Attempting to raise Slow Ride

Now that all the prep work has been done, the simulations ran, and the pumps put in place, it was finally time to raise Slow Ride from her watery grave.

As Mike points out in this video, before we start pumping out water with the pumps we must close all the openings in Slow Ride. The main openings that needed to be closed were the port side window, the rear siding class doors, the front door, and the vent cover on the starboard side. By plugging up those holes, Mike and his team hoped to maximize the outflow of water that the pumps could generate. Between the two pumps they could generate pump out 26,000 gallons of water per hour. To give you an idea of how much water that is, a large swimming pool (22×40) could be pumped out in one hour! But would they raise Slow Ride?

As Mike’s team begins pumping water they hit a snag, a piece of debris has gotten lodged in the pump and is keeping it from working. After shutting the pumps down and removing the debris the pump out continues. It takes hours but as in the simulation the bow raises out of the water first, but the stern is still underwater. This is a crucial moment in the fate of Slow Ride. With the bow out of the water it has less weight than the stern, this puts stress on the structure of the boat. If this continues for an extended period, she could falter and break into two pieces.

Late that night the stern is out of the water and Slow Ride is now floating again. But will she stay afloat through the night, only time would tell. As first light broke there she stood, beaten, battered, and scarred but still afloat. Mike and his team had done it!