Gillaroo

Home
Plans and crew
The Build
2003

Design
Model
Workshop & Table
Infusion
2004
Assembling hulls
2005
Hull Bulkheads
Bridgedeck Floor
Superstructure
2006
Completing Shell
Interior
2007
Painting
Interior
Exterior
2008
Completion
Rig
Summary
Time and Materials
Links and Suppliers

The Launch
2008
First time
Relaunch

Cruising
2008

Ireland
N.Spain
Portugal & Tarifa
Canaries

Cruising
2009

St Vincent & Grenadines
Trinidad & Tobago
Dutch Antilles
San Blas Islands (Panama)
San Blas canoes
Panama
Panama Canal
Panama - Perlas Islands
Galapagos
Galapagos
Marquesas
Marquesas
Tuomotos
Societies
Societies
Cooks
Cooks
Niue
Tonga
Tonga
New Zealand


Launch. We had always intended to launch off the beach where she was built, so we got a digger in to level the bank and way down to the water. Our local crane driver, Dago, came over before hand and had decided to move her in with several lifts. It was a tricky job as Gillaroo was at the limits of the weght/size he could manage and there was the question of how soft the beach sand was. At the first lift we had to readjust the straps as she was stern heavy. On the third one of the crane legs began to sink and I had visions of the whole thing toppling over, but it stabilised before going too far.The second picture shows us going around the corner and the third approaching the beach.

For the last lift Dago had to venture further out onto the sand. As feared he began to sink ! We had some frantic work to dig her our and support the wheels and with the help of a local farmer got her dragged onto terra firma. Another man might have given up at this point but not Dago, we built up the beach with stones and planks and he drove back for the last lift to move her as far out as possible.

The final stage of mounting the mast and waiting for the tide to come in and hopefully lift her off, which it did with 30 minutes to spare.