December

December 30, 2008

It was a great day to be out on the lake.  What could be better than a cruise on a beautiful sunny day, NOTHING!  I had a nice run out to Cocktail Cove and my Cats (C7s) enjoyed the chance to stretch their legs.  The level is still rising and the outlook is for more rain so there is good reason for optimism.  Hopefully I'll see you out on the lake in the coming months.

December 28, 2008

Well it was a rather dismal weekend. It was nice to take the boat out Saturday, even though it wasn't near the 72 and sunny conditions expected.  The lake was rather empty, there was another brave soul in Cocktail Cove (small Sea Ray Sundancer) besides us.  Shoal Creek was rather deserted, most of the usual anchorages were dry.  Hope to see you out there in the weeks to come if the weather improves.

December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas to everyone, hope your holidays are wonderful.  It seems the rain the last few days has helped the lake level.  Hopefully it is just the start of a new trend, going up instead of down.  We are at 1052.76 this morning.

December 20, 2008

It's great to see the lake coming up, still a long way to go though.  This week looks like it will be back to the cold weather.  Check your refrigerators to make sure they aren't set too low.  Several people have had instances where soda's have frozen and exploded.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

December 13, 2008

It was a bit chilly on the lake today.  It was eerie driving around and not seeing any other boats.  I went past cocktail cove ~1:00 PM and it was empty.  There were several sail boats further north by Aqualand though.  Hopefully we'll keep getting rain and the like will rise.

Hope you have a great holiday season!

September

It was a quiet month, not much activity but the weather was great.  There were plenty of opportunities to enjoy the lake.  We had a great weekend out a couple weeks ago, even anchored out over night.

Labor Day Weekend

It was a great weekend if you had a chance to enjoy it.  Mother nature helped out just in time to give us some much needed rain.  It was a great site to see the lake up a couple feet instead of down the 1+ as usual.

August 17, 2008

We had a nice weekend at the lake, went out Sunday and spent the day up Shoal Creek.  It was a bit cloudy to start but with the cooler temps and slight breeze it was gorgeous.  Heated up a bit in the afternoon though.

Be extra careful there's a lot of shallow water around and stuff sticking just below the surface.  I've been hearing of many boats that have run aground and been damaged.  Not a way to start the day or end the season as the kids go back to school.

July 27, 2008

If you didn't attend Aquapalooza you missed a great time.  It was a great weekend on the lake hope you had a chance to enjoy it.  Friday and Saturday were the best I think the haze on Saturday kept the temperature down.  Today was hot and humid, but what do you expect for July in Georgia.

There were lots of boats and people at the event.  We had a great spot front and center just off the beach.  Couldn't have planned it any better.  Hopefully they will have it here again next year.

If you attended the event and had a good time call Marinemax and thank them for sponsoring and organizing. 

July 6, 2008

Well it was a great weekend, the weather was a bit crazy though.  Be careful out there the lake levels are down.  Be considerate of others as you are motoring (or sailing) about.  You are responsible for your wake and any damage it does.  Several boats were damaged by a boater going through a cove while creating a large wake.

June 29, 2008

The weather wasn't great this weekend but it still beats working.  It was perfect for getting ready for the 4th though, hope to see you out there for the fireworks.

June 22, 2008

It was a crazy morning, nothing like a storm to start your day, even if it comes through before 5:00 AM.  We had a picture perfect evening Saturday night, good friends and great weather.  The sky was beautiful.  We had two anchors down, should hold us with the weather conditions and forecast.

Unfortunately for us nature had something else in mind.  We were awakened by water splashing on the hull, nothing unusual just an indicator of increasing winds.  I went up top to check things out and realized that the wind had shifted 180 and was picking up.  Still nothing to worry about or so I thought.  Hind sight being 20-20 we should have reset the anchors since we had turned around making the set a temporary thing.

As the wind picked up and we started to drift back as the anchor set was undone we prepared for the worst, breaking apart and heading back, in the dark and rain.  Thanks for GPS and auto pilot, great things to have even on a small lake.

We made it back to the dock ~6:00 AM in one piece and much wiser, even slept in until almost 10:00 AM.  As scary as it was I wouldn't trade it for a good day at the office.

June 16, 2008

It was a crazy weekend of sorts.  It was still great to be at the lake.  Sunday was perfect, sun shining and warm weather.  We just managed to miss the rain and storms that came up late in the afternoon.

May 4, 2008 M Dock and Cocktail Cove

It was a beautiful day on the lake and at Cocktail.  Cocktail was extremely crowded and many inexperienced boaters were moving about.  Be careful and watch out for the other boaters.  It was great to see so many people out enjoying the lake.  If you see us (Sea~renity) stop by and say hello.

May 3, 2008 Bald Ridge Gas Dock

Just in case you hadn't heard there was an explosion and fire at the Bald Ridge gas dock.  Three people were injured and the boat is a total loss.  The explosion occurred when the operator started the engines after refueling.  Make sure you ventilate the engine compartment and bilge before starting an engine.  This is especially true after refueling.  If this is the first time refueling after a long period, like winter lay-up, check the bilge during filling and after to make sure there isn't any leaks in the gas or fill lines that put gasoline into the bilge.  Hopefully this wont happen again.

