We launched the boat without incident. This involves unhitching the trailer, extending the tongue, hitching the trailer back up, backing the boat in the water, pulling the trailer out of the water, unhitching the trailer, retracting the tongue, well, you get the picture. Rich got stuck with this duty coming and going. But he said he preferred to do that than deal with the boat. Smart man.

 Rich drove the truck and trailer back to the Neuse River Suites where they had obligingly agreed to let us park it there on the grass while we were gone. He then hiked the two blocks back down to the Oriental Inn and Marina, where I picked him up at the fuel dock and then we motored out towards the Neuse. Let the adventure begin!