Summer Friends

There are fairweather friends and then there are fair weather friends.

Spring is a time when flowers bloom and the temperatures rise, but it is also a time when friendships are renewed at the marina. It feels like the first day of school all over again (if there were no classes and the school were surrounded by water). Who is coming back? Who got a new boat? Who got some new toys?

Larry and Terry own the 33 foot Larson next to us. They have more refrigerators and seating than us. Two years ago, we accidently "stole" their slip. However, they were nice enough not to file a police report.

Terry likes fishing, cruising, and cleaning (not in that order). Larry thinks the five food groups are Gas, Flounder, Teak, Ice and Grey Goose.

We are looking forward to another season at the dock and on the water (and on their boat) with them.

Subway Series

The green blob on the radar doesn't bode well for boating. It doesn't help baseball either.

Interleague Play starts tonight. Some people like it. Some people don't. I understand why there is little little nostalgia in a Royals/Marlins tilt, but I still enjoy when the Mets take on the Yankees.

My friend and personal lawyer, Peter Dawson, is a fan of the Bombers. He thinks Robinson Cano is the left handed hitting Jackie Robinson. I prefer to view him as a souped-up Jose Vizcaino (http://www.baseball-reference.com/v/vizcajo01.shtml). We have a bet that is never paid out. If the Yanks win the six game season series, I have to buy Pete a six pack of Ballantine. If the Amazins win the series, then Pete has to buy me a sixer of Rheingold. Recent years have ended in a series push, so I guess the winner might eventually get a case of their choice brew.

Both teams enter the series as underachievers. However, the Metsies (as Keith Hernandez calls them) seem to have more to lose. Willie Randolph seems to manage his team without a sense of urgency, while Joe Girardi is happy not to answer questions about how his owner would run the team.

Jose Reyes can't seem to get on base consistently. Luis Castillo can't seem to stay in the lineup. Carlos and Carlos are hitting the ball hard, but the hits aren't falling. Ryan Church and Billy Wagner's mouth have been the constant all year at Shea. They probably deserves your all-star vote (http://www.mlb.com/).

So Willie is coaching for his job, but the players need to play. This series is probably more fun for the fans, but it depends on the outcome. Winning is more fun than losing.

Lets Go Mets!

Mother's Day

After another Saturday of crossing things off of our to-do list, we did what all people do on Mother's Day. We took Mom fishing.

Mom, Dad, my fiancee, Kelly, Paulie and I left the dock a couple of hours before low tide. Spinning the boat around a tight corner again is like swinging a bat after a long winter. Its a familiar feeling, but its a little uncomfortable.

The air was cool, but the sun was warm. The wind was singing out of the northeast as we powered up and headed past Deer Island. 4-5 foot waves greeted us as we approached Little Faun Bar. We waited long enough to wet our line. After reversing course and cruising into the Deer Island Flats, we dropped anchor (manually).

My boy, Peter Santini, from Fishing Finatics hooked me up with a flat of seaworms. We found a muddy patch and set up shop. It wasn't long before Kelly said, "um, I think I've got something." The little blackback came to the top. He was too small to take home and lived to fight another day, but we knew we would soon be into some fish. My dad hooked in next and into the first keeper. He also got the "High Hook" with a 21 inch, 3 1/2 pound flattie. Kelly answered back with one of her own. Mom and I were still wading through skate (a delicacy in some places). However, we each found the first and second striper of the season.

After dragging the anchor a little bit, re-setting and dropping back again, we ended up with a nice little haul for the first trip of the season. Paulie was happy to learn we were heading back towards land.

The gentle east wind and my Dad guided us back into our slip at Admirals Hill Marina. After securing the boat and the dog, we fileted the fish, shared some recipes and Kelly tried to be humble.

It was a great Mother's Day. We were glad to sneak in a day on the water when most people were still stuck in the boatyard.

Just Add Water

After a weekend away in Charleston, South Carolina, I was happy to see the boat still floating and the Mets threatening to climb a few games over .500. Where would they be without Ryan Church. Never thought I would say that.

Saturday's forecast called for rain, but just enough to make it uncomfortable. My dad came down from Vermont on Friday afternoon. We met for breakfast at Kelly's Diner and headed over to the marina. With the Miller Time in the slip, not taking it out was a difficut temptation. But, finishing up some winter projects on and inside the boat still made for a good day.

We mounted and installed the new radar display, drilled a hole for the new center rod holder, re-wired the spotlight and didn't have any beers. It was either a late night-before or just a productive day. When the rain convinced us it wasn't going to let up, we packed it in and went home feeling a lot closer to Miller Time.

Looking forward to a flounder filled Mother's Day Weekend in the harbor with the family.

