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On 09 Sep 2004 02:53:10 GMT, (RGrew176) wrote:

The Labor Day weekend was our 2nd annual rendezvous at Bay View Yacht Club in
Toledo, Ohio. Our Club spent the same weekend there last year and we had such a
great time we decided to return again this year. For most of us it is a short
cruise. Also for those of us in this area Labor Day weekend is considered by
some to be the end of the boating season and many do pull boats out of the
water shortly after the holiday. For many of us the season will continue well
into October and some will even stretch it into early to mid November if the
weather is mild.

September 3, 2004. My day started with the alarm going off at 8 A.M. I packed
and headed from Southgate, MI to Monroe and Bolles Harbor where my boat is
stored. Around 10 A.M. my boat was placed into the water. After sitting in the
rack for 2 weeks she was quite dirty and in need of a bath so I spent the next
hour and a half cleaning the exterior prior to departure. A quick trip to the
grocery store for some supplies and an even quicker breakfast at the Bolles
Harbor Café and I was ready to depart. Harbor Marine was out of gas so I headed
down the waterway to Trouts to put gasoline into my boat. I put in $150 worth
or 68.52 gallons of fuel. At 12:45 P.M. I departed from the fuel dock and
headed out into Lake Erie for the trip to BVYC. I covered the 16 miles in 35
minutes. The lake was very nice with waves less than a foot.

It was a hot and muggy day. There were several scattered rain showers showing
up on my radar but the closest one was 8 miles away and moving in a
northeasterly direction away from me. I arrived at BVYC at 1:20 P.M. and was
given my dock assignment.

We spent the better part of the afternoon talking amongst ourselves and with
members of our host club. At 6:00 P.M. they invited us to a Mexican dinner
buffet with tacos and all the related offerings. We definitely enjoyed our
dinner. By this time the 14th boat from our Club had arrived. We have one more
due in tomorrow morning. There was a DJ/Karaoke player and many of the members
from both clubs tried out their vocal cords. Some were quite good and others
had better not give up their day jobs but all of us had a good time. BTW I
place myself in the latter category, I can barely carry a tune in a
wheelbarrow. It was quite a party and all of us had a great time. We have
already booked Labor Day weekend 2005 at BVYC. They are a great Club to visit
and they always show us a wonderful time.

I will need to get up early tomorrow so I can put my inflatable together as
BVYC is hosting a dinghy Poker Run tomorrow. We will be stopping at 5 places
and at the end of the day the best hand will win some money. It should be a fun
time. It is now just after midnight and I am going to call it a day. So it goes
with day 1.

September 4, 2004. My day started off with the 8:00 A.M. ringing of the alarm
clock. I took the dinghy from the cabin along with the motor and took them both
outside where I used my mini compressor to inflate the dinghy. That task
completed with a little help from my friends I placed the dinghy in the water
and installed the 15 HP Merc. Then it was down into the cabin for breakfast. A
quick shower then it was time to register for the poker run. Around 10:30 A.M.
the last boat from our Club arrived in port. We helped him get tied off. At
11:00 A.M. we all piled into our inflatables and we were off to our first stop
of the Poker Run.

We left the BVYC harbor out into the Maumee River and headed towards Lake Erie.
We took the cut on the north side of the river past Grassy Island on a course
that would take us to the Ottawa River. Approximately 45 minutes later we
arrived at our first stop. There was plenty of food and beverage. One of my
Clubs dinghies ran out of fuel and had to be towed to our first stop which was
the home of one of the BVYC members. We picked up our first card, ate and
drank. We were there about 45 minutes then we all headed back to our boats for
the trip to stop #2. This trip took about 10 minutes and the process was
repeated, eating, drinking and being merry.

The 3rd stop on the course was River View Yacht Club followed by Ottawa River
Yacht Club. We were there at both clubs for about an hour and a half. From ORYC
we headed down the Ottawa River back thru the cut we ran thru earlier and
across the Maumee River to the Harbor View Yacht Club on the south side of the
Maumee River. We spent 1 hour there doing what boaters do best, eating and
drinking. At approximately 5:15 P.M. we loaded back up and headed back to BVYC
for the opening of the cards. When I arrived back at BVYC my engine was
sputtering so I pulled off the cap and I saw that I was almost out of fuel. I
think I had just enough gasoline to cover the bottom of the tank. With the 5
cards each of us held with letters A thru J with each letter the best hand
would win. There were 10 players for each letter or 100 in all. At 6:00 P.M.
the opening of the cards took place. I had a pair of Kings but the winner beat
me with a pair of Aces. Oh well, try again later I guess. I had 3 ladies from
my Club riding with me in my dinghy and each of them won. The winning hands
from each group won $50, not bad for a $5 investment. One of our members also
won $110 at ORYC on a 50/50 drawing that was held there. Our Club did very well
with 4 members coming up winners. Next year everyone wants to ride with me, I
guess I brought them luck. BTW, in my group the pair of aces that beat me was
one of my riders.

