Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Man am I excited about this weekend!! I hope that the weather continues to hold out!

Arks - Thanks for the great post update and rafting guidlines. You are a great source of information and I am looking forward to meeting you in person along with all the others!

Now for the bad news! I have to work on Saturday! We are still going to come down afterwards but I am afraid we will not make it out to the raftup location till around 4pm. Anybody still going to be around? How long do most people plan on hanging out? Really wanted to meet everyone!

Arks - thanks again for all the work on putting this together!

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

OK, this raftup is less than a week away. The long-range weather forecast looks promising but we need to wait until Thursday afternoon or Friday morning to be sure.


Let's confirm who's making it.
From this thread the following members have said they will try to attend:
Arks - "Winter Dream"
Al - "Tranquility" (my slip neighbor who's not on iboats forum)
Brandon / Christina - "Blue Crabber"
Skargo - "Twice as Nice"
SuperNova
Frank Acampora - "Amanda Ford"
Billdc
Bowman 316 - "Good Time"
HappierWet

Hopefully we'll have even more boats, but those 9 will make for a pretty fair raft. And of course, kids are welcome- as long as they behave themselves!!!




I plan to be set up at Sand Island (with bow and stern anchors) by 9:30 AM. If you arrive before I'm ready, just anchor nearby and I'll call you when ready.

IMPORTANT: Since most of you are new to rafting, there are some basic protocols I've learned from my experiences.
- First, make sure the vessel you are rafting to is willing, and make certain there are no swimmers nearby.
- Next, the vessel that is joining should deploy their fenders to prevent damage to either boat, and ready lines both bow and stern. The JOINING boat assumes ALL liability.
- ALWAYS approach a raft at dead-slow speed- just enough to maintain steerage. Be aware of how the wind and current will affect your boat and use it to your advantage. Do NOT try to DOCK against another boat- come close enough to hand your lines to the raft and shut the engine down ASAP.
- Tie up to the ajacent boat with both lines. Usually the stern of both boats should be in alignment. Make sure the fenders are placed for maximum effectiveness, and adjust lines as needed. The lines should be snug but NOT TIGHT.
- It's customary for each boat to bring a food item to share with the group.

The following protocols need to be understood by ALL persons- even the kids....
- Once secured, do your introductions. Board another boat ONLY after receiving permission from the owner to do so. NOTE: Swim Platforms are ususally the exception- it's typically OK to walk across another's platform to another boat without permission. USE CAUTION when crossing platforms- I've seen some nasty slips/falls.
- Do NOT enter a cabin, open a cooler, or use the head of another boat unless SPECIFIC permission has been granted by the owner.
- Alright, The kids- the PARENTS are responsible for their kids at all times. I'm not going to preach, just use your heads and be safe, OK? 'Nuff said.


I'm sure I'll have more to say as the week goes on. Come'on Saturday!

Should we be co-ordinating a menu, or least "Hey, I'm bringing coleslaw, or potato salad or whatever" ?
Really getting amped about this, hope I'm not stepping on toes.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

I don't plan on getting there too early, so i should still be there by 4 pm.

 

[skargo]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

I originally planned to come out, and when my wife closed our shop, pic her up in HDG at 3. Now I MIGHT have to work with her, as one employee just told us she needs off, and the other is not too reliable.
I'll bring the boat to work, and if we can walk out the door at 3 pm, I can launch at Lapidum and be to the raft-up at 4pm.

Looking forward to meeting you guys!

As for food, is someone bringing a grill? Does anyone here like venison? I have all kinds, from burgers, to spiced baloney, to meat load, and even some back straps left.

 

[arks]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

I plan to be on station all day, and possibly stay overnight Saturday if the weather holds. For you 'latecomers', you can show up anytime you want. For those who don't already know, evening is a very special time on the water!

Should we be co-ordinating a menu, or least "Hey, I'm bringing coleslaw, or potato salad or whatever" ?

Naw... in all the raftups I've been part of the food is always plentiful and varied, from potato salad, sliced fruit, cheese and crackers to lunchmeat trays, pepperoni bread, even some terriffic (pre-cooked) bacon-wrapped scallops!
Concerning food I'll make 2 suggestions: try to select something that's easy to serve and handle, and bring something your own crew enjoys. For me, the food's not all that important, but the ladies sure do seem to like it.
If anyone wants to bring a dish that needs to be seved warm, I have a small microwave onboard and will be glad to let you warm it- as long as the seaweed doesn't choke out the generator.
I carry a propane grill and plan to cook my crew some burgers. It's not very large but I MIGHT be willing to let a few of you use it...and BTW I LOVE venison!

