I had several loads of laundry I wanted to finish, medication to pick up from Walgreens, and closets to organize a bit more so our family could use them while they stayed at our house while we were gone. Quickly, I prioritized what HAD to be done before we left and what would have to wait until August.
As we pulled out of the driveway in the rental car at 6:50 pm, I suggested that we pick up Good Times for dinner before hitting the road. I planned ahead and had a whole bag of car snacks to get us through the drive on Saturday, but didn't consider how those snacks wouldn't be needed if we left on Friday evening instead. Our ETA at the boat yard was 10:39 AM Central Time, but that didn't consider stops for fuel, potty, or meals. I figured it would be after 1 by the time we got there, possibly pushing it close to the 5 PM closing time. Ben wanted to get to the boat on Saturday to unload the trailer before they closed for the day, which is why we left on Friday instead of really early on Saturday.
Ben drove, the kids and I slept on and off. At one point, around 3 am, I woke up because I felt the car slow down, then stop. Ben took a 30 minute nap and then kept going.
At the World's Largest Truck Stop in Iowa, we let the dogs run and potty in a little dog park, got some breakfast, and swapped drivers so I could drive for a few hours while Ben slept.
Arrived at Cartermaran at 11:40 am, just 1 hour later than Google predicted yesterday! Crazy!
Everyone was involved with an assembly line of unpacking everything we stowed for the winter- things like the cockpit cushions and pillows, couch cushions and pillows, tubs that absorb moisture, and bedding, among other things. Most of those things went to their regular places on the boat while we occupy it, but the moisture tubs had to get thrown out and the bedding had to go to the hotel with us so I could wash it.
Besides unloading the UHaul trailer, Ben had 5 other projects he wanted to complete before the boat went into the water on Wednesday. No particular order: remove old washer/dryer and put new one in, put new lifelines on, install new tender davit pads/cushions, install a new shifter, replace the old water lines on the AC. Of course, there are always MORE projects on the to do list, but these were the initial tasks for the summer.
Not only did we have to unload the UHaul, but we had to get everything onto the boat, which was on blocks, meaning the base of the swim steps (where we get on and off the boat while it is on the land) were 6 feet in the air.
How do we get the 248-pound washer/dryer into the boat, that requires us to step up a ladder, and around all of the railings at the stern? I suggested using the davits to lift it, then moving the UHaul to set it on there like a platform, and finally load it onto the swim steps from there. It worked!
Prior to pulling out the old washer/dryer, we had to unscrew and unplug it from the cabinet it sat in, take the railing off the stairs, and remove the door and door frame from the master. Ben decided to pull heavier items off of the old one to lighten the load a bit and see what he could take off the new one to make putting it in easier. Getting that thing through the doorway (and the new one afterward) reminded me of birthing children. Whoever was on the pushing end had to count, breathe, hold, and shove simultaneously, until after 4 or 5 pushes, it had been released to the other side.
Ben got a few more things started and then we got kicked out due to the yard closing for the day. We returned the trailer, grabbed food by our hotel, checked in, got settled, showered, and went to bed by 7:30 PM. We were all ready to go to sleep in a real bed! By this point, I honestly was grateful we left Friday night. The timing of it all worked out better than I thought it would!
Over the next few days, Ben took the rental car back and forth to work on the boat, while the kids and I stayed local at the hotel, did laundry, dishes, worked out, explored the mall, and enjoyed the pool.
