The trucking date for Dorade to go to California is Monday next week and things are moving along nicely. We all have a lot to do but I am confident it will be done in time. Failure is not an option!
As far as packing up goes we have the trailer nicely organized with all the gear I will need at the other end to get the boat back in the water and the masts rigged back up. We have had to make sure it is all well secured inside so nothing moves during the three thousand mile transit.
Yesterday we finished moving all the gear out of storage on the third floor at LMI and down to the container which is in a tent outside. Now Laurel is busy organizing it into boxes before we load it in the container. I feel a little sad seeing the empty space upstairs, realizing very soon we will be out of here and on to pastures new. However I am looking forward to the west coast and the new adventures to come.
The boys have been working around the clock on the cradle for Dorade, it is taking shape well. They still have plenty to do and it is probably best if I stay out of the way and leave them to get on with it. More steel arrives tomorrow to finish of the uprights and the shipwrights are working offsite making the splash’s to support Dorade’s hull.
We are still hoping to get the bottom of Dorade Antifouled before we leave but the rain from the tail end of Hurricane Isaac has been constant for the last two days and is preventing us from getting it done. The weather forecast looks better for tomorrow and is then clear for the foreseeable future. There are several other jobs to do like protecting the topsides of the boat, and fixing a broken window which all depend on the rain stopping so I have my fingers crossed until then.
Anyway I should get back to work as the clock is ticking.
Ben