It was a great day and night. We had an unbelievable feast at the “grill off” at the marina. Vero and Brantley ( hope I am spelling it right) served up some mean dishes of ginger grilled shrimp and much, much more. They outdid themselves. But, first prize has to go to Mr. Clean…..he grilled up swordfish sliders with pesto and goat cheese. Freakin delish! Jen kept very, very busy filling up the wine glasses (notice all the red cups). Mr. Clean is the guy on the left with the pesto drippings on his chin…

Some of my favorite dock peeps….

It’s just not a pahhhty if Al isn’t there. He tied up to my boat and was once again, the last comic standing. I’m not sure what was said here but they thought it was pretty funny.

The season has been fantastic, despite some unexpected expenses. New props and starter to name a few. It started out with a bang and hopefully will end with a bang too! Well, not literally…..enjoy the rest of the season. Although this probably is not the best boat buzz , there is definitely some good times.

A fishing trip is coming up, check back!

It was a great start to a gorgeous day weather wise. I throttled down to a comfortable cruising speed of 27 knots. The seas were about 2-3 ft with very little wind. We settled in and Carolyn took the helm for a while.

It took a little over an hour and a half to get there. We noticed a couple of party boats, figured they must know what they were doing and dropped anchor. We set our lines and waited… Nada, nothing, zero…..Time to move. Al checked the chart and found a spot 7 miles south with a 150′ drop. Off we went, on a search for keeper cod fish.

I dropped a line and caught the one and only keeper pretty quickly. It’s amazing how time passes on the water. After what only seemed like an hour, it was time to head back to Newburyport. It was a fairly uneventful day up to this point, but that was about to change. As they say ( whoever they are)….. it’s all about the journey. Al was at the bow of the boat directing me over the anchor . There was no land or a boat in sight, just the silence of the sea. I was about to raise the anchor when we heard a sudden, loud swooooooshing sound. In unison we all looked in the same direction. There was a humpback whale about 10 feet off the starboard bow!! We were excited, in awe and scrambled for our cameras. I have seen whales before but never this close on my own boat. What a thrill. You can see him blowing in this picture……. It’s hard to describe the feeling when you come across these majestic, awesome creatures. It’s something that will stay with me always. OK, well it’s way past my bedtime so, that’s it for now. Keep checking back for the best boat buzz…….or at least a good story!

I have added some great pictures to the fishing “tales” page, Keep them coming!!

Mr. Clean, a.k.a. Kevin started the season off with a boat load of fish. I started the season stuck at the marina with teeth missing from the ring gear in the flywheel and a faulty starter. It’s always something!

Anyway, I’m bacccccccccck and ready for a great summer of boating and blogging. What do you all think of having a “biggest” fish contest. Send me the weight and length of your catch and I will record and post it. The winning prize will be determined. If you want to participate, shoot me off an e-mail and we can get it going.

Enjoy the start to the summer and keep checking back! Happy boating, stay safe……

Oh, by the way, today is my birthday. I am not happy with this whole aging thing at all. Anyway, that makes me a Pisces in horoscope land. I don’t follow any of that astrological stuff, but I do know that people born under this sign are dreamers. Case in point…….I have been honing my Texas Hold-em skills (or lack thereof) over the winter. I will be purchasing a mega yacht, complete with crew and captain after I win the World Poker Tour. Yeah, I know what you are thinking but, ,

A girl can dream, can’t she.

Hang in there, spring really is just around the corner. Enjoy the rest of the winter all……………….

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Only five more months and we will be back on the water! If you are looking for x-mas presents, check out the links on the right. There are some great values and sales taking place for the holidays. Oh, and if I am on your list, I am registered at West Marine and Hatteras, just saying……..

When it comes to winterizing, painting the bottom of the boat and all the tedious odds and ends of maintenance and upkeep, everyone should have one…….. A Boat Bitch! Here is mine, his name is Jake. It really is a term of endearment.

Jake is an “old salt” who knows my boat inside and out. He explained the winterizing process to me in simple terms, he said “Winterizing the engine makes sure that there is no longer any threat from water left in the cooling system that might freeze and cause damage. Everything is drained and anti-freeze ( the pink stuff) is run into vulnerable places.” Sounds easy….but then he started talking about fogging, stalling the engine, lubing, blah blah blah – he lost me in translation.

