CONTINUOUSWAVE

My boating season is about to start. The usual benchmark--end of the hockey season--just occurred this last week with the NHL finishing up their playoffs. If hockey is over, then it is time to go boating.

I got the boat from the winter storage place, and towed it home. That was Thursday. I didn't get much done with the boat until Saturday, when I had a day off. After breakfast, about 10 a.m. I walked out to start working on the boat--and it immediately started to rain. I have to laugh about this: it happens every year. The boat has been sitting indoors for months, and as soon as I get it outside, it rains. I got as far as inflating all the trailer tires back to their recommended pressure, and I ran an extension cord to the boat so I could plug in the on-board battery charger to get the two AGM batteries back to full-float-charge. Then the rain took over. At least the rain washed off the dirt on the heavy canvas storage cover that accumulated from seven months of storage.

Sunday is going to be a washout, too--I have to work all day. I hope Monday and Tuesday are fair weather, because I am going to have to get a lot done on those two days.

Check out the buoy data. Looks like the ice must be melted by now. At least the camera doesn't see any ice.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=45002

Con

WHOA--water temperature 39-degrees. No swimming for a few more weeks.

Started today for me, about a month later than normal due to the lousy spring we've had. I now have to make up for lost time....

Saw the buoy temps and that's pretty cold, what does the lake warm up to in the summer months?

D-

By the end of August Lake Michigan will be warm 75 to 80 deg. F if we had a lot of sun. Right now her on the East side of the Lake on the SW Michigan coast whe have a balmy 62+ deg.F (20 degrees warmer than a week ago) and little vacationers and adults wind surfers are in the water. I'll wait another 2 months before trying.

Dutchman wrote:By the end of August Lake Michigan will be warm 75 to 80 deg. F if we had a lot of sun. Right now her on the East side of the Lake on the SW Michigan coast whe have a balmy 62+ deg.F (20 degrees warmer than a week ago) and little vacationers and adults wind surfers are in the water. I'll wait another 2 months before trying.

Here in the Northeast we have the Cape which keeps the warmer water to the south. August in Marblehead MA we may see 68-72 degree if the tide, wind and other factor cooperate. Head south of the Cape and in Oak Bluffs Harbor Martha's Vineyard and I've seen 82 degree water temp in August. It's amazing how such a large body of water can heat so quickly, but it's just the surface water.

D-

My boat has been ready, my tow vehicle has been ready, and..... a month of Grand Jury duty. I get through that, and a hernia I've been ignoring for 10 years decided to bite me in the, well, you get the idea. Now I am scheduled for surgery and after recovery maybe then I'll get to the water. At least I just turned 65 so Medicare will get most of the bills.

Oldslowandugly wrote:At least I just turned 65 so Medicare will get most of the bills.

Sorry to hear you aren't in/on the water yet and as to the above; Let's hope so I just turned 65 too and my medical coverage is a mess and a lot of money out of pocket.

Dutchman- turning 65 was like a magical door opening. "OH, you have Medicare? Come on in!". What used to take endless referrals and paperwork now just happens. I'll see how the billing goes and if my regular insurance covers the rest. I was tempted to just get the boat in before the surgery but a friend did that and now he is sorry. A month after his operation he hasn't been to the boat even once and it is reportedly turning green from negligence. I was told I should be good to go after a couple of weeks recovery but I am just afraid if things don't work out I'll be sorry too. You'd think my kids that grew up with boats would have stepped up but, no, it's all on me as usual.

Just had a double repair myself, don’t push it, take your time. I was lucky, I got the boat in before the surgery.

WhatKnot- how long was your recovery? How soon were you able to go out in the boat? I have about a week left to get it in before I get cut.

I was up and about the same day; Laproscopic Surgery. On the boat in a week, you just need be real careful with the lifting and any lower body stress. Listen to your Doctor and good luck.

WhatKnot- thanks for the advice. Tried fishing from shore today- I really miss the boat. SOON!!

OK- I'm repaired. Hurts a lot but not as bad as I imagined. Now to rest up and get that boat moving.

Ssssh. Don't tell my Doctors but after 3 weeks recovery I snuck the boat into the water. I did bring a friend along to help. I even brought a step ladder to climb in while it was on the trailer. All went well. I even caught a keeper Summer Flounder the next day. Mission accomplished.

