Merry Launchmas!

The launch went off without a hitch! I was able to burn a half day at work to pick up the boat so I could get Jep rigged for the 4 o'clock launch. I chose to launch at the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center (MCSC) as their launch fee includes stepping the mast. When I haul the boat out in the fall, their fee includes de-masting and power washing the hull! It's a great deal.

After routing my new halyards, boom topping lift, Lazy Jeps, flag halyard, and a few other miscellaneous items, we got Jep in the slings. The slings were not exactly centered on the boat, but it allowed Pete to use his air gun to finish painting the swing keel and other areas of the bottom. I was unable to change the keel control line. I'll make another attempt at the end of the season.

Both Mike and LT came down to help, so of course, we had a celebration beer once the mast was in place.

Mike and I motored out of McKinley, through the harbor and up the river to my slip. The wind was blowing about 20 knots straight out of the west. Unfortunately, where my slip is on the Milwaukee River, the river runs east/west. I have never in my short time here in Milwaukee seen the current of the river so strong! Mike and I did a bit of a crash landing, but she was in! Let the post-launch projects begin!

Jep Is Ready For Launch

Today Chad and I put the final touches on Jep before the launch this week.

I arrived at the barn in East Troy around 9 this morning. Two weeks ago, I applied oxidation remover to the starboard side of the boat so today I completed the port side. Oxidation remover does exactly what it says - removes any oxidation from the surface of your fiberglass. Oxidation creates a dull, hazy finish on the surface of gel coat.

After the oxidation remover was applied and buffed off, Chad and I secured the shore power inlet. When we originally started the shore power project, we were unable to completely secure the shore power inlet to the boat because the holes in the back plate (for added strength and security) were misaligned. Today we drilled through the back plate to give us some "wiggle room" and bolted the inlet to the boat.

The next project was to attach the halyard organizer plate to the deck. To complete this project, we had to remove the mast step plate as a template so we could drill the necessary holes in the organizer plate to attach to the deck. After destroying a couple screws, we finally got everything put back together.

We then took the mast off of the boat and laid it out on the grass. This allowed me to rig the topping lift for the boom and install the main lines for the Lazy Jeps.

Once we got the mast back on the boat, the barn owner pulled the boat out of the barn with his tractor. We applied a coat of wax, attached the rest of the exterior bright work (wood) and filled a couple areas with marine silicone! DONE! I'm hoping to be in the water by Friday!