Well, Monday was launch day for Quantum Leap!  Actually our official launch date was on Wednesday, May 23rd but the club steward asked us if we wanted to go in a few days early.  Since we were ready, why not!

On Monday morning, the RI Boat Haulers were scheduled to arrive to start launching boats by 7:30 a.m. so it was an early morning for us – we had to leave the house by 6:30 a.m. to make it there on time.

We were hoping that the good weather would continue but that was not to be.  It was overcast and drizzling during the drive to RI and was very foggy at the yacht club. When we arrived, we were told that there were 11 other boats scheduled to launch and that they weren’t doing them in any particular order.  So we decided to drive up to Main Street and have breakfast.  We used to go to Audra’s Cafe frequently but then last year it shut down.  We were quite surprised to see that it had reopened under new management.  Since they had a sign out front that advertised 2 eggs with homefries and toast for $1.95, how could we resist!  The place had been repainted, new booths installed, and the rest rooms updated – the place looked great!

Around 9:15 a.m., the boat movers were ready for our boat.  It’s always a little nerve wracking watching them remove all but the aftmost stands (poppets) from the sides of the boat, leaving her to just rest on her own keel and then sliding the trailer down her length straddling the keel blocks. Also, this year we were pretty close to a utility pole in the yard so that made it even more interesting watching them maneuver around that obstacle.

And it’s even more fun watching your boat go for a ride down the street!  Although the equipment is top-notch and these guys have been doing this for years, you always wonder if my boat will take a nose dive this year!  But once again, we arrived at the boat ramp safe and sound with no problems!  Another successful launch!

Once we were in the water, the work boat crew towed Quantum Leap to our slip.

Normally we put up the enclosure before we get launched but this year we decided to wait until the boat was in the water because it  needed a major cleaning.  Not an easy task especially on such a wet day but one by one Rob took each panel, sprayed it with a cleaner and some bleach and then rinsed it. With 11 panels, it took a couple of hours but it was well worth the effort!  Now if they would only stay clean!

Normally on launch day, we would have washed down the decks and have done a lot more cleaning but it just didn’t make sense – better to wait until another sunny day!

Below to enhance your boredom are some video’s of the unblocking and launch process.