Wind Song gets derigged and heads for Florida!

It's 2:30 pm PDT on Tuesday Sep 28,2004. Wind Song left for Florida 2 hours and 20 minutes ago. This is going to have to be quick, because it has all taken many more hours than expected, and our condo tenants asked us this morning if they could move in this Friday, Oct 1 instead of Saturday Oct 2 as previously agreed, and Lynn said yes. We are frantically packing up the house and getting stuff moved over into Marilyn's Drescher's garage (she's in condo unit #3 and is renting us half her double garage for storage -- talk about convenient!). So for today you'll have to settle for brevity and a few captioned photos.

We had our Open Boat/Bon Voyage party at Lighthouse Marina in Wilmington, CA Saturday. The marina owner, Barbara Gleason, gave us permission to tie up down in front near shore right below the picnic area, and we had roughly  40 guests come down to see Wind Song and say bon voyage. Also, our friend Chris Miller, a photographer for the Beach Reporter in the LA South Bay, took photos of us on Wind Song for an article (see 9/30 issue; photo at left).

On Sunday we went down to Wilmington one last time to drop off Roxanne and Lane to drive Wind Song 33 miles north to Marina del Rey where we had arrangements to derig and haul her and put her on a Moger Yacht Transport truck. However, when we fired up the engine we had no raw cooling water flow, so Lynn and Lane spent two wretched, sweaty hours finding out just how little our bottom-cleaning diver had been doing for us -- the raw water inlet was thick with marine life! After taking it apart and reaming it out with a rat-tail file, not once but twice (in just about the single least accessible place on the boat), we had proper flow and Roxanne and Lane departed for an uneventful delivery. That evening Roxanne and Lane removed the main and mizzen booms, wrapped them up, and laid them down on the deck while Lynn stowed things below decks. We all went home sore and exhausted, slept a precious few hours, then Lane and Roxanne went down again to get the jib boom off, remove and stow everything likely to come loose at 65 mph, and get Wind Song over to the The Boatyard (it's actual name) to derig and pull the masts.

After numerous delays due to other haul or launch jobs, the yard started working on Wind Song around 4 pm and had the masts out by 6 pm, at which time Lane and Roxanne started on the final lashing-down that could not be done with the rig in place. The hardest part was getting Wind Song's very heavy fiberglass dinghy into the cockpit and secured for transport, which required help from Lynn. (You haven't heard much about Tania so far because she's been in school while all this has been going on, and has had a heavy homework load.) Roxanne and Lane went back this morning at 7:30 am to finish up, the truck arrived at the yard at 8:40, and left for Florida at 12:10 pm with an expected arrival at Sailor's Wharf Yacht Yard in one week, Tuesday 10/5. We'll fly out there Monday 10/4.

We are all beyond tired. Lane, whose back is not happy with the physical labor he's been doing, has said his goal is to make it through this period without suffering physical collapse. So far so good. Roxanne has been a wonderful help.

 
Above left, Roxanne wraps the jib sail and jib boom with lashing while it hangs from halyards.
Above right, the main, already done, is visible on the side deck, and the mizzen is in the cockpit.

 
Above left, the crane takes hold of the mizzen mast via a sling that is guyed down to cleats at the mast base.
Above right, the chocks come free of the deck collar, and the mast is on its way skyward.

 
Above left, the rigger guides the mast base up to the wharf.
Above right, the crane lays the mast in a rolling work cradle where the standing rigging will be removed, coiled, and labeled.

 
Above left, the main mast is free of its step and on its way out.
Above right, with electrical cabling dangling, the main mast clears the deck.

 
Wind Song leaves the comfort and security of her natural element.

 
Wind Song heads for a hard and dangerous berth. She's done this once before, when she came from Maryland to SoCal with her original owner. We think she'll do fine.


Snugged down and ready for seven days on the road.


And she's off! Next stop, St. Petersburg, Florida.