Captains Blog - June 13th, 2015

This is the weekend that we took the boats 1st captain (my dad), on an inspection cruise.  Saturday was a very hot & sunny day.  We went to Parker's Maple Barn for breakfast instead.

Sunday was a much better day.  We ( Dad, Jazzy, Deb and myself) got on the water about 11:00 or so, and headed to the camp.

It was a nice cruise, but no eagle today.  We did see Police Water Patrol, and followed them as far as our camp.  Once we were setup, Jazzy immediately wanted to go fishing.  So worm on hook and she was away!  She caught the typical Sunny's and Pumpkin fish.  Then she got a bigger bite on the line.  Next thing I know she's pulling up a good size fish, I think it's a trout?  Go Jazzy!

Frankie seemed to be right at home on the boat & on the beach.  Took a little bit for him to get use to the sand, but eventually he laid right down.  Of coarse this was a really bad weekend with tick, and Frankie ended up with four on his body, and dad had two.  Got them in time, but what a surprise!

Later in the day, Rob called and I picked him up at the dock in Nashua.  It was great having all three generations on Third Generation.  

The three of us cruised up northward.  We made it all the way to Merrimack, just behind the Budweiser plant.  And no, there wasn't anybody at the river bank with free Buds damn it!

Rob also helped Jazzy with building her own bow and (blunt) arrows.  She loves her uncle, and he loves to take time out with her.

While we were cruising Deb and Jazzy built a Fairy House.  This is a cool project for any young child.  Jazzy built 5 houses so far.  This idea came from a book called: "Fairy Houses" by Tracy Kane.  This a great book, and a fun project for the kids.

It was a nice relaxing day, and we really enjoyed dad's company (you too Frankie).  Sadly it always comes to the point when it's time to go home. We all had a great time, and really enjoyed dad's company.  It was a very breezy ride back to Lowell, but we took our time, and arrived happy and tired.

Can't wait to do this again, so until then, see you on the river.

Captain's Blog - June 7, 2015

It was another good boating weekend.  Saturday was spent making repairs to the trailer lights on the van.  This past week Deb dropped Yasmin off at school, the next thing she knew, there was a crowd of people around the van pointing at the back.  When Deb got to the van, smoke was pouring out of the back.  Apparently, the module that relays the signal to the trailer, shorted and flamed out.  Luckily no damage was done to the van. It also doesn't hurt to have a mechanic in the family who specializes in electrical.

Once repairs were made, Deb and I were off to the ramp in Lowell.

We made it in the water by 10:00, and headed straight to our camp.  There was a cool breeze, so we took our time.  Glad we did, because we may have missed a bald eagle hunting.

 

What a spectacular sight first thing in the morning.  

We also caught up with our nieghbor, both at home, and on the river, Artie.  Hi, Artie!  After our good mornings, Deb and I headed to the camp.  It was a very nice day, just Deb and I.  It's not too often we get a day to ourselves on the boat, so it was really nice.  No work, just relaxing and enjoying the boat, and each other's company.

At around 6:00, Rob gave us a call to pick him up in Lowell for a night time cruise.  He hadn't been on the boat at night, and wanted to see the lights, and enjoy the evening.

It was a little breezy still, until the sun went down, and the winds died.  

We cruised along side the board walk, and received many thumbs up for the boat.  At around 9:00 we decided to head home.  It was another successful day on our little rowboat.  Looking forward to next weekend and my dad joining us on the river.  So until then, see you on the river.

Captains Blog - May 30, 2015

We'll it was a little exciting even before we hit the water.  Last Sunday when Rob and I went out to work on the beach, our entire electrical system cut out.  So Rob had to figure out what was happening before we left this morning.  I pulled the dash off and was cutting a plastic zip tie that held a group of wires together when it gave and the knife went right into my hand, filleting my left hand right open.  My biggest concern was not getting blood all over my nice new boat!  A few steri strips, a little tape and I was back in business.  No time for emergency visits when the water is calling.  In the end Rob found the electrical issue, (a loose wire to the ignition) and all is well again.  Yea Rob!

We intended on a later start anyway, hoping to stay out a little later.  We got to the river about 12:30.  It was still low, maybe a couple of inches higher than the previous weekend. The good thing was less debris than the last trip.

Yasmin had a great day of swimming, nature walks, fishing and playing with her Uncle RaRa.

Rob, setup a BB gun target area (for adults only!) which was a lot of fun.

It was a very blustery day, so Rob and I decided to put the new modifications to the test.  How would it handle rough seas and winds?  Would everything stay together?  With Rob at the helm, we brought the boat up to 15 miles an hour, and turned her into the wind.  The new floor was quieter in rough seas than the old one, with a lot less vibration.  The top flexed just as I hoped, and every weld held tight.  Of coarse the top created drag, but less than the old bimany top that would have shredded  under the same conditions.  The boat handeled very well.  Rob and I were very pleased and gave it our seal of approval.

I spent a lot of time relaxing for a change.  With the future captain (Rob) with us, I could just take it easy.

