Boz

Oh, darn. I just flushed all the JW Blue, Glenlivet and Glenfiddich 'cuz I thought it had gotten stale. Ya snooze, ya lose. Just remember how well that "evacuation plan" worked for you when Charley came visiting five years ago.

The classic Weber kettle is hard to beat. I used to roast good-sized turkeys on our old one - ring of good hot coals surrounding a pan of water, turkey in a throwaway aluminum foil pan..... Mmmmmmm.... that's good eatin' !! If my present Volkswagen-sized gas grill ever bites the dust, I'm going back to Old Faithful.

I've always firmly believed the old susperstition that it's bad luck to begin a cruise when one-third or more of the vessel is on fire.

TowBoat US isn't going to do him much good in Australia! May be a long wait for the tow boat to arrive..... Back to the original post... does Australia actually require a license to operate a boat?

More likely, Chris, he wants to feed that thing through a tree chipper. Can't have the public seeing the Whaler name on something like that. And I must plead ignorance about the geography of the state, but where the heck could you use that thing in South Dakota ??

Those long winters in South Dakota do some strange things to peoples' brains.

Man dies after boat accident Hit in head by propeller; operator charged By Nick Madigan | nick.madigan@baltsun.com August 4, 2009 An autopsy was being performed Monday on a 26-year-old man who died after he was struck in the head by a boat's propeller while tubing on Back River. The boat's operator was later charged with operating a vessel while intoxicated, police said. Scott Yeagy, of the 9700 block of Red Clover Court in Parkville, was one of half a dozen people taking turns being towed on a tube Sunday afternoon, according to a spokesman for the Baltimore County Police Department. The boat's operator, Jason Mohr, 30, told police that Yeagy fell off the tube as he was being pulled along in the water. Mohr told police he turned the boat around to retrieve his friend and that he "felt a bump under the boat near the prop," said Cpl. Michael Hill, the police spokesman. "Others on the boat saw Yeagy not moving, floating in the water," Hill said. "People on the boat pulled Yeagy in and they returned to shore." A caller to The Baltimore Sun said her son-in-law, a paramedic, tried to revive Yeagy on the riverbank and learned that the men had gone tubing as part of a bachelor party. Hill said Yeagy was declared "dead on the shore from what appeared to be head injuries." Police officers who responded to the emergency shortly after 5 p.m. could smell alcohol on Mohr's breath, Hill said. After an investigation, Mohr was arrested and charged with piloting a boat while under the influence of alcohol. Mohr, of the 100 block of Sipple Ave. in Nottingham, was released on his own recognizance.

"However, my poor long-suffering and super-tolerant wife, who had been sitting on the transom......."

We just picked up a pack of cedar planks from Costco meant for exactly that purpose. Probably gonna do up some salmon this weekend. Years ago, I heard of a recipe for cooking carp on cedar planks. Marinate the carp in your favorite marinade overnight, get the grill good and hot, sprinkle on a little sea salt and fresh-ground pepper; cook it the same way - about 15 minutes per inch. Remove the carp from the plank, then..... Throw the fish away and eat the plank.

Hi, Bob - - good to see you back, and particularly good to see that you're staying busy doing what you do best. Haven't been by the big lake lately, but East Lake appears to be pretty much at max levels. Beach area has been closed for a week or so due to some nasty ol' E-Coli level elevation. There's been plenty of rain and most of the storms skirt the north side of the lake, so it's getting plenty of runoff and I'm escaping most of the really nasty storms. Lots of storms to our south, too, so I'm sure the big lake is benefitting from that. No scuttlebutt about drawdowns, so that's a good thing. One really good thing is that they've started disassembling the tanks at the old "poop plant" west of the marina; it'll be nice to have that eyesore (and "nose-sore") place gone forever! Unfortunately, between extensive honey-do lists, bad weather and traveling, haven't had the boat out in quite a while. Hoping to change that situation soon.

Let's see... 5,426 members 15,722 hits on The Sandbar 2.897 hits per member I think I figured out where everybody is....

To clarify - - you install the bushing FIRST, then use an X-Acto knife or something similar to cut the material out of the center.

