August 18th Cool Hand has her Mast taken down - Fair Point Marina NY - ready for Canal

After a day of stiff winds this morning promised to be a beautiful day - a good day for our mast to come down. We have fretted enough and Jon Libby (manager of Fair Point Marina) brought up the lift to the haul out well and we were good to go.  To travel the Erie Canal you can not be taller than 20' - with a 60' mast that makes ducking under bridges a little difficult.  I tried to contact several marinas that advertise they step masts, Jon at Fair Point Marina was the only one to answer all my questions and then helped us to find a truck to ship our mast to the other end.  Fair Point gets 10 stars from us.

Cool Hand in the haul out well - tied and secured

first our  boom had to come off. She is heavier than she looks

All of the wires and lines (maybe sheets) were loosened
and secured to the mast

the crane was brought up and put in place

Jon Libby got into a bosen seat and up the mast he went.

he looks relaxed - I'm just a little nervous

Tom went below and slowly they started to pull
her up

free from the hold they now guided her over our
life lines and out on to the grass

once she was free from Cool Hand - slowly they lowered
the mast on to some saw horses for us to take off her
spreaders and other things.

Cool Hand is now a motor boat until we finish traveling the
Erie Canal.