I alway had a pick-up or trailer to get my punt to the sea, but having become an OAP, I put my pick-up on the market and it sold within the week, for a nice amount.
But this had left me without any transport for the dinghy to the water, but we live within walking distance and the launching trolly is good, it’s only about 1/2 mile from home to the head of Carne Creek, from there I can put the trolly on top dinghy and motor down the creek to St Anthony.
On 15th April, high tide was 1650hrs, but the tide would be high enough to launch at the head of the creek by about 1500hrs. I loaded the punt with a few late delivery items for Elektra and her davits and cockpit seats, straped the dinghy down onto the trolly and set off down the mainly single track road to Carne at about 1445hrs, it was like a big wheel barrow loaded up with gear! The advantage of the narrow road is there wasn’t much traffic and over the 1/2 mile I only saw 3 vehicles, but I did get funny looks, lol.
Now down at the head of Carne Creek, I unstrapped the dinghy and launched into the water, I hadn’t tried it but the tolly sat quite securely upside down on top of the dinghy. I had run up the outboard in a water tank, but you really don’t know for sure it’s working OK until you put in gear and use for real. I pushed off out into the creek and gave it a few pulls before it fired and then started. The short run over to Elektra, never really warmed up the engine, before I stopped it again.
At Elektra, I refitted her davits and unloaded the dinghy into her cockpit, made the dinghy painter off and climbed aboard Elektra and unlocked her. Because it was a lovely day I removed her cockpit encloser which I had put up about a month ago, rolled away dry and stowed below, I also stowed the other items I had bought aboard. Then I started Elektra’s engine to check there wasn’t any problem with it for the 18th when we planned to move her down creek to St Anthony beach to load her cruising gear. Once happy the engine was fine, I shut down, turned off the power and locked up.
I climbed back into the dinghy, pulled the dinghy along Elektra’s mooring line a little to stop it being blown ashore, and starter the outboard again, it needed about 1/2 choke for a bit before it would run without, but ran very well all the way to St Anthony. This 2-stroke outboard I had bought new in 2006, now 20 years later it was still running well and it will possibly do another 20 years before it needs replacing, I think 2-stroke engines are good for a 1000hrs. I have no plans to replace it with battery outboard as many cruising sailors seem to have done these days.
After pulling the dinghy out on the trolly at St Anthony, I walked back home on the road, passing Elektra now at high water 4.8m, she wasn’t quite floating, so decided I would go to her again on the evening of the 17th to ajust her lines, pulling her out into deeper water to make sure she wouldn’t be still aground when I want to move her on the morning of the 18th.
Love Sailing 