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’)