another view of Rockport Harbor.

Then we took off on a tour of the area. We drove through the old part of Rockport which is mostly art galleries.  The galleries are funky colored and eclectic.  Interestingly, these were the only places still open.  Many of the other businesses on this main road were boarded up and closed.  While we understand that visitors to this area are somewhat seasonal, it appeared that these businesses were closed for good.  This area of Rockport is undergoing some sort of gentrification and the buildings may be scheduled for demolition.  It was sad.  There are not too many historical sites in Rockport, but there are “historical markers".

Here is a nice picture of Brenda taken behind House of Boats.  She has not even had a pot of coffee yet, and look, she's smiling.

This is the House of Boats in Rockport where Abreojos will be launched and where she will live for the next week while she is being put back together.  This is not what it looked like on the website.  Have faith and trust in the powers that be and know that everything will simply work out......right?    Right.

The Rockport Yacht Club.  They are only open on Fridays.  There is a Halloween party on Friday that we might go to.  This club appears to be a self-help club.  It was established in 1969.  I am used to recognizing burgees having visited so many clubs in Southern California.  I did not recognize a single one here.  There is a Gulf Coast Yachting Association that this club is part of.  They play with each other.  Reciprocals?  What reciprocals?  They are more than happy to have you come in and spend money at their bar.  I introduced myself as a Past Commodore of Channel Islands Yacht Club in Oxnard, California and the guy who we seem to have caught with his hands in the cookie jar looked at us like we were some kind of disease.  Oh well......



This is the Key Allegra Yacht Club.  There is a yacht club everywhere there is a grouping of homes on or near the waterfront.  No more than 150 feet further down from this was a grouping of signs: Men's Club, Women's Club, Tennis Club, etc. club.  Folks in these parts like to get together and form clubs.



This is the Fulton Mansion.

This is the cock-eyed marker placed in honor of the esteemed engineer.  Esteemed?  You would think this marker would at least be level.

There are nice restaurants near the tourist places, i.e., Fulton Beach, but the majority of places to eat include Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc.  The Google app that is supposed to put you on the spot for different restaurants and other attractions seems to be off.  We tried to find a BBQ place to go enjoy some of that famous Texas BBQ, but three out of three were closed.  We probably could have kept going down the list, but they continued to get farther and farther away.  Since we were batting 0.00%, we settled for a Pizza Hut, got a pie and came back to the room.  We had some cold drinks left in the fridge and decided to call it a day.

Earlier today, I spoke to the truck driver who said he was in Texas and thought he would get in this evening.  So, before going out for dinner, we thought, what the hell, let’s just take a drive over to House of Boats and see if, just maybe, the boat was there.  As we pulled up to House of Boats, there in the driveway, we saw a “pilot vehicle”.  I thought it looked familiar.  It was Mike!  Our boat had just made the turn into the lot and was heading back to where you enter House of Boats.  What a coincidence!!!  So, we talked with the driver and with Mike for a while, agreed to meet at 0800 tomorrow morning and went out for dinner.  I think it is a good omen.  It’s as if we could feel her getting closer and there she was.  She is sort of dirty from sitting on the back of the truck for the last 2 weeks and then from almost 1600 miles of road travel, but she will get cleaned and be back to normal very quickly.

Tomorrow, we will get to the boat early and get started getting started.

It was a great trip to Texas

Travelling with two cats is a challenge in any event.  We decided we did not want to make more of a challenge than we had to so we chose to make the trip from California to Texas essentially nonstop.  It took us exactly 26 hours portal to portal.  We stopped only for gas, thanks to my mom who set us up with a cooler filled with sandwiches, fruit, peanut brittle, carrots, and other munchies.  We took turns driving 4 hour (+/-) shifts.  We left Los Angeles at 1230 and were in our temporary hotel room by 1600 local time.  Somewhere along the line we realized that there is a two hour time change.  Arizona does not adhere to daylight savings time, so the first time change was virtually the instant we crossed into New Mexico.  The second time change was almost immediately after entering Texas.

Our first stop was in Quartzsite, Arizona.  There is a yacht club there called Quartzsite Yacht Club.  It's not much of a place, but Brenda wanted to stop for a photo. 



Here we go into Arizona.  I know the quality is not great, but we were
moving pretty fast

 



And there goes the sun.  We the next time we saw the sun was well after we entered Texas.