I can't explain how much I love our little piece of beach, we claim for our family.  

We have set things up for comfort and relaxation.  This is one aspect of living in New Hampshire that I could never leave.

When Deb and Yas can walk down the beach and collect nature items for her shelf at home, as well as catapillar specimens to take home and attemp to raise until butterflies.  What more could you want out of life.  Money would be nice, but this time with my family, priceless.  Looking forward to my dad coming up in a couple of weeks, to take a cruise and inspect the changes.  And to the rest of my family and freinds, an invitation is extended to anyone wishing to get a little taste of NH.  So until next time, see you on the river!

Captin's Blog - August 3, 2014

So we finally made it out on the river alone, for the first time this season.  We had a lot that we wanted to get accomplished, so it was a work/rest day on the Merrimack.

The biggest project was getting our old patio table to the beach along with a cooking table that we could leave there.  We headed out of Lowell early on Sunday.  And headed straight to the camp.  Once we got the table setup we were so happy that we made the effort to get it there.

It feel so nice to sit at a table and eat.  You don't realize how much these comforts add to the experience until you have them.

The next project was to create a better situation for women on the beach.  According to Deb, it's just not comfortable squatting behind a tree with you but hanging out as boat go by.  women, GO FIGURE!  So we created a little bit better rest tree.

 

So it's not the Hilton, but we don't charge either!

 

So we've been wanting to add some video to the blog to show a little bit more of the experience.  This first video.  It is just a few short clips from this trip.

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed the ride, so until next time .  .  .  See you on the River!

Captian's Blog: July 26 2014

This trip we decided to get out of the house early, and get to the beach for a full day.  We left out of Lowell again, and made it to the camp in 15 minutes.  Since we left most of our seasonal furniture on the beach, there wasn't much to take.  Convincing myself we had it all there, I did leave our cooking table behind.  I hate getting old and feeble!

 

Even so, we made out just fine.  Of coarse the first activity Yasmin wanted to get going, was fishing!  As usual she had a fish on the line every couple minutes or so.  Next is teaching her to bait and release her own hooks.  We did go for a nice ride into Lowell again, and stopped at our favorite swimming beach.  Got some great pics of Yasmin practicing for the Olympic dive team.

 

 

 

What do you say .  .  .  is this kid a 10+ or what!

 

So after a long hard day of playing and swimming, Yasmin settled into my hammock for a rest.  This proves my love for my granddaughter.  She is the only person I would give up my hammock for.

It was a great day all in all.  Can't wait for the next cruise, until then   .  .  .  See you on the River!

 

 

 

 



Captains' Blog: July 13, 2014

So we made it on the river for our second trip of the season.  We have been leaving out of Lowell and the Rourke Bros. Ramp.  The river is a bit lower than we would want to leave our of Nashua (the ramp is terrible).  The trip is a bit longer to get to our camp, but worth it.  The Rourke Bros. ramp is the best around.
We headed straight to camp, and got things setup.  Yasmin was on the boat with a rod in her hand faster than we could catch our breathe.  She caught 6 Pumpkin Fish and 1 Small Mouth Bass.

Once Yasmin was all set, it was time to relax!  This is our favorite part of the day.  We don't as much time as we use to, with a 6 year old, but she is worth the effort and time.

 

As per our usual, we setup the grill and had a nice lunch.

 

 

We did make a trip into Lowell, and made a stop or two for Yasmin to go swimming.  It was a great day, and looking forward to the next one.  Until then, see you on the river!

 

Captain's Blog: September 7th, 2013

This weekend we did something we haven't done in a while, Deb and I were out on the Merrimack alone, all day! We left out of the Nashua ramp about 12:00. A later start for us than normal, but we decided to make today an easy day. We packed light, and left our table and cooler behind. Whatever we needed for the day, we would just keep in the cooler built into the boat, and instead of cooking, we would have sandwiches.



Position of the day!



One of the few interuptions of the day.

We were thinking about it, and this season we have had more guests than any other season.  Although we love having guests on the boat with is, it was really nice being alone with Deb for the day.  We went to our beach and setup the hammock and a couple of chairs.  We weren't there long, when we decided to take a nice slow drift towards Lowell.  It was a very quiet day, not many boats out there (which made it even nicer).  In fact even when we went back tho the beach to hang out, but ended up lounging on the boat.  The fact is we have gotten so use to setting up, that we did it on instinct today, rather than need.  The fact is that we didn't need to set anything up.  We were perfectly content to stay on the boat.  In the future we need to think about doing this alot more.

 

Downtown Nashua to Hudson Bridge

So as the seaon winds down, we hope to get a few more trips in.  Until then when we "See you on the River!'.

Captain's Blog: August 24, 2013

This season has been packed with good days!  This past weekend was no exception,  but the best part of this past weekend wasn't the weather, it was our son Robert visiting from New Jersey.  Rob had requested a trip on the boat, and Saturday was the day.  So with our son Robert and our grandaughter Yasmin, we headed to the Merrimack River.  We got out on the water about 11: 00.  I had Rob take the helm immediately and head to our little beach.
Once we were setup, Yasmin was in the water!  Yasmin loves her Uncle Robert, and misses him something terrible, so it was so nice seeing them together.  It made her day, week and month!

