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The Launching of the C'estsibon
at our RV Resort
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| One morning I was sitting in the outdoor cafe watching the sailboats launch. Howard Prairie Lake is the home of the Rogue Yacht Club where southern Oregon sailing events take place. Before southern Oregon, I lived at Lake Tahoe in Northern California and owned a sailboat so I had great interest in watching them launch. My boat had a fixed keel so was always hoisted into a Lake Tahoe marina. This morning I notice a boat exactly the same size as my boat but this one was being prepared to launch as if the pickup truck driver was going to back the boat into the water. I had to SEE this, I thought and walked onto the launch ramp for |
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a better view. I knew the boat could not be backed far enough into the water before the pickup truck was also underwater. I introduced myself as I whipped out my camera to take |
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photos of what was sure to be a nautical disaster. The driver (and Captain) backed until the trailer wheels were actually on the downward slope of the ramp, found rocks to place behind the trailer wheels then unhitched the trailer. I was beginning to hold my breath thinking of this trailer rolling backward down the ramp and into the water. He then tied a rope to the trailer and pickup as I asked, "You have done this before, right?" |
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He then lowered a wheel under the tongue of the trailer that I had not previously noticed but couldn't find the right bolt to lock it into place. "A screwdriver will do the trick" the Captain said as I began to feel even less confident.
The driver's friend (First Mate) held the bow and stern lines while I continued to snap photos. I could image this boat on it's side as my boat was once washed onto a Tahoe |
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shore during a storm. As it turned out, the Captain knew he needed more weight on the tongue of the trailer as it coasted down the ramp so asked his |
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First Mate to stand on the tongue and asked me to take control of the bow and stern lines. That ended the photography. A slight tug on the bow line kept the trailer in line as gravity pulled it into the water. When the tongue reached the water, the First Mate jumped off the tongue and in a few more seconds, the trailer was completely submerged and C'estsibon was floating. I hope the Captain and First Mate remember who held the lines when it comes time to sail! I KNEW this Captain was sharp and should never have doubted.
Note: June 25, 2005 ... for an 8 second video of the marina at Howard Prairie Lake Resort, click here. |
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