Indispensable

Recently, we were without a microwave for a week.  My daughter

wanted a cup of tea the other day and actually asked me, without

thinking, how she was going to boil water.  Really.  It's amazing

how often you rely on microwaves for otherwise simply cooked

or re-heated foods.  What do you use your microwave for most?

Stinkboat

A combination stinkpot/blowboat.  It's funny, I think I've seen these

MacGregors used as motorboats almost as often as sailboats.  And

it's kind of odd to see one under power, barreling down the bay.

Graduation!

Our first baby.  Someone once told me to enjoy the first couple

of years when she's little because she'll grow up so quickly.  I

went to the fridge to get a beer, and when I returned, Wham!

There she was on the stage receiving her High School diploma.

We took advantage of the great weather forecast and the natural

amphitheater that is our backyard and invited family and close 

friends to celebrate the occasion.

Main course:  Roasted Pig.  Having never attempted this before,

I spoke with several people and watched countless Youtube

testimonials, ordered the pig from a butcher, the charcoal roaster

from the party rental outfit, and dove in head first.  It was quite

an experience, one I will never forget.  But there are a couple

things I may do differently next time.  I think I may expand on

this subject in the near future at a different location.

Lawrence High School's finest.  A great bunch of friends

who are all always welcome in our house.

Well this is supposedly a blog about sailing too.

Some watched from nearby, while others watched from the safety

of the hammock.  From any vantage point, it was a spectacle not

to be missed.  There's nothing more entertaining than watching

someone handle a hot, slippery, crispy roasted pig while trying to

grip a large, very sharp knife and carve enough meat to feed 50

people at one time.  Fortunately, a friend grabbed another knife

and made smaller serving-sized pieces out of the hunks I was

producing.  I would not have been able to do it without his help.

Happy-people sounds emanated from under the tent and umbrella.

Good conversations were had and friends, siblings, cousins, and

 relatives who don't always get to see one another as much as they 

should got caught up and re-acquainted.  It's what usually happens 

when we all get together.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Bygones

The garvey is a classic Barnegat Bay work boat whose salad days

are long since past, but there are still a good handful of them

still plying (love that word - plying) the local waters.  I wondered

about the name of the boat, but then realized that the pilot did 

have the right to bare arms. If I had a garvey, I'd name her Steve.

Now that guy had big forearms.  I was more interested in the 

home port of the boat than I was the name.  Aserdayton, the 

skipper informed me, is a small hamlet that no longer exists.

Where? I asked.  Between Warren Grove and Tuckerton.

If my memory serves me, Warren Grove is not more than 

a bend in the road, so it wasn't difficult to imagine Aserdayton

not being there anymore.  I do remember Lucille's as being the 

the main business at that bend in the road, one of many

quirky roadside attractions one finds in the Pine Barrens

on the long desolate drive to Atlantic City.

Railmeat

Will hike for watermelon.

More Meow

With the 2011 BBYRA season fast approaching, I once again am

hopeful to be asked to crew on one of the A-cats.  I've had the

good fortune to sail on Mary Ann alongside my Dad, and it's

an experience I won't ever forget.  It's hard to grasp the sheer

power the boats possess without being underneath the massive

sail and sitting high on the weather rail.  A true Barnegat Bay

rite of passage and an opportunity not to be passed up.  

These days, ties and boaters are optional.

Familiar scene from the Wanamaker course on a down-bay 

BBYRA Saturday:  the Seaside bridge in the background

and the unmistakable E-scows sharing the spotlight.

Eno's is long gone, but the A cat crews have been known to

meet at the Captain's Inn for cocktails after the annual

anchor-start race, hosted by Ocean Gate Yacht Club.

I don't know about stunned, maybe awed is a better word.

More proof that beer and sailing go hand in hand.

In my own little office

I'm as mild and meek as a mouse

When I hear a command I obey

But I know of a spot in my building

Where no one can stand in my way

In my own little office in my own little chair

I can be whatever I want to be

On the wings of my fancy I can sail anywhere

And the sea will open its arms to me

 

I'm a brave Norwegian Viking and a wine connoisseur

I'm the greatest photog in the land

I'm an heir who always has his sails made

By his own sail loft in San Fran

I'm a man girls go mad for, love's a game I can play

With cool and confident kind of air

Just as long as I stay in my own little office

All alone in my own little chair

 

I'm a Captain on a round-the-world voyage

I love throwing good money after bad

They gave me a hero's welcome at every port

It's the biggest thrill they've ever had

I am lost in the ocean all alone and hove to

When a rogue wave rises up in the air

Then I'm glad to be back in my own little office

All alone in my own little chair

We hope you get the hell out on the water soon!

Wiener Lies!

Toms River Tune-up

E scows start in the shadow of the Seaside Bridge.

Forget all of the generations of beachgoers and

vacationers that have made this town an iconic summer

destination.  Two seasons and a bunch of idiots from

Staten Island turned Seaside Heights, New Jersey

into a world-wide phenomenon.  A dubious distinction.

Unfazed by the recent notoriety of the town in the

background, two scows work to weather.

The precise reason there are tune-up regattas.

The precise reason for masthead flotation devices.

As aluminum masts became more prevalent in the

early seventies, so did the possibility of getting one 

stuck in the mud if you capsized.  Wooden masts 

were quite a bit more buoyant, and your chances

of righting the boat and finishing the race were good. 

All of a sudden, I have an incredible urge for a beer.

Which kind of scows are these again?

Picture yourself in a boat off of Bayville

A tangerine palm tree that catches your eyes

Hey Dude

Hey Dude, don't make me mad

Take your Jet-ski and go away from here

Appreciate the fact that we were here first

Go quench your thirst, and have your tenth Lite beer

Hey Dude, don't piss me off

You were told to give sailboats right-of-way

The minute you do donuts near my boat

I will take note, and flip the bird your way

And any time you feel the urge, hey Dude, think twice

Don't ride with your girlfriend on your shoulders

For well you know that you're a fool, don't try to be cool

The way you behave, you won't grow older

Na na na na--na, na na na na..........

Hey Dude, don't let me down

Slow your Jet-ski and watch my anchor line

Remember, there are folks here trying to relax

While having snacks and sipping on their wine

Don't speed it up, but slow it down, hey Dude, don't frown

You're wanting someone with whom to grow older

But don't you know that it's just you, hey Dude, boo hoo

The girlfriend you had fell off your shoulders

Na na na na--na, na na na na......yeah

Hey Dude, don't make her mad

Turn around and, go back to get her

Remember to bring a smoke and a beer

It'll be clear, you're making it better

better, better, better, better, better...Oh!

Na na na nanana na

Nanana, hey Dude!

Repeat several times