Meet Rob; one of the principals at Captain's Cove. Absolute gem of a man, with decades of experience dealing with sailboats and boatyards, combined with a calm, genuine personality that makes you happy to do business with him. Rob piloted Silver Chain into the boatyard lift well, all-the-while describing the area, the history of Captain's Cove, and outlined the steps we'd be taking in hauling the boat. Throughout the day, as I was decommissioning the mast, Rob would periodically stop by, asking if I needed any tools or help. In measuring the boat for payment purposes, Rob showed up with a measuring tape, and gave ME the 'smart end', saying "this is the honorable way to do it!". Kinda restores one's faith in one's fellow man...

Before booking the work, we researched Captain's Cove Seaport, and found glowing report after glowing report. Well, I'm happy to say the reports are accurate. CCS isn't exactly cheap, but then, we do tend to get what we pay for. Highly recommended!

Well, we have the boat partially decommissioned. The mainsail is off, boom removed, and stowed below-deck, Sat/NAV system removed and stowed, and pretty much everything down below is secure. Now, time to motor over to Captain's Cove Seaport in Bridgeport, where we'll use two cranes; a conventional one to remove the mast from the boat, and a sling crane to remove the boat from the water.

Livid that someone who knew the boat...OUR BOAT!...had burglarized her, I did some investigating, made a few calls, and took some action. Details aren't important, but suffice it to say that we ended with a pair of stereo speakers and a handful of cash to replace the other missing items. Stinks that some folks feel the need to live that way.

Anyway, enough of this...we have a boat to decommission!

I arrived this morning at the boat, to find the hatch padlock missing. Down the companionway ladder I go, and into the salon. Hmm...everything looks in order.

Oh no...I see empty screw holes on the aft bulkhead. Yup...we've had a burgler! :(

The thief stole the GPS EPIRB, emergency locator beacon, which automatically activates, sending an emergency distress hail if the boat sinks, which includes her location coordinates. Damn it...that's an $800 bill stolen from us.

Looking around, I find the stereo speakers, some books and hand tools to have been taken also. Seems as though someone knew exactly what they wanted...as though they knew the boat intimately. Hmm... :(

I've arrived in Bridgeport, CT, and find the boat still afloat. Nice to see her without the snow and ice! Now, the work begins, stripping down the boat for transport to Nashville. The next 2 days are going to be really hectic! Here we go...

Well...it's early April, and the relentless winter storms which have pummeled New England have FINALLY gone. Time for Silver Chain to ship out and head home to Tennessee! We've decided in the interest of time to ship the boat BY LAND! Whuttha...?? Something so wrong with "shipping" a yacht by truck, ya know?!? We really hate to move her this way, but it's several thousand miles to Nashville by water...at the stinging pace of 7 miles an hour under power or sail...and doing the math just made us cringe!

Weve been working hard to coordinate transport of the boat, negotiating schedules between the prior owner, the marina where she now quietly sits in her slip, the marine transport company, the local marina who will haul her out of the water and gently place her on the truck using a huge crane, and the receiving marina who will do the reverse process, and gingerly slip our new baby into Old Hickory Lake. It's quite the logistical process.

Our plan calls for us to fly to Bridgeport to coordinate the process and decomission the boat for the trip, over the next 3 days. We hope to have her on the truck by next Tuesday (April 8), and for her to arrive in Tennessee just 3 days later. Fingers crossed! Stay tuned.