Our new sailboat

Ryan and I bought a 1972 Kittiwake 23 sailboat this weekend and we were so excited! We went to pick it up Sunday morning and the cord for the trailer lights was too short to reach the car, but we figured it would be fine until we got home and could fix it.

Problem #1:
We got pulled over about 5 miles away from the person's house that we bought it from. Luckily, the police officer gave us a written warning and was really nice and we were on our way!

We called my boss and her husband to join us on our maiden voyage because he used to own a few sailboats and knew how to sail. We figured anything we couldn't figure out on our own, he'd help us with and they'd get a fun day of sailing. Win win!

Problem #2
We arrived at the boat ramp at about 1 pm. If my boss's husband, we'll call him Josh, hadn't been there, we would have gotten to the boat ramp, looked at our sailboat, cried and driven home. We had no idea how involved it would be! Our little 11 foot Snark was like a Tonka truck compared to our new sailboat. After two hours of figuring it out, without the aid of an owner's manual and missing a few pins (that the boaters next to us were generous enough to donate) they finally got the mast up!
The Kittiwake has a HUGE keel (imagine a giant fin that runs the length of the boat and sticks down into the water to keep it from tipping over and generally make it sturdier) and is difficult to put into the water, but we managed to get it in without using the extension on the trailer.
While we were loading stuff onto the boat, we saw two boats being towed in who had blown their engines. As one was being pulled out of the water, it fell off the trailer onto the concrete boat ramp...holy crap that sucks. We thought "Wow, we thought we had bad luck"...little did we know, in a few hours, we'd have luck that was just as bad, if not worse. HAUNTED BOAT RAMP?!?

We went out and it was a GORGEOUS day. Smooth sailing...I've used that phrase before and this was the first time I could use it to describe actual sailing :) We watched the sun set before heading back to the dock.


Problem #3
The tiny motor that is used to get to and from the dock wouldn't start. It probably would have started eventually but Josh thought we could sail it to the dock. We narrowly missed a wooden post and made it safely to the dock.

Problem #4
This time, we decided to use the extension for the trailer to make it easier to get the boat on the trailer. We added the trailer extension and securely pinned it in place...or so we thought. As Ryan slowly back the trailer down the boat ramp, it started hurtling towards the water...unattached. Josh and I ran down and grabbed it just before it fell into the murky deep. Whew! We saved it...there can't possibly be any more trouble from here on out!

Problem #5
While trying to get the boat on to the trailer, we realized exactly why the winch we had on our motor boat trailer was so useful! It would not go far enough up on the trailer. So we backed the Expedition up until the trailer went over the edge of the boat ramp. We were stuck.
Problem #6
It's dark by now and for some reason this boat ramp has NO LIGHTS! And EVERYONE HAS LEFT. A young couple drove by and offered to help pull our car towing the trailer to see if that would help. The truck's wheels spun and it didn't work.

(Almost)Problem #7
By this time, I am on the phone with Geico trying to get a tow truck out. We have free emergency roadside assistance with our insurance but the operator wasn't sure if our policy would cover this so she had to speak with her manager. While on hold and debating if we needed a new insurance provider, a chipper voice informed me that our policy doesn't normally cover this, but they'd make a one time exception. THANK YOU GEICO. They made a very kind and wise move and kept their customers happy and not stranded...we will keep this in mind when we are recommending them to anyone who will listen.

Problem #8
After an hour, RJR's Towing shows up in what seemed to me to look like shining armor. The driver hooked up the tow line to our Expedition and gave it a pull. Nothing happened. Another pull. NOTHING!!! After a few more unsucessful tries, we decide that maybe we can attach the tow line to the trailer and move the car.

Problem #9
Once the Expedition is out of the way and the trailer is hooked up, the tow truck driver starts to pull the trailer and....THE CABLE COMES UNTIED. SERIOUSLY!?

Problem #10
The cable will not go back on it's thingy (technical term). So the driver finally does his best to get it on there and finally pulls the trailer out of the water!! HOORAY! Now, our troubles MUST be over....right?

Problem #11
After some trouble getting the boat onto the trailer, we successfully pull it out of the water and on to, what we think is, sturdy ground. We get the trailer extension off and leave the trailer off the car while the guys go up and start to take the mast down. After about 10 minutes...my boss yells out "THE BOAT IS ROLLING BACKWARDS". Now I realize that this wasn't a smart move, but at the time, as I saw our new baby racing back towards the water, I ran behind it and stopped it with my BARE HANDS...okay, it probably helped that the guys jumped down to assist me, but either way, it worked.

We attached the trailer to the Expedition and safely finished securing the boat to the trailer before driving home. It was 11 pm at this point.
When we got home, we had the additional joy of fitting the boat into our yard, where it now looks like it somehow crash landed in between our garage and carport.

Even with all of the trouble, I love our new sailboat. We learned a TON of things the hard way, but they are still valuable lessons. Before we go out again, we are going to make many changes to our process and hopefully, my next post about our sailboat will be a lot less eventful :)