Hard hats and leather gloves day:
Saturday, we hauled forty-seven boats out of the water and set them on their skids or their blocks and jacks for the coming winter. It was a good day for this, sunny and no wind so the boats would not sway too much in the sling as the crane moved them. It would have been a good day to go fishing too, darn it.

In the first photo, these guys are setting jack stands under a boat before the tension is removed from the two sling straps attached to the crane. This was going to be my job. The first shift crew trained my on this and I was doing the job until the fleet captain came over and saw me at it. He told me this was a mistake, I was supposed to be helping to moor up the boats as they motored up to the dock under the crane.
I went over to the dock and replaced one of the first shift people holding a boat hook – the only other woman on these haul out work crews. Well, sigh, they say the maritime environment is the last bastion of male privilege. So once again I see that this is true. But I am not making a big noise about it because these people are my friends and I want to keep my boat here. Anyway, however you look at it, haul out day is depressing. No more boating until next spring.

Second photo – guys setting the jack stands on the starboard side of the same boat. Note that most of the weight is on two small wooden boxes under the keel of the boat. Amazing balancing act, isn’t it?

Third photo – the guys have to shift the weight of the boat slightly, by hand, to get the jack stands set just right. The man kneeling with the stand, is raising or lowering the stand while someone behind the boat is checking to see that it is level.

Fourth photo – the boat is level, so they are removing the sling straps.

Fifth photo - Okay! This boat is set. Good job, guys! The crane is backing away with the slings to go get the next boat.
I don’t have a picture of my boat coming out this year, because I was too busy working with it to take pictures. The tape marks on my boat where the slings go had to be changed as the boat was heavier at haul out than it was at put in. It was heavier because in addition to ¾ of a 60 gallon tank of gas, we had thirty gallons of water on board. This year we made the head and sinks functional because toddlers were on board and they have to go potty every five minutes, it seems. The water tank is near the stern, so we had to move one of the sling straps back a bit and remark the setting with tape for next spring when the boats go back in. Now all we get to do at the yacht club until spring is sit in the club house and drink.

Working on a major fan fic project. Two-thirds done. Hope to put it up in the not TOO distant future.