A Commodores Meanderings: Part two

Preparation day July 23, 2004. Today was my last day of work until this
vacation period ends. It was a long week working 3:00 A.M. to 3 P.M.. When I go
back after this week I will be on 12's again. Looking at the bright side the
O.T. will put gasoline into my tank. Since next week is a regatta week at
Put-in-Bay and I plan to participate in several events two of which will
require my dinghy I had the marina place my boat into the water and I hauled my
inflatable and motor down to and loaded them aboard the boat. I also did a
little cleaning. Then it was back home to pack all the clothing and gear that
would be needed next week.

Now on to the vacation.

Day 1, July 24, 2004. Up and at em at 7:30 A.M. I loaded the Expedition with
all the gear and clothing and such. Then I drove to Monroe and at my other home
I picked up my portable compressor as I hate using the hand pump when I inflate
the inflatable. The portable compressor does a very quick job of it and I don't
even break a sweat.

I loaded all the gear aboard the boat, then I took my portable tank for my 15
hp Merc to a local gas station and put in 4 gallons of gasoline and headed back
to the boat. I then moved the boat over to the gas dock and pumped in 59.1
gallons of gasoline. I departed the dock at Harbor Marine Marina in Bolles
Harbor at 12:50 P.M. for the trip across Lake Erie to Leamington, Ontario
Canada where our boat club was holding a rendezvous prior to the regatta. Lake
Erie was quite rough mostly 4 to 6 footers with winds from the N/E at 25 knots
according to the weather radio. I was heading into the seas so I could not get
up and run on plane without pounding myself to death. I throttled up to 2000
RPM tucked the drives in and dropped the trim tabs and made the 43-mile
crossing at 9 MPH with the exception of the last 3 miles where the waters were
protected and I could get up and run. After leaving Michigan waters I did not
see any other powerboats on the lake and only passed 2 sailboats along the way.
I was basically alone on the lake. I arrived at Leamington Municipal Marina at
5:10 P.M. a 4-hour 20 minute crossing.

After securing the boat I went to the marina office to pay for my dockage and
to call in to Canadian Customs to report that I was in the country. Then back
to the dock to mingle with my fellow Club members. We decided to head into town
to Joeys for dinner. I ordered the chicken and ribs plate. The ribs were great
and the chicken will be tomorrows lunch as it was more than I could eat. Back
to the dock and more partying with the members. About midnight I called it a
night. So ends day 1.

Day 2, July 25, 2004. Was awakened at 8:30 A.M. by a fellow Club member. Due to
the forecasted weather for later in the day it was decided that we should leave
early for Put-in-Bay. It was windy with the forecast that winds would increase
throughout the day therefore so would the waves on Lake Erie. For the western
end of Lake Erie the worst possible scenario is for winds out of the N/E.
According to the weatherman that is where the wind will be from for the next
few days.

I left the dock at Leamington at 9:15 A.M. After a 30-mile 1 hour 15 minutes
run I was outside the harbor at PIB. The run across the lake was not to bad. I
had 3' following seas so I was able to get up and run about 24 mph. The
Inter-Lakes Yachting Association (I-LYA) had reserved A dock for early arrivals
for the regatta which starts tomorrow. We had to wait for the regular weekend
patrons to depart the dock before we could pull in. After about 45 minutes I
cruised over into PIB harbor to await my dock assignment. While cleating lines
and putting out fenders prior to docking the wind took my old PIB cruising hat
I wear when piloting the boat and blew it off my head and into the drink. I
will need to purchase a replacement as soon as possible. I finally was called
in to dock at 11:30 A.M. and they put me on the outside, Boardwalk side of the
dock. I stayed there an hour but it was really bouncy with the waves coming in
from the open lake so at 1:00 P.M. when a space opened up I moved inside on the
finger dock where the water was a lot calmer, no more moving around.

On the trip over from Leamington I noticed that my aft bilge pump was running
quite often and it never runs. Early on I could not find the source of the
water. I started both engines and noticed that the intake line for the seawater
was leaking. It had been rubbing against the motor mount and a hole has been
worn into the hose. I will wait for it to dry and tomorrow I will get out the
old duct tape and tape it up until I can return home and order or purchase a
replacement hose.

A group of Club members headed over to the Boardwalk for lunch. It is great to
be back at PIB this being my 2nd trip there this season. I think later today I
will go and play the putt putt course to familiarize myself with the course so
I will do half way well when I participate in the tournament later in the week.

