The Launch

Good evening,

Please excuse the typos as I'm a little squiffy - well actually, I'm a lot squiffy ... we've been drinking  since we got home from the launch and drinking on an empty head, is NEVER a good idea!

Considering the potential for problems, today has gone remarkably well... I don't know what you were all worrying about ;-)

I was up from about 4 - unable to sleep... fretting about everything...

ALL a waste of time and effort - I couldn't help it of course but a complete waste of emotion now.

To bring you up to speed, we signed our wills at 9.30 and were home well before 10.  by 10.02, I ran out of patience and phoned the haulier to see how things were going.

He confirmed his son was scheduled to collect the boat at 10 from the boat yard.  This had come as a bit of a shock (apparently) to the yard as they thought it was a pm collection... and had just blacked it!!!

OK - so it won't be cured, but it looks prettier than before.  No matter, we plan to do it properly in the spring anyway.

We took various photos and videos which will follow, but I DO want to say a public thank you to the following:

Chris and the gang and Lymm boat sales... they've managed to stick to schedule (actually - beat the original 10 month deadline)...

Richard Dempster (the haulier) and his son Kevin, who (despite having been hospitalised only the week before) who did exactly what was expected with no fuss and TOTAL calm.

Edd Blaze and Jools at Stanley Marina for organising a first class crane lift AND bow hauling the boat to the diesel point.

EVERYONE -  just did their bit with no fuss, hassle or problems!  I tipped them all and really do appreciate the effort they put in to "just another day the office"... for them!

Only the wind was a problem - but luckily not during the lift... only during our first chug over the Stanley Ferry aqueduct - I nearly t-boned some moored boats (the water tank being empty and the wind blowing a hoolie mid turn)...

Anyway - we made it safely onto the mooring.... where she's spending her first night alone - we've come home to drink champagne and "crash" after an adrenaline fuelled

day.

SO - here are the photos and videos... probably not in any real order but folks we have a boat and it floats!

Until next time...