Sarsota/Siesta Key/Lido Key/Longboat Key area. The Admiral and I spent a few days there a few months ago. Great area! Siesta Key is one of the top rated beach areas in the country, and your Admiral would probably enjoy the St. Armand's Circle shopping/restaurant area. Coming up from Key West, you can shoot across "Alligator Alley" and up I-75 to that area. That's a total of about 375 miles - - 7 hours +/-. Next day, continue up I-75 to I-4 over to I-95 and back home. You might even see Ludicrous around Naples, heading for the ramp. And, an early Happy Anniversary!! (Even though you're just a 'rookie'; Admiral and I just celebrated our 43rd!)

Personal experience ?? The method you described is exactly what I prefer to do. The old ramp at our local marina was a good example of the concrete becoming undermined and eventually breaking off. Created an undesirable surprise for many folks. Fortunately, it was all torn out and totally rebuilt and expanded about 4 years ago.

She already sail, Wiley? It's not showing on the AIS website. Did they load all 3 of those yachts off her port side? But I see you also have two ships in port that I'm familiar with - USAV Brandy Station - This is one of the support ships that is used in conjunction with Shuttle launches up around Cape Canaveral; wonder what she's doing down your way ? USNS Comfort - This Navy hospital ship is homebased in my old stomping grounds - Baltimore. She has served admirably in many major situations, such as 9-11 in New York harbor, the New Orleans area after Katrina, as well as many military operations, such as service in the Persian Gulf. Her original name was SS Rose City, an oil tanker built in 1976. She was turned over to the Navy in 1987 and converted to a fully-equipped marine hospital.

Hang on, Ben! I know you're in there somewhere! The fire department's Cave Rescue Unit is on the way!

No flares? No radio? No cell phone? Perhaps..... no BRAINS ???? I saw an interview with them yesterday on a Palm Beach TV station that sheds a little more light on the story. They said the fishing was not so hot in the inlet, so they decided to go "a little way out" into the ocean. They were lucky the ocean has been pretty calm the last couple of days. But deliberately taking a 14 foot boat out in the ocean with (apparently, at least) no basic safety equipment is just plain STUPID. In the favorite word of Jeff Dunham's buddy Walter - - "Dumba$$".

I'm in Welder's camp. '06 Dodge 2500 Mega-Cab diesel 4x4 Running back and forth to work (about half highway, half urban) I've been averaging just a hair over 21 mpg. On the highway, more like 24~25. Haven't towed with it enough to give a figure on that. As far as brands go, I'd rather be Cummin than Stroking!

Manatee seen in Chesapeake near Havre de Grace, Maryland The Associated Press 3:36 PM EDT, July 20, 2009 The National Aquarium in Baltimore said a manatee has been spotted near Havre de Grace. Aquarium and Coast Guard officials urged boaters to be careful not to harm the manatee if seen. Manatees are infrequent visitors to the Chesapeake Bay. A manatee that wandered into the bay in the mid-1990s was trapped and airlifted back to Florida when scientists became concerned he wouldn't make it back on his own before the waters chilled in autumn. That manatee, nicknamed Chessie, was outfitted with a transmitter, and his travels up and down the East Coast were followed for years. Aquarium officials say they are working with federal officials in Florida, where the marine mammals are normally found, to identify the manatee spotted over the weekend.

They'd probably just say "I'm sorry, sir, but that sounds like a matter for your health insurance company."

Imagine the fun of calling your insurance company and telling them that your house was wrecked by a huge weiner.

Cool! I'll keep that stuff in mind. Thanks. Even though it's not nearly as much fun as jackhammers and acetylene torches.

Sounds exactly like Downtown Baltimore.

Correct me if I'm wrong; today's the 15th, isn't it? Could Wiley be getting his wish? Stay tuned, campers; 4 more hours left before the 16th!

Since there might come a time when you need to remove your helm wheel, don't use anything permanent like 5200, or you'll need either a jackhammer or blowtorch to get that cap off. I'd just use any good quality clear silicone adhesive. Slap the cap back in place, maybe hold it in place with some masking tape for a few hours, and you should be good to go.