S1.29 - Wrapping Up Season 1 on Lucky Enough
Sept 22: From Maiden Voyage to Final Docking
119 days after we embarked on our maiden voyage (see S1.1), we've clocked 3,153 nautical miles and spent 115 nights on board Lucky Enough, with a mere 4 nights on solid ground (see S1.19). Among our many journeys, the longest was the 314 NM passage on June 14-15 from Lisbon to Gibraltar (see S1.8). The windiest was June 23rd, battling 28 KTS winds with 46 KTS gusts from Aguadulce to Almeria and back (see S1.9), rivaled only by our trek through the Corinth Canal, where gusts exceeded 31 knots (see S1.27).
Haul-Out by Olympic Marine in Lavrion, Greece
We arrived at Lavrio Marina about an hour before what would be our first haul-out. Torsten, our good friend and marina Yoda, was there to greet us, which was a godsend. He knows this place like the back of his hand and guided us through the yacht services and haul-out procedures like a pro. After unloading some of our heavier items onto the dock, we repositioned ourselves into the custom designed narrow slip to wait for the lift to arrive.
Positioned in Narrow Slip
Waiting for Lift
Luckily, Privilège marked the boat well, ensuring no structural damage from the lifting straps.
Lucky Enough is out of the water
The Olympic Marine crew were top-notch. They positioned the straps precisely and lifted Lucky Enough with the grace of a ballet dancer, maneuvering through tight spaces with remarkable precision. It was like watching a giant, mechanical “pas de deux”.
Maneuvering in tight spaces
On The Hard
They lowered her onto tall metal stilts and wedged in shims to keep her plumb and level. Before we knew it, they were pressure washing the hulls, marking the start of her winterization process and prepping her for a well-deserved winter nap.
The Two-Week Scramble
From Sept 23 to Oct 4, Ryan was in full project manager mode. He met with the Olympic Marine folks for the main maintenance, Yacht Tech for our Yammer engines, Nikko with Karats Sails, and Miguel (the Electrician Ninja) with AMZ, explaining our laundry list of tasks and negotiating quotes. Armed with detailed spreadsheets and timelines, he orchestrated the chaos with military precision.
Meanwhile, we transformed into cleaning dervishes, scrubbing every nook and cranny inside and out, taking inventory, sealing food, clothes and linnens, winterizing systems, dismantling and securing exterior gear, cleaning anchors, winterizing Ugh, and taking down sails.
Karatzi Sails: Nikko's and his team taking down sails
Our to-do list grew faster than we could tackle it, but we finally peeled off the last sticky note.
This was the last of the “to do’s”. At one point the whole pane of glass from top to floor was covered.
Bidding Farewell to Lucky Enough
With everything done, we were ready to begin our journey home to Scottsdale, with pit stops in Düsseldorf for a hockey game and Paris for a couple of weeks of much-needed R&R, and chance to connect and spend time with our nephew Patrick (who was also on an adventure of his own).
Season 1 is in the books. We're ready for some land time, but we're already missing our baby and dreaming of next spring.
Goodbye for now, Lucky Enough.
Thanks for keeping us safe and sound!