Take It Easy, Greasy!

I used to hear that phrase a lot as a kid. And although I never learned the origin or meaning of it, I've always figured it had something to do with slowing down whatever you happen to be doing and get it right, so that you don't injure yourself and/or damage something in the process. In this case, I'm taking the phrase as a self-admonishment to be extra careful when it comes to launching and recovering my boat, especially since I frequently am performing the task solo.

As Wayne, my boat mechanic, reminded me a couple of times yesterday, it's going to be in my best interests to be extra careful during boat launch and recovery now that I have Caliber bunk wrap on my trailer. He especially cautioned me about always backing down to the water's edge before unhooking the bow strap, as well as hooking up that strap before pulling the boat up the ramp at day's end.

I read about a fella who just had redone the bottom of his bass rig and applied a fresh coat of wax before taking it to a local lake. He climbed into the boat, with his wife behind the wheel of the tow vehicle. All was cool until she accidentally popped the clutch a little too hard while pulling away. The wet boat slid off the wet bunks and smacked the concrete. She stopped before it was all the way off the trailer, so he hooked up the bow strap and tried to winch the boat back on. That effort failed, however, so he ended up pushing the boat down the ramp with the trailer. Then it was back to the shop for more fiberglass repair.

While digging around the Internet this morning, I happened across a couple of links that I'm including here. They both offer guidance about how to launch and recover a boat when you're alone.

https://scout.com/outdoors/bass-fishing/Article/3-Step-Process-to-Launch-a-Boat-by-Yourself-101453129/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4bSrjOuVD4

There are plenty of scratches on the bottom of my boat to prove I've had personal encounters with a host of West Neck and Pocaty stumps and laydowns. However, I plan to keep going out of my way to avoid dumping my boat in the middle of the ramp.