On September 28, 2018 I added 35-gallons of 91-octane pure gasoline (at $3.97 per gallon) to bring the fuel tank level to about 7/8-FULl. I also added about 14-ounces of fuel stabilizer. The fueling was preparatory to the planned last use of the boat this season on September 29 and 30. After those two days of boating I will be taking the boat to my dealer for some scheduled maintenance, and the 2018 boating season in the northern Great Lakes will come to an end.

When we launched the boat this afternoon the air temperature was about 55-degtrres-F. The weather canvas was so cold and stiff we could barely get it stretched on and snapped in place.

UPDATE: forecasted high today, September 29, 2018, is 52-degrees. Boating will be a bit cool this afternoon.

UPDATE: had a 50-mile run on September 29, 2018, so fuel tank level is now at 47.5-gallons remaining or 68-percent-full.

The Army had me in North Dakota for virtually all of 1975 so I can appreciate the weather you're about to have. Here on the Alabama Gulf Coast I watched a jet ski zoom past our place about five minutes ago. For me the best part of the season is just around the corner. Hurricane season ends in a few days and the daily high temperatures will drop into the middle eighties. The inshore and near offshore fishing will improve and the "bite" will be on.

This month we had a record number of days in the nineties and boating would not have been that pleasant. October promises to be better and my back injury has improved to the point where I feel I can safely get out on the boat. I'll probably put the boat in storage shortly before Christmas because we'll have some very nice boating days in December. Next year we should be able to enjoy time on the water by mid-March or so.

This is a good place to consider for retirement if you enjoy almost year round boating and fishing.

Jefecino- I ETS'd in 1975. The Army had given me an all expense paid vacation in Germany where I was far from any water. As soon as I got home I was back at it fishing and by '78 I had my first boat of my own. It has been 40 years now of getting ready for the fishing/boating season. Aside from a few bad years with babies and parents killing my time it has been a good life hitting the water for the first time each year. That never gets old! I actually enjoy Winter time to catch my breath and make repairs and improvements.

I enjoyed a few months in Germany in 1968 -1969 between Vietnam tours. I took a couple of Rhine River Tours which were entertaining and a pretty good way to meet some young German ladies. I saw very little recreational boating. There were a couple of soldier owned trailer boats in the area but I only saw them in the water a few times. I don't recall seeing a Boston Whaler during my visit.

Italy in 1976- 1978 was a very different story. Recreational boating was popular and there were several builders yards not far from our home in Naples. We spent our honeymoon in Venice in 1978 and saw several Boston Whalers in the canals. Italy was probably the favorite of all the places I lived during my 35 years spent mostly overseas.

Just a color tour up and down the St.Joe river here in SW Michigan either this upcoming weekend (doesn;t look good with the rain we have and is expected) or next weekend the 13th of October,
Being rainy this weekend it will give me time to straighten the shop out. Move tools and motorized garden equipment to the side get the snow blower out and move it to the garage. Once that done and after winterizing and putting her cover on, I can back up the boat into the shop for the next 6-months.

I do envy you guys South of I-40 or Mason-Dixon line.

I hauled my boat off to winter storage today. I won't see it again until May. That will be eight months--the long winter starts now.

Wow, that's tough. My favorite boating time of year is about to begin.

Hurricane Michael is upon us. Thankfully we are in the Western Quadrant in Gulf Shores and expect little more than a few inches of rain and winds of about 40 MPH. Yesterday we saw a steady stream of yachts in the canal heading westward. They were probably seeking anchorages in Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound and the Mobile and Alabama Rivers. Late yesterday afternoon a small fleet of three tow boats, five barges and a crew boat chose to tie up to the North bank of the canal for the hurricane. They were part of a dredging operation. The mother ship is probably sheltering in place. An hour later an aft cabin yacht tied up in an abandoned partially completed marina across the way from us. It is shallow in places from lack of use and it was interesting to watch the pilot maneuvering to squeeze into the Northeast corner. It took three tries but they are now safely moored.

My last post said the Hurricane Season is almost over. We hope Michael is the final act of this season for us. Tomorrows forecast calls for low humidity and wind. The weekly forecast looks perfect.

A Classic Bertram 31 Sport Fisherman just went by westbound. It will be in Mobile Bay in fifteen minutes. I hope it stays in the bay. Offshore fishing in this weather is high risk in a small boat.

I would think the marinas at the Mississippi casinos are jammed up right now