Believe it or not, this sign notifies you that you are now entering New Mexico.

This sign welcomes you to the great state of Texas.

There really is a big blue star over that sign welcoming you to Texas.

Sunrise over the Texas desert......at 70 mph.

So you may be wondering why we didn't stop here and there and everywhere for photo and tourist opportunities.  Well, this is America and it's not going anywhere.  We were on a mission to get our butts to south Texas before our boat, Abreojos.  When we called on Monday morning at 0900, Abreojos was already to Blythe.  We did not see her on the road.  We assume she diverted off the main route because of bridges, etc.  We're sure she is safe, and on her way, but we will call again today to find out where she is and when she will arrive here in Rockport.

When we got in, we both fell asleep.  When we awoke, we were both hungry, so we found a place using the "Places" app on my Droid.  We had dinner at a place called The Poor Man's Country Club.  Excellent food, cold Beer, friendly service.  It was like a warehouse with high ceilings and roll up doors.  The bar was well stocked and beers were delivered with their own neoprene cozy.  Oh yeah, that reminds me.

We were somewhat unprepared for the heat and humidity down here.  This will take a couple days to get used to.  The climate is like Hawaii.  Today, we plan to go exploring and learn something about this area.  What we saw coming in was depressing.  There were a couple towns along the county road we took in to Rockport off the main highway that looked completely boarded up and deserted.  I guess hard times are everywhere, but I imagine in a place like this where there are limits on limits in terms of what kind of jobs people can do, hard economic times hit here the hardest.  The market we visited to get some supplies for the hotel room was seemingly quite well stocked - it was a combination of Vons/Ralphs and Costco.  The brand names were different, but everything else seemed like it was where it belonged.

We'll see, this part of South Texas is very tourist oriented.  We'll certainly have more to say and more pictures later.

We are actually leaving.

Hello Friends:

In a couple short hours we will actually be on our way.  A minor problem with the truck delayed our departure for a week.  As you previously read, a short delay can lead to a longer delay because of permitting issues and rules relating to the ability of the truck to move through certain states at night and on weekends, thereby making Monday the only really logical date for the truck to depart.  On Friday, I spoke with the driver/owner and understand that he is pulling out very early Monday morning so that he can hit the Arizona state line just at sunrise so he can make as much distance across Arizona as possible.  Arizona does not allow a "super load" to move on their highways after sundown or on weekends.  We understand that the truck will be moving at around 50 mph and thus making as little or as much as 500 miles per day.  We also understand that the boat should arrive in Rockport, Texas on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.  We hope to be in the water by late Thursday.

For the last week, we have been at my mom's home in Van Nuys.  We have had a terrific time here.  She and Ron could not have been more accommodating.  It was stressful at first because we did not know if or when the truck was actually going to leave.  Is it possible that we get a call in the morning from the trucker with yet another excuse for not leaving?  Sure it is.  But, we are being optimistic that we will be out of here.  Nevertheless, we want to thank Arline and Ron for all their courtesy and cooperation.  They both did a lot to make this difficult time very enjoyable.

So, the next time you hear from us will either be from the road to Texas, or when we actually get there.

The Minor Delay Problem Seems to Be Resolved

'Lo All:

The issue preventing the truck from leaving Los Angeles with the boat seems to have been resolved.  Unfortunately, it would appear that the window of opportunity to leave and get into Rockport before the weekend has closed.  Thus, according to the owner/driver, the boat will leave on Sunday with an eye towards getting to Rockport by Wednesday or Thursday.  I guess it's all a matter of timing of permits, organizing certified pilot drivers, and certified route surveys.  They were already obtained, but because of the delay caused by the truck breaking down, this all has to be redone.  From what I understand the issuance of permits depends on the aforementioned and the information submitted in support of the permit request cannot be more than 3 days old.  I really don't know, but I will probably look into this myself.  On the other hand, I really don't care how the boat gets there as long as it does.  While on the subject of transporting a boat by truck, it sort of behooves me to discuss what goes into preparing a boat to travel by truck.