We then had dinner provided by BVYC along with a dish to pass that each
participant provided. At 8:00 P.M. one of the members of my Club, Don Rushlow
provided the musical entertainment for the evening. We all had a great day. The
members of BVYC have treated us so well that we have already booked a return
trip for next Labor Day weekend. If you boat anywhere in southeastern Michigan
or northwest Ohio and are a member of an I-LYA or AYC affiliated boat club I
would heartily recommend a stop at Bay View. That pretty much concludes the
events from day 2.

September 5, 2004. Awoke once again with the alarm at 8 A.M. It was a foggy
morning without a stitch of wind. 10 of our boats decided to head for home port
while the other 5 of us will depart tomorrow morning. Listening to the radio
traffic they were saying that Lake Erie was a sheet of glass and except for the
low visibility it was perfect traveling conditions.

Those of us who stayed loaded up in cars and vans to head over to Ottawa River
Yacht Club for their Sunday breakfast. The cost is $5 for all you can eat. They
have omelets made to order plus all the usual breakfast fare, eggs, bacon,
sausage, fruits and juices. It is just about the best $5 you can spend and they
do this every Sunday from I believe 9 A.M. till 11 A.M. or so. If you are in
the area you should give it a try.

We came back to BVYC and one of our members set up a game they call hillbilly
horseshoes. To explain how the game is played is as follows. You have a
rectangular box with 3 holes scoring 1-3 or 5 points. Each hole is
progressively smaller therefore the increased point values. You hand toss a
round washer type of playing piece trying to have it fall through one of the
holes. You play to a score of 21 points but like some other games you must hit
the score exactly. Example if you are at 18 you need to score 3 points to win
either 3 ones or one 3. If you should go over, you play 3 pieces per turn that
score is deducted from your score. Example, 18 points and you score a 5 you
would drop back down to 13. Also, if you play first in the round, last team to
score always plays first and you should score in any of the 3 holes and your
opponent should score in the same hole that nullifies your score. We had a good
time playing several games before moving on to other activities.

In mid afternoon I took my dinghy out for a ride exploring some of the local
islands and such. When I arrived back at the club I decided to pull my
inflatable from the water and get it deflated and stowed for the trip home
tomorrow morning.

I took a short siesta in the late afternoon then my fellow Club members all got
together and we pooled our food and had a nice dinner. We also had 4 boats
across the lagoon at Toledo Yacht Club so we all headed over there for frozen
margaritas. I think I had about 6 of them. I was feeling pretty good. We headed
back to our boats and five of us decided to go to the BVYC clubhouse to have a
couple of drinks and to thank their Commodore for hosting us and giving us such
a great time this weekend. Then it was back on the boat and time to call it a
day. Thus, ends day 3.

September 6, 2004. The last day, the day to head for home. I woke up at 7:15
A.M. before the alarm, grrrrrr. I remember reading somewhere when I was younger
that as you age you require less sleep. I guess in my case this seems to be
true. 6 to 7 hours a night and I am fine it seems. I ate a quick breakfast of
cold cereal and milk. Prepped the boat and stowed the gear for the trip home.
There are 5 boats remaining here at BVYC from our Club. At 9:45 A.M. we
departed BVYC and headed down the Maumee River towards Lake Erie. There was a
good breeze from the S/E and the lake was running 1 to 2 feet with following
seas. I made the 16 mile return trip to Bolles Harbor in 40 minutes arriving
back at my dock at 10:20 A.M. I unloaded the boat but did forget some clothes
in the clothes locker, oh well, except for a jacket it's nothing I really will
need before I return to the boat again.

Stopped at Mickey D's for lunch and then headed home to leave with the family
for Canada by land yacht where we will spend the afternoon shopping and looking
around. It was another fantastic boating weekend. For those of us in Michigan
Labor Day is kind of the unofficial ending of the boating season although my
season will continue until October 15th when the marina I am located in closes
down for the season to begin prepping all the boats for winter storage so I
still have about 6 weeks left to my season.

It will be back to work tomorrow morning. So ends my Labor Day Weekend.

Anybody ever hear Cheech and Chong's comedy routine about Summer
Vacation?

This is the version about boating. :)

Take care.

Tom

"The beatings will stop when morale improves."
E. Teach, 1717

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