trishlaplaca Original Post November 15, 2022
Many of us know how it feels to leave a beloved pet behind when we go away. Will he be taken care of well? Will he be happy and okay?
I know. It sounds absolutely ridiculous to compare leaving a boat in a marina for winter storage with leaving a sweet pet. But in our defense, Jeff and I had grown similarly attached to our Oyster and weren’t quite ready to leave her. There would’ve been so many more adventures ahead if we had cruised all the way down to Florida as planned! But this was the best solution at this point. The idea of searching for a slip for her in the competitive aftermath of Hurricane Ian down south would have been far worse.
Besides, we reasoned, family-run Petzold’s Marine had an excellent reputation. Jeff and I knew instinctively that Oyster would be well taken care of simply by virtue of our telephone dealings with them. Not that that fact kept our final moments before arriving at the dock any less bittersweet. Ugh.
Petzold manager Heather awaited us at the lifting-well area. Once docked we stored everything properly inside and out to survive the winter. Jeff’s brother Jay came with his truck and the boys loaded our wicker sofa and bags of belongings to be put away in his garage. Seriously, I don’t know what we would do without our families. How they put up with we vagabonds is beyond understanding. But we sure are happy and appreciative that they do!
While I covered the last few cushions with sheets inside, a machine outside began to whir and beep noisily. Within seconds we were rising up high above the water!
“Oh my word!” I shouted. Jeff who looked equally surprised. “I thought they’d make us leave the boat before they did this. This is SO cool!” Jeff nodded heartily, smiling back at me.
The immense travel lift machine had run itself neatly along Oyster’s sides while two slings cradled the boat’s fore and aft bottom like massive thongs. Little by little we came to reach full height and it rolled us out of the water. I peered down at our car in the lot from high above. What a kick!
We finished our chores onboard and gathered anything else we’d be taking with us. Below us the marina continued to buzz with activity and traffic – we weren’t the only ones whose boat was to be taken care of in this busy season. A worker brought a ladder up to Oyster and we handed boxes and bags down. I wasn’t keen on having to climb down the boat’s little swim ladder and down the tall one below, but the guys held it still and I wound myself down. It’s pathetic to think it, but little by little I might even be earning some “adventure woman” stripes!
Anyway, the next step was for Oyster to get a good wash down. Once done, she was lowered onto a traveling ground trailer to be placed into her spot and set up on stilts. Jeff and I were amazed with the efficiency of the entire process. Petzold’s Marine is one very classy operation.
A TIME FOR EVERY SEASON
And that was it, the anticlimactic end to our wonderful boating adventure. Not being able to quite let go, Jeff returned the very next day to prepare Oyster for a nice stripe of fresh bottom paint. I joined him the day after that and sanded down the larger stripe around the hull while he painted. We’ll give that one a coat in the spring when we have more time.
It was finally time to get on our way down to Florida. We had had a wonderful time on our maiden voyages but it was time no matter how much we resisted it. The idea now is to simply generate different fun things to explore and do, right? So with that, Jeff and I chose to avoid traveling down good ol’ boring Rte. 95. Instead, we will wind our way south by way of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country and Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive in Virginia. We also plan to make stops in Asheville, North Carolina to tour the Biltmore Estate and stay with dear friends on Dataw Island in South Carolina. We had a whole new journey ahead, this time on land. Sure hope you come along!!
