In October our little baby was put back in the water which was very exciting to say the least. I had the day off work and Simon was given the afternoon off to help with the proceedings. Our good friend Mattie came down for moral support, which was lovely.
As you can see from the photo the weather was stunning, clear blue skies. Whilst Simon was getting the launch ready to meet the boat, Simon Beer was getting Sylmara ready to be lifted in. My main concern at this point was that I would have to be on board whilst the boat was being lifted into the air, not being good with heights this made me quite nervous! Luckily this wasn't necessary, I was able to stay feet firmly on the ground.
Watching her perched in the air before going into the water was quite a sight, I was terrified they were going to drop her, but obviously they didn't!
Once in the Sylmara was in the water , I got into the work boat with Simon and he took me along side Sylmara where I climbed on board. At this point we had attracted a crowd of local people from outside the Lifeboat Station watching our efforts. No pressure then! Once I was onboard , Simon Beer released Sylmara we tried her to the work boat and together we steered her to the pontoon. It was such a lovely feeling to have her on the water and under helm.
We made it to the pontoon with no difficulties, Matthew was waiting to take our lines. What could of been a stressful event, went quite smoothly and was even enjoyable!
APART from Simon forgetting to shut the seacocks and creating a waterfall inside our boat!! Honestly he really is quite blonde at times, so after that crisis was averted, the boat seemed absolutely fine and she wasn't taking on any water at all. We checked her a couple of times in the evening but she was still afloat and happy!
It was and is a great feeling to see Sylmara back in the water, she looks fantastic! As you may remember she was painted white before, but you can see from the photos we chose to paint her a primrose yellow colour. As beautiful as her varnished hull was, the upkeep would be extremely demanding, so we decided to keep the coachouse natural and to paint the hull. I think she looks lush, what do you think??
It was a wonderful day to see our boat back in the water where she belongs and now we can go sailing !! The evening was finished off by the most incredible sunset!
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