Just When You Think You're Done...

Finally, a sunny weekend. We even made sure we brought a cooler to keep our favorite frosty beverages cool.

After 3 Barrier Coats on Saturday and 1 Barrier Coat, 1 Bottom Coat and a fully waxed hull on Sunday, we were, still only, almost ready to wet the boat. A final bottom coat on Monday morning put the finishing touches on our drydock season.

Wednesday morning was the day the boat would be dropped into it's summer home. After leaving work in Newton, Mass, I raced east on the pike and over the Tobin Bridge eager to see Miller Time in the water. I jumped aboard, checked the hatches and was greeted with a bilge filled with water. For those of you not familiar with boating, the water is supposed to outside the vessel.

After pumping out as much water that the one working bilge pump would allow, it appears that we have a small leak where the new transducer was installed. Nobody likes drilling holes beneath the waterline, but the new depth finder required it. My fearless, road warrior, father is on his way down as we speak, armed with a sleeping bag and a pipe wrench. We are both hoping for a quick fix.

Boating doesn't always mean using the boat for what you want. Sometimes, it takes a dirty job or two to get you where you want. Better safe than sorry. Just when you think you are done, there is some more work to do.

Weatherman says......

Wow, the weatherman didn't make any friends in the boatyard with his forecast for the weekend. Predictions were calling for temps in th 40's and heavy wind and rain all day. Boats would sit in the rain while other indoor projects were tended to. So when the sun came out and the clouds cleared, plans changed.

The blacktop in the Admirals Hill Boatyard was warming up when I parked the truck. My not-so trusty, not-so seaworthy dog, paulie, was in tow. I carried my toolbox, stepladder, and other supplies while Paulie eventually dragged me to the Miller Time's winter home. She was still wearing her winter coat. With the sun making an unexpected appearance, it was time for Spring Break.

After climbing the ladder and hopping aboard with the grace and presicion of burglar, I looked for the nearest knife to "unzip" the shrink-wrap. Edward Scissorhands would have been proud as the plastic came off piece by piece.

As I was unpeeling the protective sheath like an onion, I realized Paulie was running off in the distance and was no longer on his leash. I jumped off the boat and went after him. He has the uncanny ability to find any hole or opening in the fence that he can fit through. I think he is part squirrel. The land loving sea dog loves to be chased and a good chase it was. Through puddles and under ladders, staying just out of reach. With no dog biscuits handy, I enticed him with an open car door and he jumped in.

My father arrived soon after with some choice words for the weatherman and a couple of subs from the appropriately named Sunnyside Deli. No one was complaining about the sun, just the innaccurate forecast. Nothing gets people talking like the weather.

With lunch in one hand and some wax in the other, I was starting to hit my stride. My dad worked on getting the new transducer cable pulled through to the electronics box. I was about halfway done with the starboard side when the skies turned grey and some thunder rumbled in the distance. Maybe there was some truth in the forecast after all.

It wasn't long before the rain started falling and we closed up shop. With a new and favorable forecast encouraging more work for next weekend, we left feeling productive.

Watching the Weather (Channel)

Boaters know weather reports are important for trip planning, fishing and safety. A change in the weather can alter plans quicker than a bluefish blitz. With water temperatures in Boston Harbor still hovering in the upper 30's, our first trip of the season is still over a month away. However, a nice warm sunny weekend helps kickstart the season before Fishing Season; Boat Preparation Season.

Brave, Two-Part Epoxy-armed warriors enter the boatyard with power tools, wool hats, and maybe a sandwich. They hope their work will help add value and performance to their vessel, but more importantly convince Spring to get it's act together.

So as Wednesday turned into Thursday and Thursday turned into Friday, I was guilty of staring at green globs on radar maps and refreshing my web browser for the latest weekend forecast. There is still a lot of work to be done on the boat. Some quality time in the boatyard was in my immediate future.

I found the Miller Time still wearing its winter coat. The wind was whipping. My dog, Paulie (who isn't so sure about this whole boating thing), was tethered to the orange support post holding the boat.

The boat's hull was sodablasted last fall. Not only is this a cool word, but it is a way to remove years of bottom paint from the boat hull without damaging the fiberglass (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodablasting).

While it is effective, the process also exposes any flaws and imperfections to the hull. These flaws need to be fixed, usually by being filled with a thin resin or epoxy.

Unfortunately, it must be 60 degrees outside for the epoxy to harden after it is applied. It was not 60 degrees, nor would it be 60 degrees soon. So, my productive day working on the boat turned into a long lunch at Redbones.

The moral of the story: The weather, even when the boat is out of the water, will dictate your plans. And, always consider the Catfingers when sitting at the bar at Redbones.