A group of Club members headed over to The Beer Barrel Saloon home of the
worlds longest bar. They had a really great band so we all had a good time.
Came back to the boat for a spell then I was off to dinner at Mossbacks. Had
the chopped sirloin, not to bad. From there it was over to The Boathouse to
listen to John Salamon play the electric piano. This guy is my favorite at PIB.
I have been coming back to hear him play since 1988. I usually try to time my
trips to the bay when he is playing. We all headed back to our boats to await
the start of the regatta tomorrow morning. This completes the events from day
2.

Day 3, July 26, 2004. Up at 8:00 A.M. and the wind is still really blowing from
the N/E. I estimate at least 25 mph as all flags are standing straight out. The
I-LYA regatta starts today and I was hoping to get the docking and chicane
contests out of the way but with this wind I will wait and hope for better
conditions tomorrow. I spent an hour or so cleaning my isinglass inside and
out. I use lemon Pledge and it works very well. It shines like new and is as
clear as ever and with the rain the rainwater just beads up and runs off.

The docking and chicane contests were cancelled due to the high winds. At 11:15
A.M. I pulled away from A-dock to head over to B-dock and my assigned dock.
Finally got in around 12:30 P.M. as there were many boats arriving at the same
time. We then went and rented a courtesy golf cart to drive participants to and
from events. I went and registered for the regatta and then shuttled people
around to various locations.

At 4:00 P.M. we held the opening ceremony for the 111th I-LYA Regatta. The
Canadian and American national anthems were played and the I-LYA Commodore
spoke and opened the regatta. From there we went to the Put-in-Bay Yacht Club
for a Commodores Reception which lasted till around 5:30 P.M. Then I operated
the shuttle to get people back to their boats and then on to the 1st ever for
I-LYA fun party. It was sponsored by Captain Morgan so of course there was
plenty of rum. Other sponsors were West Marine/Boat US, Interlux and a few
others. They sold raffle tickets for the donated prizes at 3 for $10. Somehow I
managed to win a Mr. Coffee coffeemaker. Only problem is that I do not drink
coffee. I will find a use for it or donate it to a good cause. Headed back to
the boat and had dinner.

About 3:00 P.M. it started to rain and it has been raining light and heavy
since that time. After dinner I was going to head back to The Boathouse to
listen to John Salamon play but with the rain I just decided to stay on the
boat and get ready for the mornings competition. Lots to do. I will get up
early so I can get my inflatable ready so I won't have to carry any additional
weight when running the flying mile. I want to get my 44 mph or so and
hopefully take another 1st place flag. So it goes with day 3.

Day 4, July 27, 2004. Woke up at 7:30 A.M. Not a stitch of wind. Started
prepping the boat for the events to be held today. I pulled my inflatable out
and inflated it put the motor on. About 8:00 A.M. just after I completed
putting the inflatable together the wind started blowing and it started
raining mostly a misty type of rain but rain none the less. With the rain and
the increasing winds and the decreased visibility the committee decided at
10:00 A.M. to cancel the boating events for another day. A good call as the
winds have continued to increase in velocity and the rain along with it.
Definitely not a typical July day in this locale. Went to Pasquales with some
other Club members for breakfast. I then picked up the courtesy shuttle and
brought it over to the docks.

I worked on the boat. I took some silicone and used it to plug the hole in my
seawater intake hose. After it set up I used some good old fix it all duct tape
to wrap around the hose. I will find out tomorrow when I fire up the engine
just how good a fix it was. From 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. I worked dock security.
During I-LYA week we run our own security. All was quiet on my watch. After my
security stint it was time to head down to the yacht club for the annual hot
dog roast. I managed to down 3 of them along with some beer and chips that took
care of dinner. I then ran the courtesy cart from 6:30 P.M. until 11:00 P.M.
With all the cancellations tomorrow is going to be a long day with events
running from 9:00 A.M. until near 11:00 P.M. As of 11:00 P.M. the winds have
shifted to a more westerly direction but they still have not let up so tomorrow
wind or not will have to be a do or die day. Day 4 thus comes to an end.

Day 5, July 28, 2004. Woke up again at 7:30 A.M. to a day just like the past 4.
Cold, for July, windy and rainy. I went again to Pasquales for breakfast and by
8:30 A.M. I was back at the boat. The committee decided to go ahead with the
flying mile and the docking contests so I wiped and removed my canvas and
isinglass and put it away below. I left the dock at 9:15 A.M. and headed over
to schoolhouse bay to run my flying mile. I made a practice run and by the GPS
I hit 44 mph so I slightly retrimed the boat and decided to make my run. They
clocked me at 43 MPH on the radar gun and my GPS verified that. I should not
have retrimmed but I figured I could make another run since they normally give
you 2 runs. Today due to the time constraints I could only make the one run, OH
WELL. I then motored over to Ladds Marina for the docking contest. I did quite
well under the windy conditions so I will have to wait to see where I placed.
The committee due to the high winds decided to cancel the chicane at least for
today. They also rescheduled the junior navigation for tomorrow.

