RAISING THE MAST

11 November, 2004. We raised the mast today with the help of Jason and one of the marina crew, Brian. Bryan, the marina owner's son, who was working nearby, said we looked like the guys at Iwo Jima raising the flag. I thought we looked more like the 4 Stooges. We finally got all the rigging secured and the boat took on a whole new look. And up until that point, we had been working around the mast because it was lying across the entire length of the boat and then some. When we traded the Tidewater for the Buccaneer, we were told that there were sails for it. None could be found. Jason contacted another marina in Annapolis, MD where we were able to pick up some sails that might fit our boat. We lifted a few mainsails and found one that fit and also kept a jib that we hadn't tried because it was too cold and rainy. Jason had given us everything from life preservers and raincoats to nautical charts. He saved us tons of money on necessities and we are eternally grateful to him for everything he's done for us. We were also given a 9.9 HP outboard by Bill, another sailboater at the marina. The gears were tore up but Rocky fixed it in a day. We were dreading the thought of throwing $1,500 at an outboard engine because we knew the 6 HP that we had wasn't going to cut it. Without Jason and Bill, we probably wouldn't have what we needed to set out. If you ever want a good deal on a boat, call Jason at 1-800-262-8004. Bill's website is www.bluehenvinyl.com.