So, we think we are about ready to raise the mast on this boat. Now, if you thought that watching the boat be lifted off the truck and into the water was nerve wracking, as the title says, we are going to need a bit of valium to get through this day.

So, the mast was laid on the boat and we motor the boat over to the dock that has the crane lift located on it. Now, we are in small town Minnesota and not some fancy marina on some coast, so this crane is a hand mechanical crane. It has a large wheel much like a boat lift that we turn and turn to make the large wire cable on the crane arm lift anything such as the mast. In other words, we are doing all this work ourselves.

So, here we start out with the cable attached to the mast just below the spreaders. (How much did you say this crane could lift? We can do it with just one attachment point, really?)

Well, Jennifer, our daughter and I cranked and cranked and turned that wheel to slowly start to raise the mast off the deck of the boat. Meanwhile, we had 3 guys who were guiding it’s ascent. We all, at some point, had visions of this thing sliding, not so gracefully, into the water….never to be seen again. Or, it getting wildly out of control and swinging and scraping the entire side of the boat.

Here’s that wheel we had to crank

Up and up we go…

Ok guys, we need to rotate it a little bit…

Looking good…

(In my best Bill Murray Caddyshack voice) It’s in the hole….

Ok, guys, you only have a few more feet…

Now, it’s just like putting the star on top of the Christmas tree…

Wheew……deep exhale!! The mast is in!