The good news is that my wife and family were able to join me here today so I
will not be alone the rest of the regatta. After the docking contest I headed
back to the dock to get ready for the inflatable races. It is a fun event. I
ran and lost my heat. While running I was halfway to the first turn when I
realized that I was not running at WOT, bad me. The other guy had a lead that I
was not able to overcome. There is always next year. All in all not a bad day
so far. BTW the weather finally started to change around noon. The sun came out
the winds shifted to the west and finally died down. It has been a picture
perfect day since that time.

Went to The Boardwalk for an early dinner. Had to set up drivers for the
courtesy cart for the rest of the evening since I will be playing in the putt
putt golf tournament. Went to The Boardwalk for a late lunch. Drove the
courtesy cart from 6:00 P.M. until 7:30 P.M. At 8:00 P.M. I caught the cart for
a ride to the putt putt golf course. We had 5 person teams and used what they
call a shotgun start. We started on the 12th hole and I hit a hole in one on
the first hole, it was downhill from there but I did end up with a 49. Our
fivesome had a 46, two 49's and two 52's. Will find out tomorrow who had the
best scores. Went to Cameo Pizza for a late night meal, really great pizza.
Walked the dock and mixed with some of our members and some from the other
clubs. That covers the events for day 5.

Day 6, July 29, 2004. Awoke at 8:00 A.M. to another beautiful day, two in a
row. The junior navigation contest was held at 9:00 A.M. The rules are as
follows, three buoys are placed in the bay in a triangular fashion. The
entrants are timed in a clockwise rotation around the buoys and then again in a
return counterclockwise rotation around the buoys. The idea is to get an exact
timing in each direction. The closest time each way would win that part of the
contest. The navigational part is where the entrants line up buoy #1 with #2
and take a compass reading, same with #2 - #3 and #3 - #4. Again the closest to
the actual heading as determined by the committee would win that part of the
contest. The overall winners are those with the closest times and the closest
to correct compass readings. My 3 kids competed. That was completed about 10:30
A.M. We were then off to lunch at The Boardwalk and then I decided to clean the
boat and deflate, clean and stow the inflatable and motor so I would not have
to do it tomorrow morning.

After the junior navigation contest my wife went to the ladies tea. She found
it somewhat dull as these things probably are I would guess not having ever
attended such a function. In the late afternoon after cleaning the boat I
attended a Order of the Blue Gavel reception. The Blue Gavel is an association
of Past Commodores of which I will be one as of January 1st.

After the Blue Gavel reception I went back to the boat to change into our Club
colors for the awards ceremony. We all then headed back to the PIB Yacht Club
for the awards ceremony. By my unofficial count our Club took 16 first place
flags, 2 second place flags and 3 thirds. Not bad for only having 15 boats in
attendance. It was a very good showing. I took a first place in the flying mile
for my class with my 43 MPH run yesterday. My class is I/O cruisers 32' to 37'
long, 451 to 550 HP twins. I also took a first place flag in the docking
contest with a perfect score of 10. I took a third last year so I must be
getting better. In the junior navigation my 13 year old stepson took home a
first place flag and my 17 year old stepson took home a second. Our Club took a
first place flag in volunteerism which is hours worked to help put on the
regatta. We had 173 hours with the 2nd place club coming in at 117. We did very
well. In participation in the events we brought home a 2nd place flag with 84
participants, 1st place had 136. As Commodore of the West River Yacht &
Cruising Club I could not be happier with the efforts put forth by the members.
Their support could not have been better and it is greatly appreciated by me.

After the awards ceremony the family and I headed over to Tippers Restaurant
for dinner. We all had the special 10oz strip steak for $8.95. Mine was quite
good and it filled the void. From there it was off to The Boathouse for a party
with all the members in attendance. I purchased the first round for the group
and may have started a new tradition with the Club. I will need to wait until
next year to see if the 2005 Commodore will follow suit. We all had a great
time drinking and dancing to the music of John Salamon. We headed back to the
PIB Yacht Club for showers and then time to call it a night. This completes the
events of day 6.

