Haulout Day - Blog

Because I live on my boat during the summer, haulout day is always hard on me.  I feel like I've been evicted from my home.  I packed up my belongings, took everything off the boat that would be harmed if frozen, winterized the systems, then headed over to the lift well.

As I watched Shanti come out of the water, I realized another season of cruising on the Great Lakes was coming to an end.  I had sailed the entire length of Lakes Michigan and Superior, and the North Channel of Lake Huron, covering nearly 2000 nautical miles.  The bottom paint looked just as good as the day it was applied just a little over three months ago.  Well, except for the sandblasting on the bottom of the keel from the time I went aground in sand off Madeline Island last month.  The leading edge of the keel looks a bit ragged from the sudden stop we made as we hit a rock in De Tour Harbor in July.  The hull appears sound, and the rudder solid. There is no sign of a blister anywhere. I rubbed my hand over her gelcoat, and thanked her for giving me shelter and keeping me safe throughout the summer.

Shanti will wait for me patiently until I return to her in eight months for another season of cruising and racing on the Great Lakes.  Meanwhile, I prepare for the next phase of my cruising, this time in the warmer water of the Caribbean. My winter cruising will begin on November 2 when I will depart from Hampton, Virginia as crew aboard Joy For All as part of the Caribbean 1500 rally bound for Tortola, BVI.