Robert even bought her a new fishing pole (Yasmin said to make sure everyone knew it wasn't a kids pole, but a big people pole!).  She had a blast, and like her great grandpa, a natural.  On her first cast she sent her lure about 25 feet!  She also knocked them dead.  3 small mouth bass, 1 large mouth, a pickerel and several pumkin fish.  Nothing like being shown up by your 5 year old grandaughter.  She does lover fishing!

Sometime during the day, Rob and I headed for a cruise into Lowell.  Rob at the helm of coarse, we made a quick trip going down, but took a nice slow ride back to camp.  It was an absolute blast seeing Rob pilot the boat.  I know he had fun just by looking at the smile on his face.  Nothing like a little speed to make a young man smile!  We just made sandwiches for lunch, and Yasmin had to be coaxed out of the water to eat.

 So happy not to be working.

 Rob enjoying a little down time from the Jersey life!

Drawing a picture for her Uncle Robert.

Yasmin, determined to keep Rob close, decided to tie him up so he couldn't leave!

Future captain of Third Generation, of coarse it will have to be named 4th Generation on that day

So it was just a great day, building memories for Yasmin and Robert.  We loved having them together on our little beach on the Merrimack.  We can't wait to do it again soon.  Maybe an overnighter next time?  So until then, we'll "See You on the River!".

Jazzy, fishing with her uncle.

Yasmin pretending to be a butterfly in a cocoon.

Captain's Blog - August 17 & 18, 2013

Well it's another nice weekend.  On Saturday Deb and I decided to get out on the boat before the season starts to wind down.  It was a nice sunny day, and we haven't had allot of time on the boat alone this season, so it was especially nice.  The river was a bout a foot higher than last weened when my dad and Frankie joined us for the day.

   There were a couple of projects that I wanted to get done at camp like;  hanging a tire swing and cleaning the beach area of trash and branches.  Not much to report about on Saturday.  It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day with my beautiful wife.  It was so nice that we dicided to make another day of it on Sunday, and this time we would bring our grandaughter Yasmin.

 Sunday came and we were off again, and with grandaughter in tow!  We got out on the river early and cooked up some bacon, eggs, toast and of coarse COFFEE!  Yasmin decided to have a bowl of cereal and yes, BACON!  The girl loves bacon.  After breakfast there was no holding her back, she wanted to go in the water, and pretty much stayed there the day.  She loved the tire swing, but was a little nervous about being over the water.

   

We had a very full day.  We did a bit of fishing (but didn't catch anything).  Deb and Yasmin decided to swim out to our landmark "Y" tree branch.  This was the very first time anyone has gone out to the branch.  So congrats Deb and Jazzy for a camp first!  We had an extraordinary day, and were so happy to share this with Yasmin.  Jazzy's favorite part of the day, driving the boat!  Future captain of Third Generation?

We can't wait to have our other grandchildren experience Third Generation as well.  So until the next time when we "See You on the River"!

Captain's Blog - August 10, 2013

It was an incredible morning to go on the boat!   My dad (The previous captain of this vessel), was up from New York city for a visit and a cruise on the Merrimack.  We are always happy to see my dad, and even happier when we can take him out for the day on Third Generation.  We loaded the boat and hit the water around 11:00.  It was a bit breezy, but sunny and mild.  The river was very low, and in fact as we were getting ready to launch, another boater was just pulling out, saying that he had hit a rock and lost a prop.  So with that bit of information, we headed downstream cautiously.  There is an advantage to boating on this river for a few years, you know where most of the hazards are!  We made it to our beach without incodent.

After a quick setup, it was time to kick back, open a beer and enjoy the day.  My dad's dog and longtime companion "Frankie", seemed to really enjoy our little beach and liked exploring.  Maybe it brought back memories of our families time on Lake Otsego in Cooperstown, NY.

 

After a beer (or two)  we were in the mood for a cruise.  It was time for dad to take the helm, and for me to be a passenger.  I don't get to enjoy that role nearly enough.  We took a nice easy cruise down into Lowell.  Not allot of boat traffic. even in Lowell.  I really like the new stern bench seat.  It took me a while to get it all the way I wanted, but I think I'm finally there!

It was great seeing my dad pilot the boat.  I'm sure he misses it as much as I love having it!
After an long cruise of an hour or more, we dicided to head back to camp to cook some food on the grill, and enjoy a few more beers.  Since the water was so low, I decided to take a walk along the beach edge to see how far I could get.  Along the way, I spotted an old truck frame in the woods on the bank.  It looked to be an old model T that had been converted to run a machine of some type.  It had obviously broken down, because the side was riddled with bullet holes.  You just never know what your going to find!

It was a fantastic day, and we all enjoyed relaxing at camp, but the day was wearing on, and we were all getting ready to go back home.  We would love to have dad out for at least one more journey before the season ends.  So until the next time when we "See You on the River"!