April 6, 2008 M Dock

Well the weather was pretty dismal Saturday, but a bad day on the boat beats a god day at work.  The rain came down pretty heavy at times so it will bring the lake level up.  Put the ski boat in this weekend.  Took it out for a couple runs to check out the lake.  It's amazing what a few feet of water will do.  Not nearly as much shore line and many of those little islands have disappeared so be careful.  There's a lot of shallow water out there.

March 16, 2008 Cocktail Cove

It was great to get away from the dock, it's been a while.  Had a beautiful run up Two Mile and to Browns Bridge.  The weather was perfect.  Drastic change from Friday night and Saturday.  Anchored in Cocktail Cove for a few hours in the afternoon, life doesn't get much better.  Hope to see you out there (Sea~renity).

December 31 at the dock (M dock that is)

It was a great way to end the year and start a new one.  It was chilly but the sky was clear and millions of stars dotted the evening sky.  The fog was coming of the lake and gave it an eerie appearance.  The lake is still way to low to go out even though the rain the last few days helped a little.  Hopefully we will get lots more to bring the lake level back up.

December 21 on the Lake (or should we call it Pond Lanier)

It's amazing how much difference there is from week to week as the level keeps dropping.  Hopefully with the recent rain we will gain some ground.  It's really sad to see the lake so low and the fact that we can't even enjoy it, without taking a high risk of doing damage to your boat.

If you dare to venture out be very careful.  I was out a couple weeks ago and in the middle of Bald Ridge channel in ~50' of water my depth gauge went almost instantly to 6.5' and 8.5' in a couple spots.  That did it for me.  I wont take the boat out again until we get a couple feet more water.

December 2 Sunday Cruise

The weather was beautiful.  It was a little on the cold side but it is December.  The lake is so low now it's hard to recognize anything anymore.  Hard to beleive the stuff in the water where I used to cruise.

Coming out of Bald ridge following my chart plotter and staying in the middle of the channel I came across several areas that went abruptly to ~6-8 feet.  It is very dangerous out there.  I wouldn't recommend going out any more until the level comes back up.  Take care and see you on the lake soon I hope (if we get a few more feet of water).

Fall Poker Run

Well it’s fall and you know what that mean’s, that’s right the Annual Poker Run sponsored by Marine Max.  This is just one of many events that they put on and as usual they did a great job.

In spit of the extremely low level there was a good turnout for the run and low country boil.  The water was calm, sun shining, and the air clean and crisp.  What more could you ask for (perhaps another 8’ or 9’ of water in the lake)?

The directions for the run were clear and easy to follow.  I took some friends with me and it was amazing how much difference there is in the lake and shoreline.  It’s scary to see some of the things we have been riding over with our boats.  I’m thankful that I haven’t hit or run over anything, GPS and up to date charting is a wonderful thing. It’s helped me avoid many of those obstacles that are now easy to see.

It was good to see some familiar faces on the lake and back at the dock.  I especially enjoyed the great food and cold drinks.  The chef did a fantastic job cooking the low country boil.  I can’t imagine anyone left hungry or thirsty.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, especially the ones that one prizes.

If you weren’t able to attend I hope you can make it next year or to one of the many other events Marine Max sponsors.  Give them a call (770 781-9370, ask for Richard) to find out when there next event is or look them up at the boat show.

Fire – please be careful

I don’t have all the details but last weekend (11/10-11) a boat caught fire and someone was injured as well as damaging the boat.  The information I have so far is that someone had a kerosene or alcohol heater on their boat and it caught fire.  There was extensive damage to the boat and some damage to adjacent boats.  The man received burns on his arms and face.  I will provide more when I can.

10/29

If you can’t make it to the Lake, what’s the next best thing?  How about the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show.  So many boats, so little time to see them.  I want to thank Steve (steve@njyachts.com) and Paula Doyle of Northrop and Johnson for taking the time from their busy schedule to show me around and giving me the freedom to explore on my own.  If you are ever in need of a broker give them a call, tell them I said hello.

If you haven’t been to the show you should plan on it next year.  There also is the Miami show in February, perhaps I will see you there.  Here are a few tips if you plan to attend.

	Obtain a map or layout of the show ahead of time (websites, brokers, etc.)
	Narrow down what you want to see, don’t be afraid to dream though (Westport 130)
	Don’t forget about the accessories
	Contact a broker as many vessels don’t allow you to just walk on board

The show was fantastic, although a bit overwhelming towards the end, information overload.  It’s amazing the number of boats that can be crammed into such a small place.

My current quest is a motor yacht in the 60’-80’ range.  I even expanded it to include trawlers.  When you think about it for most trips (~50-100) miles there isn’t that much difference when everything is considered.  Higher fuel consumption and less capacity means more trips to the fuel dock.

My favorite of the show varied like the weather, all over the place.  There are several that made the short list even though they may be wishful thinking at this point.  They are in the order that I saw them.

	Westport (96’, 112’, and 130)
	Lazarra (64’, 72’, 75’, and 80’)
	Alaskan – trawler (80’)
	Kuipers (80’)
	Hatteras (64’, 72’, and 80’)