Sometimes, double checking is not enough.

[Wayne Howard]

It happened to me.

Connie and I had just become the proud owners of a 21 foot used sailboat. We had made several trips with the previous owners where they walked us through setup and launching of the boat. So on our first trip by ourselves, we set up the boat and extended the trailer tongue and we were ready to launch. Connie is walking alongside the boat holding the dock lines while I back the boat down to the ramp. A little short of the water, I stop the truck to get out and look over the ramp one final time. Well, the truck stopped but not the trailer. It seems that when we extended the tongue we missed the hole when we put the pin back in and were actually BEHIND the tongue extension. Away goes the trailer, boat and Connie headed down the ramp to  launch. We just missed the dock and definitely launched when the trailer wheels ran off the end of the ramp and the trailer frame dropped on to the ramp.

I waded out to the trailer with a rope tied to the truck to prevent it from going farther into the water. With the help of some friendly fishermen who wondered why we were rope launching our boat on such a good ramp, we got the trailer wheels over the end of the ramp and back onto solid ground. We re-attached the trailer to the truck and decided that as the boat was in the water we might as well go sailing. We had a wonderful weekend and you can be sure we checked the pin placement carefully when we got ready to retrieve the boat.

[Timm R Oday25]

       Ramp antics are always fun whenever it's not you

[Captain Kidd]

My most spectacular launching came early in my sailing career. I was launching my Kells 23. I backed into the water but the boat was being stubborn and wouldn't come off the trailer. I figured a little farther into the water, hit the brakes and off she'd come. Nope. A little farther and repeat. Nope! Before I knew it, my rwd car lost traction. I couldn't pull out! I put the parking brake on to get out and assess the situation. My parking brake locked the rear wheels which were now floating, so the brake was of no use! My car drifted farther into the water! I jumped back in and was trapped. About that time my wife showed up. We had arranged for her to come after I had time to launch the boat. Great. Here's my car bobbing in the waves and somehow I've got to explain this to her. I wound up calling a friend who came and pulled me out.

As it turned out, I had forgotten to remove the strap that secured the boat to the trailer! That boat wasn't coming off the trailer!

I bent the trailer up pretty good but we took it to my friend's work and with a piece of heavy equipment we straightened it out.

Now we talk about the day I baptized my car!

Just one of my many boating stories!