Day 7, July 30, 2004. Awoke again before the alarm. Not sure why I cannot sleep
in to much anymore. I guess my internal alarm is working to well. We drove the
courtesy cart back to the vendor then we walked across the street to the
Village Bakery for breakfast. All the restaurants were full with long lines and
I had to be out of my dock by 11:00 A.M. so there was no time to waste. My wife
loaded all their gear into her car for the trip home and I finished loading
stuff on the boat. I took down the top and at 11:55 A.M. I departed from PIB.
About half way home it started to rain so I stopped to put up the top and the
front and side curtains. I was just off West Sister Island. After putting up
the canvas I resumed my homeward run arriving back at Harbor Marine at 12:35
P.M. It was a nice 33 mile run especially with the lake almost flat. It has
been rare this year to have a flat Lake Erie to run on so it was a very
enjoyable run.

With the 9 miles I ran while entered in the events at the regatta another 115
miles of water passed under my hull. My tally at the moment is 689 miles for
the season. With 2 ½ months remaining in the boating season here there is a
slight chance I will pass the 1000 mile mark. We'll just need to wait and see.

After a Doctors appointment I went back to a local Mercruiser parts dealer to
see if they might have the seawater hose in stock that I need to replace the
leaky one. The silicone plug/duct tape job is holding up. I now only have a
drip and not a steady stream of water entering the bilge. Anyway the part is
not in stock so I went back to the boat to get the part number off the leaky
hose but by the time I returned to them they had closed for the day so I will
order one tomorrow.

I then made a heading for the home destination and did a weeks worth of
laundry. I checked the movie schedule and finally decided to go see The Day
After Tomorrow. It is a pretty good movie. It kept my interest till the end. To
end the day it was back home for a late dinner. That will end day 7.

Day 8, July 31, 2004. Woke up at home for the first day in a week. Felt good
although sleeping on the boat is still very nice. After taking care of some
personal business we packed up the Expedition and headed south on I-75 towards
Bolles Harbor. After pumping in 59.1 gallons of fuel we headed for the lake. We
had decided earlier we were going to go to the" hot hole" a place where the
cooling water from the Monroe, Michigan electric plant is pumped prior to it
going back into Lake Erie. This is a very popular local boating destination.
There were probably 40 boats there today. The water is always around 80 degrees
or so. This makes it a nice place to go swimming although it is almost to warm
for me but my wife loves it so this trip was for her enjoyment.

We stayed there until 6:00 P.M. and then we headed back out into the lake and
over to the Raisin River and up river to Clamdiggers for dinner. After dinner
it was back to Bolles Harbor arriving around 9:45 P.M. Back up I-75 we went
homeward bound after a very pleasant day on and in the water. That's all folks
for day 8.

Day 9, August 1, 2004. Up at 9:00 A.M. for the last day of vacation. The sun
was shining and it was 67 degrees at that time. The sky was clear and we were
ready to go. We first thought about going back to the hot hole for the day
bringing our grill and doing some cooking out. Then my wifes daughter called
and wanted to spend the day with us so we decided to head to Put-in-Bay for the
day since she had never been there and it is a great place to go. At 1:35 P.M.
we left the docks at Harbor Marine and set a course to PIB. We arrived at PIB
only to find the city docks completely full so we checked out Miller, Fox and
Ladds. All were full so we cruised over to Oak Point and the state docks. There
were two docks open but I had to much beam to fit into either of them so with
PIB closed off to us we went with plan B. I always have a plan B.

We set course over to Middle Bass Island and Middle Bass Island Yacht Club.
Almost all of their guest docks were available so we took one of them. We went
to the dockmasters office and signed in and we were set to go off exploring.
After talking to a couple of people at the Yacht Club we decided to head over
to Hazards. We ordered dinner and after dinner we went over to the pool to let
the kids and grandchild go swimming. They had a blast. As with all good times
we finally had to pull the plug on all the fun and head back to home port
Bolles Harbor. We arrived back at the docks at 8:40 P.M. to late for them to
rack the boat tonight so they will do it first thing in the morning. Todays
cruise covered 72 miles round trip.

It was a great ending to a great week. The start was not so great because of
the horrible weather but since Wednesday noon the weather has been fantastic
and summerlike. There can be no complaints.

With the start at Leamington, then on to the I-LYA regatta where my Club had a
fantastic showing taking 16 firsts and on to the past 2 days and the day trips
it was a wonderful 9 days of boating. From July 5th where I started my
Commodores Cruise thru today I have been on the boat 23 of the last 28 days.
Retirement is starting to look better all the time, but it will have to wait
for awhile. There are functions each of the next 2 weekends so there is boating
to be done. We are in the 2nd half of the season and it will be over before we
know it. So far though it has been a good one.

This concludes chapter two of the Commodores Meanderings. There will be no more
long trips this season as most of my vacation days have been used up and the
planning is beginning for next year.