We have to get moving

It's a week until we are scheduled to go into the water and we still have some stuff to do. Sure, the chances of getting in on the date requested are slim to none, but we like to be ready on time, even if the boatyard isn't.

With that in mind, we skipped out of work for a few hours today finish caulking a few spots so we can put the rub rail back on Saturday and take the bridge enclosure down so we can get a zipper re-fastened.

When we got to the boat yard, they were installing new pilings to replace the ones that were carried away by the ice last winter. We didn't have a lot of time but we had to stop and watch how these guys actually drive a 50 ft. piling into the river bed. Each piling takes perhaps 20 minutes and these guys work only for cash.

The tug is really small and its "steering station" is on its roof. The barge is 50-60 ft. long and carries a giant air compressor, a crane and a half dozen pilings. There appeared to be four crew members. They anchor in the river by dropping a long steel tube through a hole in the barge.

You can see those two long anchor tubes in this shot that we took while they repositioned the rig to drive in another piling. Once they get where they want to be, they put a piling over the side and lower a compressed air hammer over the top and begin whacking it down into position on the river bottom.

Once the piling is in place and at the depth they want, they use the crane to pull out the long metal tube that has been holding them in place and move on the the next spot. We know that this type of work is done everywhere but it was still fun to watch.

Then it was off to the shed to caulk those little spots so we can reinstall the rub rail and then take down our bridge enclosure. That's always a fun job and once again this year, we ended with all that canvas wrapped around us. We did get it off and tomorrow it's off to get a zipper fastened back in place.