Engine man?

[aquaplane]

It sounds like they are making progress.

The bloke who has a workshop at Sandpoint has agreed to do the work in April. Their season starts in May this year.

George Hulley's shop is unmanned, he isn't very well, I don't know the name of the guy doing the work.

[Aja]

Gardenshed...

..sorry - but George has not been in the best of health recently - and hasn't been able to open up the chandlery for a number of weeks.

Here's hoping he recovers soon and gets behind his counter where he belongs.

Regards
Donald

[Gardenshed]

Aja
Truly sorry to hear that he's not well. Hope he recovers and gets back where he belongs, providing wisdom and advice in his inimitable style!

[Arghiro]

It must be 25 years since I launched down the ramp at Sandpoint & took up a trot opposite. Was George the guy there then?

Even after this length of time I remember a very helpful bloke that sold me a beautiful old wooden jibstick off an old racing yacht for Arghiro. It had been in the loft for years & he asked a reasonable price (it would have to be cheap for me to buy, especially back then).

I have fond memories of Sandpoint & the Leven.

[Aja]

It must be 25 years since I launched down the ramp at Sandpoint & took up a trot opposite. Was George the guy there then?

I have fond memories of Sandpoint & the Leven.

George was more than likely running McAllisters as it was then. If he was a rather small bustling man with an 'independent' mindset - that would be our George - a one-off... If you were launching from the slip within 'A' shed that was always fun!

Regards
Donald

[Aja]

Aja
Truly sorry to hear that he's not well. Hope he recovers and gets back where he belongs, providing wisdom and advice in his inimitable style!

Not been able to open since February - last time I stopped in for a coffee. He wasn't very forthcoming as to any problems, but that is just the way he is.

Regards
Donald

[Arghiro]

That would be him, excellent guy. I think he offered to launch for us, but I reckoned we could manage on our own & simply paid the modest fee for slipway use.

We launched off our road trolley down a steep outdoor slip off a yard. I unhitched the trailer, braked it & tied it with a long rope to the hitch on our antique (even then) Range Rover. We then got everything ready & I eased the brake on the trailer, fully expecting to let it roll gently down to the river, controlling the rate of descent with the handbrake.

[Arghiro]

Saga Pt2

Of course things did not go as I planned! 5 ton of boat on a steep slope is not as easily controlled as a caravan. It quickly gathered pace, much faster than I could apply the brake. It was at this point that I realised that the jockey wheel was not as free to rotate as it should be & the trailer, complete with boat veered to the left, just missing the concrete side of the ramp as it shot into the water in a classic lifeboat launch (but at 45deg off to port) & bobbed up off the trailer.

Fortunately, the rope stopped the trailer & I had rigged 2 warps to the boat, so nothing was damaged but my pride. George never said a word, bless him, but I can imagine what he was thinking! I would do it using the car & rope today, reversing down the slip, but that was my first (and last) attempt at "trailer sailing" our Westerly 25.