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 July 6, 2014 - A late start to 2014

Well this season was off to a very slow start.  Between a spring that just wouldn't show it's warm sunny face, a sick little girl, and endless commitments, we just couldn't get the season off the ground.  Finally on Sunday we decided to get out there regardless of weather.  We were hoping that Rob (visiting from NJ) would be able to get out with us, but he had too many other commitments.  So with Yasmin in tow, we headed out to our beach to see how things survived over the endless winter.
To our surprise and joy, everything was as we left it.  Wasting no time we set out to clean up out beach, and set up for the day.

It was a great start to the season.  Yasmin immediately wanted to go swimming and did so most of the day, that is unless she was fishing!  This girl takes after her great grandfather (and my captain), when it comes to fishing.  She just can't get enough.

We did set up our grill and cooked hamburgers and hot dogs, and had a nice Barbeque lunch.  All in all it was a good start to the season , and hopefully can make up some of the season before the winter closes in again on New Hampshire.  So until next time .   .   .

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"!

Captain's Blog - August 3rd 2013

So after missing last weekend due to health issues, we are finally getting back on the Merrimack River. As you will see from the pictures below, I have made a few more improvements. The biggest change is to the stern seat. I was lucky enough to have another boat owner friend see me at the gas station a few weeks back, and offered up a bunch of teak boards that he no longer needed. Thank you Mike, for your very generous gift! I have been wanting to modify the stern seat backrest for quite some time (not being happy with my original design). Now that I had the teak to do it, take a look and let me know what you think!

The second change was adding two rails in the stern of the boat atop the gunnel. This adds a little bit of height to keep small children safe, gives the stern passengers an arm rest, and I think it just looks good!

So all in all this year has been a productive season. The complete list is as follows:

1- Replace stern seat backrest
2- Add gunnel rails in stern
3- Replace bimany top and seat cushion straps
4- Repaint interior hull
5- Skin bow deck in aluminum
6- Sand and refinish all teak
7- Add Blue LED Floor Lights
8- Re-wire console
9- Disassemble/Repair/Re-assemble passenger captain's seat

So with the boat all waxed and the teak all oiled, we were ready for a cruise!  Our neighbors April and Juan asked if they could join us for a cruise, and  help celebrate Deb's birthday.  We are always happy to share our river experience with friends, and gladly agreed. 
Deb and I got on the river about 10:00 and headed to the beach to set up for the day.  The river was on the low side, but still high enough to launch from Nashua.  We setup camp for the day.  This process is getting easier and faster each time.  We have a few things stored on the beach which makes the process that much more enjoyable.  We picked up Juan and April along with there youngest son Zion, about 12:30.

We lounged around on the beach, and Juan and Zion did some swimming.  Once everyone was hungry, I grilled up some burgers and had a nice salad as well.  Then we headed out for a nice long cruise into Lowell.  Juan did most of the piloting, and even Zion had a chance at the helm.  Not much interesting to report.  The river was relatively quiet.
When we returned to the beach, we did setup a rope swing at Zion's request.  Juan and Zion were the guinea pigs, and I'm  happy to say no one got hurt.  And they both seemed to really enjoy the swing.  All in all it was a great day celebrating Deb's birthday.  I just want to say Happy Birthday to the love of my life, and the second best first mate this boat has ever had (yes, I was the best!).

Our next criuse will hopefully be next weekend, when my dad (the original boat captain) comes to visit, and inspects the latest improvements on his boat.  So until the next time, when we "See you on the river!".