The time has come for the Arr!! to be hauled out for the season. Dear Husband is going to spend the night on the boat so that he can get an early start on Saturday morning. He wants to be at the front of the line at the crane, where they un-step the mast. Then, he can motor down the Chicago River to the boat yard, where the boat will be craned out onto the trailer.
Normally, boating season goes to October 15th, but we asked Dear Husband to join us on a visit to my sister and her family in Indiana next weekend. The boat yard announced the day the crane would be set to take down masts, so he didn't have a lot of choice about when the boat would come home. If he misses the crane on Saturday, he'll have to join a flotilla of sailboats going down river, which is a lot more work.
Flotillas gather so that they can all go through the bridges at the same time. The City of Chicago used to open a bridge for any sailboat that wanted to pass, but a number of years ago, Mayor Daley changed that practice. Now, the river fills up with sailboats waiting for the bridges to open. It can be dangerous when the river is clogged with small boats. They are obligated to yield the right of way to commercial vessels and government vessels. You have to give way to tour boats, tugs, and fire-fighting boats. So, if DH has the option to motor down the river ahead of the pack, that's his preference.
Saturday afternoon, he'll make it back to our corner of the world, and he will very carefully back the Arr!! up our driveway, and settle her in the north 40. He'll have to back up close to 300 feet, with a gentle bend about half way. Right at that spot, there are trees on either side of the drive. It's quite a process, getting it settled for the winter.
Over the next month he'll unload the perishables, and anything that won't winter over well on the boat. The bilges will have been emptied, and he'll pour a couple of gallons of cheap vodka in to winterize them. Maybe by Thanksgiving, I'll see him again. Home is the sailor, home from the sea.
Welcome home, Arr!!