Out of the water

Today was the day Briar Rose was coming out of the water for blacking, so first thing I packed the car with all the stuff that was going home.  Then it was a matter of getting from the mooring outside the marina, to the slipway inside.  The first bit of reversing went well, but once I was opposite the entrance to the marina, the wind pushed me over to the far side, and I had quite a job getting away again.

One of the things we liked about Heyford Fields was their method of getting boats in and out of the water.  It's much gentler than a crane.  The boat was positioned in the centre of the slipway, while a cradle was reversed underneath.

Once everything is in position, hydraulic rams lift the stern up a bit.

When the tractor drives up the slope. the boat follows, pretty much on a level.

Having run through the list of jobs we want done while the boat is there, I went for a sneak preview of the boat Boating Leisure Services are building for the Crick Boat Show.  They won last year, and will have another very strong entry this year.

Before I left, the pressure washing of the hull had started.