by Peter McMinn » Wed Apr 14, 2004 5:55 pm
I've been in this situation and it ain't perdy. I suggest you have a good strong paddle and an anchor. Not sure what logistics you are facing, but here's what I do:
1) With sails down but at the ready, back the boat into the water.
2) When it's free of the trailer, point it away from the launch and hold onto the bow and stern lines while you wait for your crew (you have to get wet).
3) Climb into the cockpit and paddle into deeper water.
4) Lower the centerboard, grab the tiller and "rock-drive" the boat into open water (lunging your weight port to starboard with the tiller straight ahead).
5) If it's blowing, and you need to make further preparations, use the anchor to stay put until you're ready.
An idea: how about your crew parking the rig and meeting you on the water with an inflatable raft. When you're ready to fly, clip the anchor line onto the raft, point into the wind, raise the sails and you're off. This way you have something stationary to come back to, a kind of shuttle-dock.
It's also very helpful to have the verticle guide rollers that run along the side of the hull. This helps the boat stay centered when loading the trailer.
Short of this, you could lobby the powers for a ramp-side dock!
Whatever you do, let us know how it turns out.