Grace spends her winters under a silver poly tarp at Casa Rio Marina in Mayo, MD, USA. I have the yard pull the mast since I don't like the effect of high winds on the rig while she is out of the water. I can usually pull the tarp off in early March and start preparing her for launch in early April. Preparation usually consists of simply scrubbing the bottom with a bristle brush, hosing her down, repainting with an ablative paint and waxing the topsides.
Launching at this yard is done with a Travelift. The straps must be located under the best reinforced sections of the hull. Line up with the cockpit winches and the mast and you are in the right neighborhood. The straps should be tied together to prevent them from spreading apart.
Setting her down in the water is always an exciting event. There is also some apprehension as you wonder if you really did connect the seacock hoses properly or whether you screwed the rudder stopper correctly.
The lift operator should let your boat hang in the slings while you get to go down below to check that all seacocks and hoses are in proper working order. Years ago, I had a head intake leak on a previous boat. The lift operator could actually hear the water trickling in as he lowered the boat in the water and alerted me. I went below and found out that I had forgotten to tighten a hose clamp.
First sail of the season. The launching went fast and the day was perfect so why not shake her down. Notice there are no leaves on the trees yet. I usually don't get out sailing that early in the season. This was a particularly good day—warm for early April, mild breeze and plenty of sunlight.