Left up to me, I was afraid the outcome would look like this. I had nightmares about it, scarey ones….

So, my boooaaaat ( said like Forrest Gump) is on stands, in the boat yard, winterized and waiting on shrink wrap, all set to hibernate until spring. The spring cannot come soon enough for me.

I had one of my best boating seasons ever. Just because the season is over does not mean the blog is over. I will continue to post and entertain all of you. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Have a great winter everyone. I will see all you fellow boaters next spring! Remember to keep checking back for the best boat buzz around.

By the way, the winter is the best time to buy anything you may need for the boat. The prices are always discounted. Check out the links on the side for some great products and deals.

I have caught garbage fish only occasionally…… by sheer luck. I would use a frozen clam on a rusty hook and hope for the best. I am more of a pleasure boater than a fisherman. All that changed this season while watching boat after boat pull into the marina loaded with fish. Stories unfold and laughter abounds. I wanted in, I wanted to be part of it. I decided to take it seriously and learn more about the fishing game.

Who knew that fishing was an art form, a real science, not me. Who knew that leaders, sliders, 20 ft diver lures, the right way to jig, one inch mackerel chunks, the outgoing and incoming tides all have a role in success at fishing. Who knew that as the summer wanes into fall, huge schools of blues begin following the baitfish south looking for warmer water. Not me, until now. Lesson number one came from Brian.

I met Brian (my fishing guru) and his first mate (Melissa) bright and early. First stop was near the jetties at the mouth of the Merrimac River to drop a line and drift. I caught the blue on a chunk of mackerel. It all happened so quick….I dropped the line, I felt a tug and then a full out battle ensued. This thing nearly pulled me out of the boat. Brian knew it was a blue right away because of the angle and speed of the line.
I was quite sure he was wrong and I was reeling in Moby Dick. Those suckers put up a huge fight and they have razor sharp teeth. After what seemed like hours I got the fish to the surface, my guru gaffed the poor thing and hauled it on board. Blood was everywhere……all over me, the boat, the fish, it looked like the Boston Massacre. Mess and all, I was ecstatic. We threw it on ice and off we went.

We weren’t done yet, we cruised out to Halibut point and did some trolling. Honestly, we didn’t have much luck there. But, on the way out we saw some whales, right in front of us! We jetted closer for a better look. It is tough to get a full size picture in here but, you can see them in the distance.

You would think this would be more than enough pleasure for one day. However, it does not stop there. A few porpoise were swimming off the port bow. The porpoise swam over and began playing with Melissa almost taunting her, she took the bait……as the porpoise stopped and posed, Melissa somehow straddled one and went for a ride on it’s back, circling the boat. The camera happened to be malfunctioning at this point. Sorry, no pictures. Spotting them was enough for me.

What better way to wrap up a spectacular day than watching the moon rise over the river….

Wonderful company, great weather, whales, porpoise and catching a blue. I know exactly what Thoreau meant.

Keep checking back for the best boat buzz/ fish stories on the net! Also check out “fishing tails” for a great pic of a couple of great guys who caught a huge tuna. I will also be updating the dockside dining page too. I had dinner at a new restaurant in Salisbury Beach, The SeaGlass…………….check back soon for the review. Update: The review is posted.

This is a short video clip I took this week while returning from a day of offshore fishing…….

There are plenty of fish to be caught in the Merrimack River and off shore, in front of the island. However, if you follow my blog you will know they are not caught by me…..whatever. This Sturgeon below was caught by my hero outside the mouth of the the river.

Check out some other photos with more details under “Fishing Tails”.

Birding and wildlife are also abundant and the beach is simply beautiful.

The beach is a gently sloping shelf extending some distance out to sea. Breakers are small and close to shore. The shelf causes wicked strong undertow currents. During severe storms the beach is inundated and Mother Nature wreaks havoc. This picture was taken in 1908. What a difference 100 years make! Erosion is a real concern for the locals. Many residents fear a major breach that could let vast amounts of ocean slip over eroded dunes, flood the northern tip of the island, and cut off access to hundreds of houses.

The concern is warranted. According to a report by the Army Corps of Engineers,at least 26 beachfront homes on Plum Island could be destroyed by 2019 without a plan to blunt beach erosion.

You better get out here quick to enjoy it before it’s gone! So, keep checking back for the best boat buzz and the worst videos on the net…….I promise my videos will improve!! it took me 3 days to figure out how to upload, convert, and get it on the site. As you can see, I didn’t do it right because I had to go through youtube.

