CAptain's Blog: 14 August 2010

Well no boating this weekend.  I found out that I fractured my Scapula and should probably not stress my shoulder anymore than I have to.  With any luck I can try again next week.  So until then, have fun out there!

Captain's Blog: 31 May 2010 (Voyage# ??)

This blog entry is from an earlier voyage we made this past memorial day with friends from NYC.  They were kind enough to inform me that we hadn't posted our voyage with them.  Of coarse, I hadn't started this blog until much later, but you know how New Yorkers are  .   .   .  a pain in the stern!  Of coarse I can say that being a New Yorker (you can take the boy out of New York, but you can't take New York out of the boy.  OK so, I'm pushing the boy image, but it's my blog!

Our very best friends from New York came to stay with us over the memorial day weekend.  Dee, Danny, Maria and Matt.  We decided that since our little boat could not possibly support the weight of 6 people on board at the same time,  we would find a beach near the ramp and use that as our base camp.  So we loaded the boat with lots of gear and a few bodies, and headed out.  We found our beach about 3 minutes from the ramp, set up camp and went back for a second trip of gear and bodies.  Once we were set up it was time to do what we had come for  .  .  .  drinking, grilling and laughs!  I even convinced some people to let me take them out tubing.  Now this sport is not for everyone, but we did have an expert on hand, Danny,  to show us all how it's done.  And yes, Deb even convinced me to do it with her at the helm.  Although I should have known from her evil laugh that I didn't stand a chance in hell of staying on the damn thing, but it was great fun!  I hadn't tubed for years, and it will be years again as long as Deb's driving!

It was a great day!  We had a blast, and I even created a new dish called Bar-B-Aki.  Don't laugh,  some of the greatest creations happen by accident!  It was really nice being able to share our new boat with old friends.  Dee had been on the boat in Cooperstown many years ago, when it was still my dad's,  so she could really appreciate all of the changes.  I hope it won't be too long from now, and we will get them back out there on the river.  Till then, bottoms up!

Captain's Blog: 8 August 2010 (Voyage #23)

Well we finally made it back on the river.  I must send out a personal thank you to my dad (previous boat captain).  He was kind enough to read my blog (Voyage #22) about our battery dying, and was generous enough to send us the funds for a replacement.  Thank you again dad for your seemingly endless generosity.  This has certainly bought you a dinner cruise, or two, or three the next visits you make.  Also another special thanks to Tim and Vicki who have also lend their help in keeping us on the river.

Now anyone who knows us, knows our luck isn't the greatest.  In keeping with tradition, I injured my shoulder last week at work, and I am now in an arm sling trying to find out just how bad I hurt myself.  Not to mention a touch of stomach flu to boot.  Needless to say, it was time for my first mate (Deb),  and our son Rob to take on some added responsibilities  Rob handled all of the muscle work when launching the boat, and pulling the boat out of the water.  Deb dealt with the motor lifts, gas refueling, and let's not forget about opening my beer (very important stuff).   And she did it all without a single complaint.  And if anyone knows me, that's not easy.  Thanks Deb, an extra ration of rum for you!

It was a wonderful feeling when I turned the ignition key, and she stared right up.  From there on it was just a beautiful day.  It had been a long period of time since we were on on the boat, due to one reason or another.  It was relaxing and enjoyable, and I actually felt a sense of relief being on the boat again (not too obsessed, huh!).  You know the saying you don't know how much somethings means to you until you can't have it.  I'm here to tell you it's true.
Not much exciting happened out there on this voyage.  We saw plenty of Blue Heron.  We did stop at our beach for a bite to eat.  And yes, we used our handy-dandy grill.  Deb made hot pastrami sandwiches, which were great.  We did use a tank of gas, and even dipped into our reserve a bit, but it was a great day to drive around and see the sights. 
Well that's it for now, so until we see you on the river again . . . ahoy!

Capatain's Blog: August 1, 2010 (Voyage #22) *Almost!

Well it's another great weekend.  We couldn't afford to go out both Saturday and Sunday, and since it's Deb's birthday on Sunday we decided to go out then.  We arrived at Rourke Bros. Memorial Boat Ramp about 9:30.  I had made homemade bagels the night before to bring for our ritual breakfast on the beach.  My son Robert needed to use the truck today and agreed to drop us off, and pick us up later that evening.  We launched the boat and waved good-bye to Rob.  I lowered the motor, got behind the steering wheel, turned the key, the engine rev'd up and then slowly died.
I repeated this process several times, thinking we haven't been out for a couple of weeks, but to no avail.  It was time to really see what was happening.  A closer inspection revealed a gas line hose clamp that had failed, and we were probably taking in air, and that's why we kept dying.  Having been trained by a very prepared boat caption (my dad), I had additional hose clamps in my emergency kit.  I replaced the clamp, fixed the leak, and tried again.  Only this time, there wasn't enough kick left in the battery to turn her over.
We sat just off of the ramp waiting to see if we could get her going, but no luck.  We were dead in the water, literally, and it was time to face reality.  We just weren't getting out there today.  It was time to call our son back from Nashua to rescue us.  Rob returned, and we pulled Third Generation out of the water and headed back home with long faces.  Even the boat looked depressed!

As soon as we pulled in the driveway I hooked up the battery charger and she kicked right over.   I can't tell you how hard it was making the decision not to risk breaking down with a weak battery, but let's face it, the probability was pretty good that we would be rowing this afternoon instead of motoring.  Considering it was Deb's birthday . . . would you have taken the chance?  The battery was old and it was starting to loose it's charge after only a short time.  I guess it's time to face reality and accept the fact that we need to buy a new marine battery.  Considering our economic times it may be a bit before we get on the river again, so in the meantime we are going to have to be happy with our new port,  So until we see you on the river again!  Ahoy from our driveway in Port Nashua!

A special thanks to Gary, Linda and April for stopping by and making Deb's B-day a little brighter!