There have been times when they put us in the sling and dropped us in the creek.

This was not one of those times.

This is -- in a way -- an After Action Review. Let's start with Intent.

Launch Intent

There was a longish list of pre-launch tasks. These must all be done before we even consider being dropped in the water. (We keep then in MacOS Notes as a shared document.)

The day of the launch, we needed to disconnect shore power, put everything that might fall down on the cabin sole, and stay out of the way of the crew.

Once in the water, we had another list of things to check: specifically any through-hulls we moved or disassembled.

Then we can motor to the dock and tie up. There's a list of "at dock" items to complete.

What Happened

Some events:

1. The aft, starboard through-hull was not assembled correctly. It leaked. We observed the bilge pump running more than once and could smell creek water in Red Ranger.

2. The Engine started on the first crank.

3. Motoring up the canal and executing a 180-degree turn went well.

4. The suggested spot on the wall was far too small. It was just about 50' long. We're 42' plus a bowsprit, and had absolutely no business going in there. I didn't feel confident but tried anyway. Big Mistake. I hit the dock hard. Really hard.

5. The solar panels would not charge. Indeed, they appeared to be simply not present.

6. The bilge pump stayed on. I had to turn off the circuit breaker. Cleaning the strainer standing on the dock with a dock hose is a mistake. Strainers are HARD to hold. Fortunately, I had two spares.

7. Fresh water filling and filter changing went perfectly.

8. CA did laundry intermixed with filling the tanks.

9. I was so distraught with the through-hull, the collision with the dock, the solar panels, and could barely eat lunch.

10. The yard let us hang in the crane while I fixed the through-hull.
11. I replaced a bad MC4 connector to get the solar panels to work.
12. I dredged a handful of muck -- mud mostly -- out of the bilge, allowing the float switch to work. Yes. The mud in the builge had collected under the arm of the float switch.
13. I managed to pour a few tablesoons of 30W oil onto my shorts. Yuck. What a god-awful mess.
14. I did not wave off a spot on the dock that was too short. I hit the piling hard; the bowsprit is a mess.

What we did right -- What we need to improve

First, and most important. We have a checklist. No "seat of the pants". We knew what we had to do.

This includes sub-checklists for things to examine before they let us go. We found, and fixed the problem.

Second. We need to improve our setup of the bronze sea-cocks. They're delivishly hard to get the compression set properly. Right now, the aft-starboard drain cannot be moved. It's just a hair too tight, I think. It's hard to test out of the water.

I think I may have misassembled the sea-cock when we adjusted it on the hard. It didn't misbehave until it was in the water. There's a flange that's locked to the central core by a D-shaped cutout. When loosened, it can very easily drift away from the D-shaped place where it sits. The nuts can be very tight, but it's not actually seated and not actually watertight.

Third. We need to improve our judgement on slips that are too damn small. I didn't wave off. I should have. The wrecked bowsprit is a symptom of failing to recognize a bad situation early enough.

Fourth. I had everything I needed to diagnose and repair the solar panels. As noted above, it was an improperly-assembled MC4 connector.

Fifth. The bilge is filled with flithy, black sludge. Years ago, we were told to use fancy bilge cleaner. Soap for a slaughterhouse, specifically. I think next year we should give it a try. It was easy (but messy) to grab two handfulls of yuck; this freed the bilge water float switch to operate properly.

See the first point again. Beyond the lists, CA has a clear set of safety-first priorities that assure we get the most important things done first, and save other things for later. We can, for example, go back to charging the batteries by running the engine for an hour every day. The solar panels aren't as important as the through-hull or bilge pump.

Tomorrow, we're going to maybe buy some groceries. Or maybe sit here. We want to assemble Scout (the dinghy), I have a halyard to replace, and the lifelines need tightening.

Today was a lot of work.