Mast Mischief

Storing a spare mast is a challenge for me. I don't have a space long enough and covered enough to store a 36 foot piece of Sitka Spruce. But I have a piece of wood that size and I needed a new place to store it. Thanks Sean... now how do I get it there?

Plan A: Ask Peter to tie it to his truck and bring it down to The Ramp where I could mount it on the deck of my boat with some wood put together how? I'd have to build that somehow. Then motor it down to Svendsen's, then sail back to Sausalito. I don't own an engine... thanks Brock for offering to let us use yours, or...

Plan B: Instead of using Peter's truck, use my own and buy a rack. Then follow plan A but involve shuffling cars, truck and boats and... I got a better idea. 

Plan C: Buy a rack from Peter and thank him profusely for graciously storing the mast all those years then follow Plan B... but his rack doesn't fit my truck...

Plan D: Fuggit, Nick drove his to Redwood City from Svendsen's... on a small Toyota pickup truck...

I'm gonna strap that toothpick to the roof of my pickup truck and drive it all the way to Alameda... across the Bay Bridge... at noon... just can't get caught. We'll use red flags on the front and back... shhhh.

All we need is some rope, a padded blanket, rectangle folkboat fenders, some plywood, wood to make a crutch and a bolt, washers and nut to hold it together...

Peter, can I borrow some wood? 2x6's, thank you. Your cordless circular saw's battery died. its cool, i got my cordless jig saw.

Plywood? thank you Peter.

Padded moving blanket? thanx

Bolt, washer and nut?

thanks again!  geez, I'm really not prepared am I?

I brought my fenders! :)

...hey, I'm short one length of rope to tie down the front. Look up in the loft, you say?

Hey look! Cool, spectra.

I promise to bring it back, i know how expensive this stuff is. thanks. again... I owe Peter drinks for sure. Tie down knots are important & Patrick put that stick on lockdown. Now, which way? Hmmm...

Highway jousting. It's a new Olympic sport. They just announced it. Really.

It's only scary for a little while.

We only had 2 close calls. One was the left turn off the 23rd street bridge in Alameda, the other a Bay Bridge merge with a minivan... minivans!

One of the European's at our previous SF Cup asked me about the driving rules when merging. He asked if we were to "merge like zipper." I said yes, he said why don't people drive like this here? I said i don't know. Prius owners have a similar driving dysfunction as minivans. You take a perfectly capable driver and put them behind the wheel of either those two... probably the electricity scrambling their brain waves, minivans are ego depleters, I don't know. I guess the red gym shorts I used on the ends drew his attention and he freaked out. There was no contact so, move on. What does "Pickslicker" mean? Deuces, fool... tourists (shaking my head with a facial expression of disapproval).

Ah Well, now I'm experienced. Anyone need a mast moved let me know.