Here's a shot of a raftup I attended on the Sassafras a couple seasons ago.
You can see the grill smokin' and how the food gets passed around.

 

[Billdc]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Hopefully this is a picture of my boat.

 

[Billdc]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Hopefully this is a picture of my boat. Keep your fingers crossed for Saturdays weather.

 

[arks]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Got it Bill! Nice rig- does your boat have a name?

For those who don't have a VHF radio, I guess the best option is to idle close by and let us know who you are and that you want to raft with us.

It looks like the weather might not be perfect on Saturday, but they're saying any showers should be thru the area during the morning.
Unless it's a monsoon I still plan to stick to my timeline. I sure hope the forecast doesn't change anyone's mind about joining us. Remember- a 30% chance of rain means there's a 70% chance of no rain!

Rob

 

[skargo]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Got it Bill! Nice rig- does your boat have a name?

For those who don't have a VHF radio, I guess the best option is to idle close by and let us know who you are and that you want to raft with us.

It looks like the weather might not be perfect on Saturday, but they're saying any showers should be thru the area during the morning.
Unless it's a monsoon I still plan to stick to my timeline. I sure hope the forecast doesn't change anyone's mind about joining us. Remember- a 30% chance of rain means there's a 70% chance of no rain!

Rob

I'm still in. Latest weather report is looking better.

Should we all monitor 68 or 9 or???

 

[arks]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

I'll be on Channel 09.
Hail "Winter Dream" and I'll respond.

 

[skargo]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

I picked up a 4 pack of fenders at WM, they are $50 off this month.

 

[Billdc]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

No name yet. How do I hail if I don't have a name?

 

[skargo]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

No name yet. How do I hail if I don't have a name?

Just use Billdc!

Still not sure if I can make it early or not tomorrow. Probably around noon-ish.

 

[arks]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

After tonight the weekend weather looks A-OK. I'll be offlne from now 'til sometime Sunday.

See you out there!

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Well are plans have changed some. I now have to work on Saturday and Sunday.

However we still are planning on making it down! Probably get down for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Hopefully 3 to 5 or so. Depending on what happens it may not be till after dinner, but the important part is that we will be there! Hoping to raft up for about 2 hours.

Looking forward to seeing everyone! Have a safe trip for those that are traveling!

 

[skargo]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Spent ALL day messing with my boat, mother nature was NOT cooperating. My boat has been bone dry inside for almost 2 weeks, but of course, as she's uncovered, and my tools are everywhere it POURED. Twice!!!!!
I did remove and old transducer and speedo pitot, install my transducer and my DSM25 for my Raymarine A65, can't wait to play with it tomorrow.

I have to pick something up for the shop in the morning, but after that I should be good to go.
Looking forward to seeing you guys!

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Well are plans have changed some. I now have to work on Saturday and Sunday.

However we still are planning on making it down! Probably get down for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Hopefully 3 to 5 or so. Depending on what happens it may not be till after dinner, but the important part is that we will be there! Hoping to raft up for about 2 hours.

Looking forward to seeing everyone! Have a safe trip for those that are traveling!

THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING THEME. MY WIFE HAS TO WORK TODAY

Hope everybody is safe and has a good time. Maybe we'll make it next time.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Great to meet you guys yesterday!! (Arks and Skargo) Sorry that we missed you BillDC and Bowman although we did see you pull away as we were coming up.

Hopefully you guys (Arks and Skargo) had a safe trip back and that we didn't keep you there to late. (Sorry about that!) We felt bad about not getting there eariler in the day. Wish that would have worked out but it was fun to meet you guys.

Hope to see everyone out on the water again sometime!

 

[skargo]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Nice meeting you guys and seeing you again Arks! We had a blast, and are glad we broke our raft-up cherry.

It was totally dark when we got back to Lapidum, our first "night" trip. It went well except for 2 geniuses who were blasting down the Susquehanna with no lights on

I'll put our picture up later today.

 

[skargo]

Re: Upper Chesapeake Raftup! -- July 18 --

Here's all the pics I got. The one rafted-up shot was taken by Horsepower on speedwake from his Excalibur.
I got zero of BillDC and crew, I never broke the cam out until late.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=279455&id=554955651&l=4b718b3499