After a week of waiting, the marina owner’s youngest son came over with news: “We’ve got a slip for you.”
I don’t want to be over dramatic here, but in that moment it felt like a beam of light broke through the clouds and angels began to sing. Okay, maybe it was just a car radio playing Juice Newton’s Angel of the Morning, but still — it was close enough to a fanfare.
The slip had opened up because another boat was being towed out with mechanical problems, and it would be six weeks before it returned. Six weeks was plenty. Mid-June, the big day had finally arrived.
Pre-Launch Jitters
First things first: I found the water access plug at the back of the boat. Without it, the boat sinks — fast. I’d seen a Peck Brothers YouTube episode where they rescued a brand-new boat that went down because someone forgot the plug. That memory stuck with me. (The Peck Brothers, by the way, always remind me of the Bob Newhart show with Larry, Darryl, and the other brother Darryl — guys who’d do anything for a buck. A fun bunch of characters.)
With the plug in place, I hooked the trailer to the truck and joined the weekend lineup at the launch ramp. I took my time, got the bumpers and lines ready, and eased forward in four-wheel drive low. Torque was my friend.
At one point, the bilge pump kicked out some water and sprayed the helpers standing nearby. Lesson learned: never stand near the bilge outlets during launch.