It happened on Saturday. I was 4th in line to fuel my boat. It was a beautiful, hot summer day. There were six of us on the boat. After about 25 minutes of hovering, my passengers were getting cranky and so was I. Finally, I pulled the boat up to the gas dock where the attendants tied me off. I shut the power off, removed the gas cap and set it aside. The girl attendant ordered the kids off the boat and instructed anyone under 12 to wear a PFD. Makes perfect sense, it should be done and this is where the chaos ensued. The male attendant handed me the nozzle. I felt rushed, other boats were waiting. The kids were being kids and in no hurry. No-one wanted to wear the jacket, words were exchanged, the attendants were impatient and stress mounted.

Now there are 7 people standing in my way. I just wanted to get the gas and get the hell out of there. I began pumping…..after a minute or so Josh- the 13 year old said “Do you fill all three holes?” Perplexed at the question, I looked down and went into total shock and disbelief. I was pumping into the rod holder, which drains into the bilge!! There are two rod holders, one on either side of the gas fill. They all look the same. No excuses, I was simply distracted which is how most mistakes happen.

Two gallons of gas was now in my bilge. I was beyond stunned and feeling very stupid. I asked the attendants what the next step was. I obviously wasn’t going to start the engines. But to my surprise, the attendant instructed me to start pumping again. They really wanted the other boats in. They were losing revenue and I was losing patience. I wanted answers and information. I put the nozzle in the correct fill and started fueling. This didn’t seem or feel right. However, I did what I was told in my state of stunned disbelief.

This could have been us......

The earlier chaos was minor compared to what transpired next. The owner was finally called down after I repeatedly asked what my next step was. I wasn’t sure how to resolve the problem. He looked at me and repeatedly yelled “stop pumping”. I was pissed now. I told him his “guy” said to continue. He said, “You need to get this boat out of here.” There were now 9 people standing in a confined area with a real threat of an explosion. I told my friend and her three nephews to leave the area and wait for a phone call.

Words were exchanged, my stress level peaked and finally the owner of the station took control. Within 10 minutes I was towed to a mooring a few hundred feet away. Phil (lucky he was with me, I owe him big time) and I went into action. We pulled up the floor boards and opened all the hatches and vents. Phil got down in the bilge and laid out absorbent pads to soak up the gas. We filled a couple of garbage bags with the soaked pads and set them aside. Once all the gas was gone we flushed out the bilge with a detergent and sea water several times. We now had the fumes to contend with. Fumes and potential spark is the real danger as that equals an explosion. We waited, and waited and waited.

After a few hours, the fumes had dissipated and we felt (relatively?) comfortable firing her up (whew!). We made it safely back to the marina. I left everything open for the night to air it out. I went to the boat the next day and there was not a hint of gas or fumes present.

I got out of the situation cheaply and safely. A fellow boater was not so lucky. He pumped 50 gallons into his bilge via the rod holder at the same station. Luckily for him his automatic bilge pump was broke. The EPA and fire department had to be called. His fines and labor to remove the gas cost him $4,000.00. What a costly mistake.

I take full responsibility for the incident. It is the Captain’s job to ensure safety and order in and around the vessel. So the moral of the story is; stay focused and don’t get distracted! I sure am glad to be here…. and able to tell you to keep checking back for the best boat buzz or (blunder!).

For the first time ever, I am looking forward to winter so I can go to Florida on vacation. That’s just not right. So, what do boaters do when we can’t boat? We whine. While whining, we eat, we drink, and we dream. Dream about the perfect day- whale watching, spotting dolphin, fishing for the big one. I miss the sun, the wind in my face, the rush of being behind the helm. I miss watching the sunset while perched on the bow. I miss the perfect boating day.

Frustrated, I did the next best thing. I scoured and stumbled through youtube for a daily fix. I call it “Virtual Boating”, hmmmmm-have I come across the next best thing? Check this out…..very cool.
And then there is this…

I am not giving up hope. We will see the sun sometime soon, won’t we? The weather has to break…..doesn’t it? Until then I will continue with my whining , virtual boating and praying for that perfect day. Check out this P-Town sunset, beautiful.

On we go, despite the nasty weather. Keep the faith fellow boaters and keep checking back for the best boat buzz around. I am going back to youtube, see you next time!