Saturday, I met Joel and Bob back at Boulder Marina. The Pascagoula Run was no longer sitting in the cradle that has held her for the past ten years; she was up in the slings, and Bob was applying the last few coats of bottom paint to the keel. The sun was baking down on all of us at around 100 degrees, and while we waited for the paint to dry, Joel, Garth, Amanda, and I went for a swim in Cole’s Creek just down the road. When we got back, Joel decided it was finally time. Joel, Bob, and I took our places on deck, and Schmitty fired up the tractor and gingerly led the boat to water. After checking for leaks (thankfully there weren’t any, due to Joel and Bob’s great job installing the new seacocks), the slings were removed, and she glided into the water. We motored over to her new berth, with Garth and Amanda taking video, and several other members of the marina taking pictures and hollering their congratulations. Needless to say, Joel and I are so proud of our boat, and so thankful to those who helped us get this far.
