Return to the water

Now is the time you start to worry. “Did I tighten the prop enough, will the engine start, will the seacocks fail. and the boat fill with water, can I still handle it? The yard guys here are brilliant and the infrastructure the best Ive seen but you still look at all 21 tonnes of her swaying gently in the slings and think “please don’t drop her.

Then, very gently, they lower her down until the keel kisses the water and down until she just floats and you jump on board half expecting to tell them to lift again because water is rushing in. But no! she sits happily back in her element moving gently. You “burp’ the stern gland to make sure it doesn’t run dry, check all the through hulls and tell the guys they can take the slings away - she’s a boat again, free at last.