Winterizing your Boat

Since taking the boat out of the water for the season the weather has been tough to winterize the boat but I finally got to it yesterday. Some folks pay a lot of money to do this but it is fairly easy to do. I hope these tips help.

The first thing I do when I get the boat home is power wash the hull to remove the scum while it's still fresh. Don't worry about any barnacles on the hull because you will be able to scrape them off easy in the Spring before you touch up your bottom paint.

Next I pour marine grade fuel stabilizer ( blue stuff ) in to the fuel tanks. I use a pint on each side.
Place your ears on your lower end of the outboard....not your ears ears..LOL but a sort of clamp with suction cups that you attach a garden hose to. Place the ears over the intake vents behind the prop.

Turn the water on and start the engine, let it run for a little while to make sure the stabilizer gets in the carburetors.While its running turn off your fuel switch and let the motor run till it runs dry. Some folks have the engine fogged, I've never done it so I don't know if it's good or bad.

Changing the lower end fluid is important One it's lets you see if you have water in the oil which means your seals are gone. And two it lets you see if you have any metal chips in the oil . Unscrew the top screw on the lower end then on do the bottom one. Drain oil and take a look at the bottom screw. The bottom screw should have a magnet on it . Check for metal flakes and if the oil is milky you have water.

If everything looks alright refill your lower end fluid. Some products come with a hose that screws into the lower end or what looks like a caulking tube. Fill from the bottom hole first till it comes out the top hole.. Your done.  
 

Remove engine cover and spray WD 40 on wires and linkage. This keeps moisture from rusting parts and keeps wiring from drying up.

I have been having my boat shrinkwrapped the last 4 yrs and it is well worth it come Spring time. You can pay anywhere from $8 to $10 a foot and for a little more they can put a zipped door in if you what to.
Anyway it's not hard to do.

Sea Ya

The Capt.    

    

Last Boating Day of the Season

I don't know where the summer went, but here it is the last day. All in all I had a good fishing charter season and it was great to see my regulars and new customers. The Striper fishing was strange this year with most of the big fish being caught in deep water instead of in the mouth of the Merrimack River.

Next season I'll be looking at some changes at the marina as we have new owners. I've heard they plan to push the marina out closer to the channel to accommodate more boat slips and push the gas docks out and widen it to accommodate four boats at the same time.

I don't know what will happen to the old Fish Tale Diner ,some say it was sold and to be moved to a new location and I've heard they may turn it into a Tiki Bar. With all these changes I knew my slip fee would go up and it did by four hundred.

I don't plan to move because I still have the best deal and location on the river. I just hope they will let the charterboat captains operate with no restrictions.

The take out went smooth with us going out to sea and picking up the lobster traps for the last time. We had bugs in every one but only one keeper the rest were either shorts or eggers. We headed back in and put the traps in the back of the truck.

The guys went to the boatyard and picked up my boat trailer and met me up river at Cashmans Park boat ramp. I always feel a little sad as I putt up river looking at all the empty mooring balls and boat slips but I'm also happy that I get to do what I love.

My wife is also happy because she has a list a mile long of chores to do around the house.
I'll talk about winterizing your boat on my next blog.

Sea Ya
The Capt.  

Striper Fishing in Cape Cod Bay

My friends and I decided to change it up and charter a 36ft Sport fishing boat down the Cape and try our luck on the infamous striper fishing we only hear about up here in the north shore.

The boat was a beauty and Captian John Carty and 1st mate Kevin made us feel welcome aboard the Lucky Lady II. I wasn't prepared for the rough seas and the kind of fishing we were in store for. We checked the weather before we left my buddy's house in Sandwich and they said one foot seas and wind out of the NNW at 5 miles and hour. When we got to the boat it was blowing at 15 miles an hour with 3 to 4 ft seas.

We headed out banging though the waves and started to troll along Barnstable beaches about 300 yards off shore using purple jig heads. Two guys sitting in the fighting chairs at the stern pumping the jigs at a good clip up and down as the Capt. worked the boat as he called it over a pile of fish.

It was exhausting at times but rewarding when we hooked up. We kept swapping off and heckled one another  and had a lot off laughs and took some shots from the good natured Capt. up on the fly bridge.
After the tide went slack we headed toward the Cape Cod Canal and fished a ledge about a mile off shore.

