Mission
Time Line
Purchasing
Contribute to the Manual

Air chamber flotation
Compass
Dinghies
Electrical
Fall Haul-Out
Fiberglass
Hardware
Lettering and decals
Misc. gear
Oars
Painting
Rib work
Rudder and Tillers
Running Rigging/
Lines and Sheets
Sails
Spinniker Poles
Spring Launch
Standing Rigging
Trailors
Varnishing and
Brightwork
Woodworking

Spring Launch

DEFINITION
By the time of our once-annual Spring Launch in mid April, over a hundred of our fellow members have diligently worked throughout the winter off-season to thoroughly recondition our Rhodes 19’s. They look great and each is sturdy and ready for the high volume usage of Sail Chicago (that keeps our sailing costs low). “Ready” that is, AFTER we get them safely launched and sailed down to, and moored to their assigned moorings.

Each winter maintenance team should be represented by at least 50% of its members: Spring Launch and Fall Haul-Out is part of each team’s completing its commitment. Many hands make light and quick work.

Miscellaneous gear should be stored properly on the boats at pre-commissioning and left alone, out of the way.

Sail Team, must oversee the correct sails going on each boat and out of the way from hoisting bridle work area.

Mast team needs support before stepping each mast; Get team’s OK for the correct mast for that boat: all shrouds, stays, and halyards un-fouled, mast head wind indicator tightly secured, jumper struts not twisted from transport or handling.

BEFORE paddling a completed Rhodes from the wall a mooring can, do the check list: easier to get what is missing if team has it there. Teams that paddle a completed Rhodes from the wall to its mooing will ensure that all is stowed neatly, pump and sponge the bilge dry, complete the check list, again, and turn in a deficiency list to the person who did the check list at the wall.

Before paddling to mooring, confirm knowledge of the proper attachment of mooring shackle to mooring ball eye, and have an experienced hand with each team.

Carefully working together, we can launch and have great looking, smooth working boats when the official use begins in May.

ALERT/WHY

• Now, is NOT the time to let unknowledgeable or incompetent boat handling at spring launch or the sail-down destroy all that winter's work by so many of us, in the blink of an eye and set us back to worse than where we started at seasons’ end conditions. We would not say this if we had not already had it happen more than once.
• No one will more zealously protect their boat work from unintended but unknowing damage than the team members who worked together on the various parts of the boat.
• Bring your own tools; opening 11 Rhodes 19 tool boxes, walking around and passing around the boats tools is a recipe for undoing all the work to set them up complete for the season.
• Once in the water at the steel/concrete/wood wall, the boat hull must be protected by proper fenders, mooring lines and enough attentive and skilled sailors. Major structural damage is only as far off as the next little wave that lifts the boat and crushes the hull-to-deck flange, ripping off the rub rail. Same goes for any Rhodes temporarily held or tied along another Rhodes.
• Masts are matched to the boat- they are not universal fits.
• BEFORE paddling a completed Rhodes from the wall a mooring can, do the check list: easier to get what is missing if team has it there. This will be compared to the check list when it is secured to the mooring can, and any deficiency list will be given to the person who did the first check list, for resolution.
• Confirm there is an experienced crew member who understands proper attachment of mooing shackle to mooring ball eye. This person should be a mentor to all others.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Interest in learning
• Willingness to mentor others

KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE
All but the most novice Maintenance Team Leaders: Veterans include
Christa Stojanovic
Frank Pavlik
Rich Covelo
Bill Weaver

LIBRARY

Fran Baumgart write up 10/13/02

CO-ORDINATION WITH OTHER TEAMS

• ALL TEAMS – with at least 50% physical representation on the day of the event

TOOLS

Bring your own basic tools

MATERIALS

EXPENDABLES

Draft 1 - 10/26/02