Arrival!

We made it to Point San Pablo Harbor just after lunch time. Only 3,450 miles of driving. 

Dog so short, boat so tall

Left everything in the car and went to open the boat. As we approached, a beautiful shepherd mix popped his head through the hatch of a sailboat just past ours, and he and Georgie had a frozen staredown. Then came a muffled whistle and the dog disappeared. But he kept popping up, like a Whack-A-Mole, to keep an eye on the new arrival.

Mike could not get the shore power hookup to work, so we got a helpful and timely visit from both the harbormaster and the marina electrician. And then we faced the moment of truth: HOW DO WE GET THE DOG ABOARD.

First, Kate had to find the back half of the Help 'Em Up harness (Proposed Loading Method 1). Tension ensued when it wasn't in the first six places she looked. Eventually it materialized.

First walkies at the marina

Behold, with Mike standing on the deck and me on the dock, we were able to guide her up the shaky dock steps and muscle her over the gap, using one harness handle apiece. This harness is fabulous! And, after all our worrying, we didn't need Methods 2-4 and were able to stow the crab pot puller, block & tackle, collapsible dog crate, reinforced strapping tape, yoga mats, ramp, and Cheez Whiz (for luring up ramp). What a relief, and now we can put the Cheez Whiz on crackers at cocktail hour.

We began the slog of unloading the car. Many cartloads later, with only some of our gear stowed, we had drinks on the upper deck. Then we muscled the dog down the steps and headed into Point Richmond for a celebratory dinner.