Let me begin with the premise that boats were designed and built to travel over water, not land.  Therefore, unlike cars and trucks, they are not built with shock absorbers.  The next premise on which this analysis depends is the fact that few vessels were designed to withstand hurricane force winds for several days.  Think about it - your boat could be on the back of a trailer moving down the highway at 65 mph for, at least in our case, 1600 miles.  With these two things in mind, consider several of these most important things before the boat is ready to leave:

1.  Everything that can fly off will fly off.  Thus, it is important that the roof of the boat as well as the decks be cleared of anything not permanently attached.  This means the vhf antennae, the gps antenna, the radome antenna, the serius radio antenna, the tv antenna, the am/fm antenna, the running lights, the horns, the hailer, the mast, spotlights, and windshield wipers and blades should all be removed.  Keep in mind that once removed, they will have to go back up when the boat reaches its destination.  So, as I did, I recommend that you remove one thing at a time, protect all connectors and fittings, as well as fasteners, washers, nuts and bolts in carefully labeled containers.  This will make your life much easier when it comes time to put all this stuff back on the roof.  Take your time and do it right this time.

2.  All canvas must come down and any steel supporting it must be carefully strapped or removed.  Despite the efforts of the best canvas makers, this stuff was never intended to withstand the force of so much wind over so long a distance for so long a time.  It is not just the wind, but also the road dirt, flying road related objects, and weather at high speed that can reek havoc on your canvas.  So, take your time taking it down so it, too, goes back up easily.

3.  Anchors - these are likely the heaviest objects stored on deck.  No doubt about it, when these things move in a manner inconsistent with their intended use, bad things can happen.  We carry a minimum of 34 anchors and rode on the bow.  Each of these anchors is big and made of steel.  They have to be stowed inside the boat for transport.  Think carefully.  They should be stored in a place where they will not move despite the movement of the boat as it travels down the road.  An anchor flying across the cabin in a hard braking situation will not stop when it hits a light weight bulkhead.  Take the time to make sure it won't move.

4.  When you use your boat on weekends only, paper plates, plastic utensils, and plastic glass ware is not unusual.  However, when you live aboard, you want to use real stuff.  So, this should be packed carefully when considering how your boat will be bounding down the road for a couple thousand miles.  It is not sufficient to simply leave it in the drawer or in the cabinet where it resides under normal circumstances.  It is important to move these things either off the boat or to well padded boxes where they will be able to withstand the vibration of road travel.  It is a lot easier to unpack it than to pick up pieces of broken dishes and stemware.

5.  Make sure you cut off all power - even if you have to disconnect your batteries.  You want to preserve your battery power so you can easily start the engine when you unload.

6.  Many trucking companies insist you remove all fuel from the boat.  I think it is is important to travel with as little as possible.  The main reason for this (assuming it is diesel) is that the sloshing of fuel in your tanks can do damage to the tanks.  Additionally, whatever lives in your tanks will get well stirred by the time you arrive at your destination.  You will want to make sure you have plenty of replacement fuel filters when you get to where you are going to help remove the stirred up junk in your tank (if you have any at all).

7.  Dump off all unnecessary fresh water.  You won't need it while the boat is moving and removing it will be better for your tanks.

8.  Make sure you turn off, defrost and clean out the refrigerator before you go.  You don't want to think of the stink you might encounter if you don't. 

9.  Empty the holding tank.  The last thing you want to have to deal with when you arrive is a ruptured holding tank.  So, take the time to empty it and flush it out before you load.

10.  Last but not least, tape up all hatches, holes, and windows and doors.  You do not have to make the boat air tight, but you want to keep out as much road dirt as you can. 

Do not panic over delays.  They happen.  There is no exactitude in the science of transporting a boat over land.  Things happen.  Remember - you are going cruising.  It's not  like you are going to be late for an important meeting, or a live saving medical procedure.  It helps when you have such great parents as Brenda and I.  It's nice to know we have so much care and support from our families.

And for goodness sake, don't take out your frustration on the trucking company.  Be nice and offer to help if you can.  If their truck ain't running they ain't making any money either.  You want that trucker to take good care of your baby.

If you have any questions about any of this, don't hesitate to ask.  Be well.

5. 

A MINOR DELAY

After the boat left on October 11 on the back of a truck from Marina Del Rey, it was anticipated that she would start her 1600 mile journey to Rockport, Texas, House of Boats, on Monday, October 18.  Well, as is so often the case, the trip has yet to begin.  It seems the truck developed some sort of issue with its rear differential (the U-Joint) and so could not leave as originally scheduled.  It's all good, however.  I spoke with the owner/driver today and he tells me that the part necessary to fix this problem has arrived and they are working on it.  Unfortunately, because of the rules regarding super-loads such as this, it may not be possible to leave until Monday.  So, we are sort of stuck for the time being.  No big deal, right?

