In order to get the keel down, I sailed the Eejit from where she is moored in Carr Inlet, to Home (The actual name of the town, not "my" home) where my step father was waiting with a trailer. We towed it back to my mothers where I am working on it now.
The previous owner said the last time it was down was a few months ago, and it has been in salt water, so it is stuck good. I applied a bar and sledge hammer to it from the top, and managed to get it down as far as the trailer allows, but it was NOT an easy effort. I used a hydraulic jack to get it back up. In the process I managed to break the shackle that attaches the cable from the winch, so I will end up cutting the fiberglass to drill a hole through the keel and attach another one, then repairing the fiberglass. I filled a squirt bottle with mineral spirits and soaked her down good from above. It will be a night of love taps with the sledge alternating with more paint thinner as penetrating oil. I will have pics up of the process as I go.
I hope to have it back in the water in the next couple days. In the mean time I am taking advantage of having the boat near power tools!
I will post more about the trip to get here later. the weather was nice so we went the long way and took a couple days. It was a beautiful trip including briefly being followed by a pod of porpoises which do not often make it in to Puget Sound.
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