Cheoy Lee 41"Astraea"

 

I was in my last stage of planning to leave for Mexico when, at the last minute, I received a job offer that I found impossible to decline.  Although the job opportunity was a good one, unfortunately it was in Herndon, Va.  Having been a Naval Officer for 21 years I am accustomed to being away from home for work, however I did not know what to do with Astraea while I was in Virginia.  I was not going to leave her unattended for months.  The only solution was to take her with  me!  However one does not easily tow a 41 foot sailboat, weighing 24,000 pounds, from San Diego to Gaylesville, Maryland.  After checking out several boat transport companies I was fortunate to find a truely professional and conscientious transport company, J. Daniel Marine Transport.  Dan and his wife Nancy treated Astraea like she was their own and got her across country quickly and professionally.  They also provided almost daily status reports and pictures!  These pictures I am sharing below. 

Knight and Carver, the boat yard in San Diego, prepared Astraea for transport and on June 1, 2010, she was off across country. 

Ready to Roll.  Astraea at Knight and Carver Boat Yard in San Diego, California.  She is aboard the tranport truck of Nancy and Dan of J Daniel Marine Trucking Company.  

Oversized Load.  Understatement.

The masts are lashed to the starboard side of the truck.

Underway from San Diego at 3am, June 1, 2010. 

 

Arizona.  She is out of California for the first time in many years.

Gila Bend, Arizona.  Runaway Truck Ramp!!!!  Yikes!!!!

Crossing Arizona.

New Mexico. 

Texas

Arkansas

Great picture of Astraea in West Memphis.  Waiting to cross the Mississippi. 

Astraea crossing the Mighty Mississippi

Maryland At Last!!!

The Washington

Beltway.  Tight restrictions kept her off the road during rush hour.

 

Some expet driving as Astraea arrives at her new marina in Gaylesville, Maryland, about 15 miles South of Annapolis.

Recommissioning Astraea is going to be a big job.  I hope the yard at Hartge is up to the task!  It was most disapppointing to find that the people at Knight and Carver in San Diego had not removed the sails, but had left the sails and many of the lines attached to the booms.  They had just then put them into the main salon, scratching up the newly refinished cabin sole.  A very unprofessional job, and certainly not respresentative of what I had expected from them. 

Astraea with a good wash and wax job, and waiting for her new coat of bottom paint, new zincs, and to be launched into the Chesapeake.

As I had mentioned, the booms and sails and much of the lines were just dumped into the main salon  A very unprofessional job by Knight and Carver in San Diego.  Unfortunately I could not be there whent he preparations were made and I had to trust people I did not know.  Not a surprise that they did a poor job.

 

The cockpit and helm packed for the trip.

 

The masts ready for stepping.  It was most surprising that Knight and Carver did not remove the jib sail from the forestay.  This would have much better protected the sail fabric. 

Astraea sits mastless at berth 523 at Hartge Yacht Marina.  Finally in the water again!  This time in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, far from the San Francisco Bay where we started the odyssey.  Awaiting the boatyard to get the masts restepped and all the rigging back aboard.