In any event, after leaving Marina Del Rey, we spent a week with Brenda's folks in Carpinteria, California.  Larry and Bonnie Donovan could not have been more gracious hosts.  They made us feel quite at home, fed us well, and entertained us.  They threw Thanksgiving early this year, and almost the whole family showed up.  This was very important to Brenda as she wanted to make sure she saw her siblings one last time before we leave for a couple years.  The food was good and there was plenty of it.

The next day, we went to our sailing crew party hosted by George and Kyoko Fitch.  I had planned on showing up early so Kyoko could teach me a thing or two about making sushi and tempura.  I learned a lot and had a great time.  All the folks we had been sailing with all year were there.  These are my best and finest friends and it sure was great to see them all one more time before we leave. 

For the time being, Brenda and I are now at my mom's house in Van Nuys.  It is still possible that the truck could leave tomorrow (Wednesday) and make it to Rockport by Saturday, but it does not appear too likely and I am not getting my hopes us.  In the interim, we will very much enjoy spending some time with my mom and step father, Ron, while we wait for word that the truck has left the building.

That's it for now.

Abreojos departs on the back of a truck bound for Rockport, Texas and the start of our Loop Adventure

WE LOADED TODAY

It was not just another day in the story of The Adventures of M/V Abreojos. Yesterday, we thought we had another day and a half to "take down" the boat and prepare her for loading onto the truck bound for Rockport, Texas.  About mid day, we received a call from the trucking company asking whether or not we would be able to load today (Wednesday) instead of Thursday.  Well, one normally expects delays.  One normally does not expect a call asking if we were ready to load early.  So, of course, we said, "Sure".  So, we really had to haul ass.  We worked for nearly 14 hours yesterday to get the boat ready to leave this morning. 

The boat yard wanted us in their causeway no later than 10:00.  We were there at 10:00.  The truck was supposed to be there at 10:30.  It was there at 10:30.  So, we off loaded our personal stuff for the week and a half before meeting the truct in Texas, the two cats, and then witnessed the haul and load.  It was very cool.  Here are a bunch of pictures.

The first two shots are of the boat at the yard's causeway waiting for the lift.  You notice the tape all over the boat?  The wipers had to be strapped down, the hatches had to be taped down, the cap on the hawse pipe, everything that could move, had to be taped down.  Also, by running tape along all the windows that open, much of the road dirt stays out of the boat.

Abreojos with all her electronics and canvas off.  All her gear is stowed.

Poor thing looks pathetic without her clothing.

In the photo below, you can see us docked behind a rather famous boat.  This is Pyewacket, owned by the late Roy Disney.  This boat is a record setter in various races.  It was very cool to see a boat, especially a monohull, capable of making her own wind.

The lift arrived to haul the boat out of the water.  The only thing separating a successful operation from a complete and utter disaster are those two really big stainless steel pins holding the slings together.

Now, Abreojos is out of the water and completely over land as she makes her way to the waiting truck.

This is the trailer that will carry Abreojos and her 27 tons of self all the way to Rockport, Texas.  This trailer is much bigger than it looks in the photos.

Here she is being positioned over the end of the trailer.  Notice that there is nobody "on" the crane.  The operator is doing everything with a remote control unit while walking along side the crane.  This guy was really good.  He could make the most minute adjustments.

Obviously, it is very important to get the vessel's keel right over the center of the trailer bed.  This is where the guy operating the lift with the remote control really earned his money.  Speaking of which, I am not going to tell you how much the yard charged me to haul and load the boat.  After witnessing this process, I can honestly tell you it was a deal.  They had 5 or 6 yard workers, plus three guys from the trucking company, all of whom were working for nearly 2 hours getting this haul and load accomplished.  Actually, if you did the multiplication, it was cheap.  Plus, given the precision with which they worked and how they got the job done without causing so much as a scratch, I cannot compliment them enough.

Now that the boat is positioned properly over the trailer, the trucking company guys install the pads to hold the hull in place.

It is so rare that Brenda and I actually have a picture of the two of us together when we travel, but the sone of the truck driver offered to take the picture.

 

And off she goes.  Next stop, and the next time we will see our girl, will be Rockport, Texas.

So long for now.  I'll write again when we get to Texas.