"On the hard" at Snead Island Boat Yard

On Sunday, May 29th we began preparing Jupiter's Smile for her first, ever, long term rest on land.  We need to be ready for hauling the boat out of the water on June 1st.  The to do list includes removing the three sails, the canvas bimini and dodger, and two of our three solar panels.  The sails and canvas were stowed below inside the cabin along with the deflated and rolled dinghy.  Clothes, seat cushions, food, the portable generator, the bicycles, the Hydrovane autohelm and the dinghy motor came off the boat and went into the rear of a rented SUV in two shifts.   This was all done while the boat was at the dock and we had the air conditioning running in the ninety degree heat.  Larry and Christina are storing these items until we return with our own van later in the month.

We have items on the boat that we have never used.  This will be the time to remove these things, the biggest being the Hydrovane autohelm.  It will also be an opportunity to do a really deep, Spring cleaning.   

Our boat's radar and windmill are seen beyond the white boat in the center

Once the boat was hauled, power washed and held in place with properly chained stands in "Yard  B", we clammered aboard to remove the two solar panels.  I wanted to do this task over land instead of over water just in case something dropped. 


I want to reduce the windage in case of storms this season.  The windmill blades are feathered and one blade is tied to the supporting pole so it will not turn in the wind.  I am leaving one solar panel in place to keep the batteries charged.  The other two panels are stored, hopefully out of harms way, inside the cabin.

It looks like a mess inside, and I guess it is, but the rolled up dinghy is just out of this view below, on the left on the port settee.  On sole (the floor) there is the cooler and the hatch is open for ventilation.  The whisker pole is to the right of the hatch.  Next to the whisker pole one the starboard settee are our fender boards, a boat hook, the cockpit cushions and then the two solar panels.  In the forward cabin, the mattress is folded and the sails and some clean laundry is stowed on the forward berth in bags.

The boat is strapped down with anchors screwed into the ground...

...and the instruments are covered with Barb's handiwork.

We leave Jupiter's Smile as safely protected and prepared for the hurricane season as we can.  Be safe, little boat!  We love you!

Check the Blog http://jupiterssmileisdocked.blogspot.com/ for any news until our return at the end of October.

Colorado, here we come!