I have fished in a bunch off boats before but this was crazy, about 60 boats trolling tubes on a small rock pile so close I could walk onto a boat going by at times. This is where we caught our biggest fish and it was awesome.

The wind calmed down and the sun came out and we headed back to the dock after 8hrs at sea and with over a hundred pounds of filet in our cooler. It is very cool to check out the different ways to catch fish because what works down the Cape doesn't always work in the north shore.

I love Striper fishing...

Sea Ya
The Capt.

Open apology to Gerry Nutter

As a political junky I read all the local blogs. I do comment on occasion on things that interest me and sometimes get caught in the web. I was alittle harsh on Gerry when he accused me of knowing of or being a part of illegal activities pertaining to the stealing of scrap from the Jullian Steel Project.

Gerry does a good job covering local politics and puts in a lot of time in it and his blog is my source of information. I sometimes get frustrated when I hear him on City Life or on Warren Shaws Show make statements like they were fact.

I should know better then to lash out and for that Gerry I  am sorry . Keep doing what you do and I'll keep reading and try not to get caught in the web.

Sea Ya

The Capt.      

Motorcycle ride to the past.

I had the pleasure to ride my Harley with my friends to Conn. this weekend and stayed at my buddy's daughters camp on Hayward Lake . I don't know what town it's in but I saw what living should be like and the pace we should be living at.

I love living in Lowell and I go about making a living every day but when I take a putt with my buddy's we end up somewhere I have never been and see these little towns and talk to the locals I wonder if a simple life in a rural place is the answer.

The lake we stayed on was beautiful and the bass fishing was unbelievable. The water was clear and clean and you could tell by looking at the fish because they were bright and healthy. The country side was also beautiful with rolling hills and open space and old farm houses on large parcels of land.

My buddy Paul and I took a putt on Sat. and got lost on purpose and ended up on dirt roads for miles and had to stop and let a flock of turkeys cross the road. We also found a old cemetery with many unmarked graves but some from the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War ...very cool.

At night the locals came out to the beach and whooped it up with a band and danced the night away.
They had home cooked side dishes and a 50/ 50 raffle and were very kind to us .

I don't know but it reminded me of a earlier time in my life when we would go to my uncles lake house in the early 60's. I'm very happy that there are still places like the one I found this weekend.

I still don't know what town I was in but it was a beautiful and happy place.

Sea Ya
The Capt..

Fish Tale Diner Closed

I've been meaning to write about the Fish Tale Diner closing last month at Bridge Marina.
It was originally the Agawam Diner and was moved behind Stripers Rest. at Bridge Marina.
It was a classic diner with wooden booths and a long counter and small juke boxes at every table.

It was my favorite place to grab breakfast in the morning before going down to the boat. It was always packed every weekend from the time they opened at 5am with customers getting on the fishing boats from the Clipper Fleet and stayed that way with fisherman ,tourist and locals till it closed at 1pm.

Two years ago they built a large deck on the back of the diner over looking Newburyport Harbor. They had picnic tables with umbrellas and large flower box's around the rails. The view was great and so was the food.

I don't know why it closed but rumors were the building inspectors came it and told them they needed sprinkler systems and handicap bathrooms and handicap access and the upgrades were to costly.
It's a shame  that its gone and will be missed by alot of folks.

I don't like change

Sea Ya
The Capt.

The Folk Fest.

Janet and I were down on Friday night because I volunteer to help out in the Emergency Management Command Center every year. It's something I enjoy and I get to make my rounds around the city in a golf cart.

The crowds were big at Boarding House Park and on Dutton St. and the fact that it was a beautiful night helped. I love the festivals the city puts on. I believe we are a model of what a urban city should be but I observed a couple things that I think should be addressed.

I love dogs I own one but I don't bring my dog down to huge crowds of people. Oh it's nice the dog gets all kind of attention but it's not about the dog it's about you. Leave your dog at home. I heard of two dog fights on Friday night and some children got scared.
'
The last thing I observed were packs of kids on bikes and skateboards wiping in and out of people and at one point took a guy out lucky he wasn't hurt. I don't know what can be done but I did see a Lowell Police Officer blow his whistle to some kids to get off the sidewalks with there bikes.

Other than these two things I think this is wonderful for the city but these two things can turn some folks off from coming back.

Sea Ya
The Capt.