Happy Happy snug as a bug in her winter warehouse.
So after a long winter's rest, we prepared to get Happy Happy back in the water and commissioned for this season's cruising. Strangely enough a long time out of the water for a boat, whether it's made of wood or fiberglass/metal is not a good thing. Many of the seals, gaskets and other pieces-parts like to have moisture around to keep them in a healthy state. A further complication is that many of these "thru hull" penetrations are below the waterline (rule #1 on a boat, "keep the water on the outside"). The added low humidity of Michigan's northern climate further amplifies this whole effect.
As a result, the spring "splash" (another romantic nautical term for launching) and start up of systems (motors, generators, AC, bilge pumps,etc) that have raw water intakes is something that you should observe as a part of getting back in to the water.
We had scheduled our May 16th launch date in early January but knew from our experience getting taken out of the water by the boatyard last fall, that things don't always go as planned. This time the problem was that if the boat didn't get put in the water as planned we would be at the dock with a carload of stuff and possibly all the critters we might have a rough night with no place to go (no motels in Northport!).
Plan A therefore was for me/Terry to go up with the first carload of stuff (and camping gear) to "witness" the launch and make sure all was well and then return to Atlanta (900 miles/16hrs) to get Pat any remaining stuff and the critters. A serendipitous event occurred when a recently retired best friend offered up time to be with me for some guy time and be a part of whatever happened.
So "whatever" happened.............................
Thankfully it happened to someone else's boat the day before, but the hydraulics on the travelift, a big driveable crane that takes the boats out of the warehouse and lowers them into the water, failed. Luckily no one got hurt and there was no damage, but this was a very busy time for the boatyard and they like in the fall had over-promised how many boats they could get in the water everyday and now we would be delayed until the travelift was repaired.
That left Steve and I "high and dry."............. well maybe let's just say without a boat to sleep on. With our sleeping bags and tent and some pots and pans from the boat we made a quick run thru the local grocery store and headed north to the Lelanau State Park for a night or two.
The next day with no updates on getting launched we decided to deliver the dinghy outboard motor to Escanaba (5hrs and over the Mackinac Bridge to the "U-P" (Upper Peninsula)) and see what the camping up yonder was like.
The next day we heard that Happy Happy had been launched and delivered to the nearby marina and was ready for us. Yay!
They pack em in tight in the warehouse!
Here's what a working travelift looks like.
A quick run by the grocery store was needed for camping in 42F weather.
Sleeping in the car was not an option.
We camped on the very northern tip of the Lelanau peninsula and had open views to vast Lake Michigan.
We experienced the spring midge bloom too! Luckily they don't bite!
Night 2 in Bay du Noc, Escanaba.
A 4 ft tall tri-color heron!
You must obey the campground rules!
Life in the "U-P" is, er, different.
May in the "U-P" and spring still hasn't quite sprung. The trees are only beginning to bud out.
At last! Happy Happy is back in the water and staying right side up!
After a couple days of cleanup work we take a quick trip into Grand Traverse Bay to check things out for ourselves.
