We headed to the boat this weekend again, this time with daughter and a friend in tow. A late meeting for me made our departure time later than usual, and we just decided to take this as a fun weekend instead of piling into work mode.

2 goals. We wanted to bring the dinghy around to the house, where there's a dock with a boat lift we can keep it. This way when we have had a good work session on the boat, we can come back to the house for showers and a fun dink explore in the little creeks around here. And we wanted to take Calypso for a sail.

Saturday. Dinghy day. It's gorgeous enough that we think this should be fast and give us time for that sail.

Hah.

Dinghy step 1. Remember that the plug (which keeps water OUT of the hull) has disappeared from the dink. Stop at West Marine and decide to buy best-case scenario (a plug) and worst-case scenario (an entire new plug assembly) bits.

Step 2: Remove the dinghy from the rack. This involves trekking to the other side of the club, borrowing a club laser dolly, and moving the dinghy from the mosquito-infested space where it lives to a shady, not-mosquito laden spot.

Step 3: Try the new plug. Realize it won't work. Get started removing the old plug to install the new assembly. Move the dinghy a couple of times to get it closer to electricity, then finish the installation in the shade.

Step 4:  Decide on how to launch the dinghy. The docks have changed, and the floating dock that used to be perfect no longer exists. The available hoist is too small. We decide to throw it in the water. We'll worry about getting it out some other time. 

Step 5: Engine! Will it work? It’s been in the garage for 2 years. Starts on the first pull. We take it for a short spin, but return to the boat when the cooling water does not start peeing from the engine.

Step 6: Take the engine cowl off and restart the engine, whereby magically the cooling water starts flowing. Ahh.

Step 7: Take car to friends’ house and ask for a ride back (our car is at the club) after we take the dinghy to the house. Walk back to the dinghy.

Step 8: Dinghy through the calm, through the channel, through the chop and waves, and up the river.

Step 9: Toast a job well done. Only it’s already time for dinner and no time for a sail. Good thing the weekend has 2 days!