Launch on Heckman's Island

On Monday John invited me, if I was interested, to go with him the next morning for the launch of Ed’s boat down in Lunenburg County. I wasn’t sure about it, since I knew that John and Ed had sailed together many times and didn’t want to be just a tag-along. John reassured me that it was a social event and told me he’d be leaving around 8 if I was interested. I realized that I was.

The next morning we drove down to Ed’s place, which is at one end of Heckman’s Island, on a lovely little piece of Lunenburg County drumlin and shoreline. The day started with some discussion and consultation at the beach with Ed and his neighbour Lorne (it was reported that Dave, who had not yet arrived, wanted to jack the aft end of the cradle and get some oil or grease under to help get the boat moving) and checking out gear before we went up to the house for tea and more discussion.
When we went back down to the beach a few people had started to arrive. It was, as John had suggested, a social event, and some of the others had t-shirts that read Heckman’s Island Boat Hauling Crew, which suggested that they were not first-timers like me. Most of the others were guys and seemed from a quick look to be part of the same demographic as John and me; that is, there was a predominance of geezers.
We started assembling a skid way of six by six timbers that were still greasy from the haul of the Concertina last fall. Pulp hooks were the tool of choice since these slippery babies were not be picked up by hand. Someone used a pry bar while someone else knocked in the iron dogs that held the timbers together. Soon enough the skid way was built, with extra timbers set off to the side to extend it later, and some jacking and oiling was done. The boat on its cradle was also well secured with block and tackle and a bight around a tree in case she started to take off on her own.
The tide was dead low. Everything was ready. We all stood around the beach waiting. I understood that a guy named Philip was coming with a tow truck but that he was a little later than planned. When he did arrive the action started.
It was clear that Philip had done this before as he drove his truck down to the water’s edge, hooked the cable onto the aft end of the cradle, and began to pull. Guys with long pry bars stood by on either side to try to muscle the cradle back into line if it started to stray, but she moved down nicely, needing only a couple of nudges along the way. Once she was out of the shed, the first sections of the skid way were taken apart and moved down to the water next to the tow truck.
When Philip had pulled her down as far as he could, he drove the truck up into the shed and connected with the pushing device built out of a couple of tree trunks and heavy iron pins. We got the skid extensions put together and he proceeded to push the boat and cradle down into the water.
The last part was loading the lead weights onto the cradle so that it would stay on the bottom and allow Concertina to float off when the tide came up around 7 that evening.
I would like to have stayed to see that because she is a pretty boat (look here). However, others of the geezer crew were planning to come back later to make sure she did float off and help get her out to the mooring, so John and I headed back to the city. I may not have been able to help a whole lot, but I was a little more than just a tag-along, and now I have my own Heckman’s Island Boat Hauling Crew t-shirt.

Guess I’ll have to come back in the fall to actually earn the shirt!