Marina Chiapas Haul Out

Marina Chiapas, Haul Out

13 Julio 2015

After returning from Guatemala and completing the engine repairs, we spent a couple of days getting ready to put the boat on the hard. Mags was especially busy placing any unopened food into sealed containers and giving all storage spaces a clean with bleach. I had already removed the head sails so I put messengers on the halyards and pulled them up to minimize the UV effects. I did not remove the mainsail because we have a mainsail cover the goes both up the mast to protect the head of the sail and also goes down the mast to protect the halyards coiled at the mast. Puerto Chiapas is not usually in the hurricane path so I hope my decision to protect against UV and not worry about potential hurricane effects was the right decision. I removed our 120V Air Con unit and strapped the partially deflated, covered dinghy on the fore deck. The preparation list seemed endless but finally our Monday haul out date had arrived.

Enrique has his guys dive on every lift to ensure straps are correct
and a safety retainer is tied between straps

We were a little concerned because Enrique wanted us stern to into the travel lift to get a better weight distribution. The engine started fine and Mags and I approached the travel lift with trepidation. Kanilela, like most full keel or modified full keel boats, does not respond well in reverse. Added to that our 1:00PM haul out had been shifted back as the new boat stands were late coming from the fabricator.

The pressure was on, the true experts were assembled
and luck was on our side

The afternoon winds had picked up and the tide was in the middle of its fall. But the real pressure came with the audience that had assembled, drinking beer in the shade of a canopy. We were performing for Paul and Judy from s/v Grace, veterans of 5 years out cruising and Jim and Carola from s/v Kosa, veterans of 6 years cruising, not to mention numerous other potentially critical observers. The pressure was on. We glided up smoothly, played the wind and tide well, made a sharp 180 with some forward and reverse changes that tested the new transmission installation, Mags threw the 2 stern lines perfectly and as we moved back she threw the two bow lines and all was good. Memo, Enrique, Ronnie and the rest of the line handlers did their parts professionally and Kanilela was soon on the blocks and stands in the yard. The beer tasted great.