While we don’t stay much on the American River during the winter months we do try to stay close to the river and on the boat at the marina.  Shed boating I think my sister calls it.  Electricity for running the heater sure helps.

Paul and Alicia, Beach Inn, sure know how to take advantage of our spat of warm weather.  They were out baking in the sun, working on those great tans, and doing a little dock side BBQ.  I could almost feel the tropical breeze when he offered me a very chilled beer.  Dam I love this boating life!

SYC has not been doing a lot of work on the marina, and I’m sure a lot of stuff I will never notice for months.  Kind of the same thing when your wife does her hair differently, or puts on new shoes and you don’t notice for months, or years for that matter.  I’m afraid to say wow I love that new top, or whatever, because 9 times out of 10 she will have had it for more than a year or two.  

Anyway, I did notice the SYC has a New Pump-Out!  It even has the clear plastic fitting so you can see your holding tank contents being whisked away.  Now how cool it that?  

Of course you still need your little fitting to connect the pump hose to your boat.  The club does not have that fitting where you just hold it Very Very tightly to your boat and pray.  I know we all have our pump-out stories!  This pump works like all the new ones you have used and is real complicated.  You hit the green “On” button to make it suck, and you hit the red “Off” button to make it stop sucking.  Class dismissed.  

Thanks Chuck, and Bob and I know there are others, for making this happen.  (if you let me know who else helped, the boater guy will add them here)

February Blog or Rambling

If you have any pictures you would like me to post you can post them at the Facebook Social Boater site or email them to me.  I also love comments or suggestions for the site.  Thank you all.  Please send them to the BoaterGuy or Zguy@yahoo.com.  Of course there is The Social Boater forum if you would like to comment or add anything there as well.  I’m finding the Facebook Social Boater Group is working out better then the forum site.

Hey there my friends / Social Boaters, it’s already February 2010.  

The trees are starting to bud and soon, we hope, the snowflakes will be replaced by that dogwood snow.  Not that I look forward to all that dogwood snow all over my boat, but it’s better than frost or rain.  Not that rain is ever a bad thing for our rivers; I just wished it would only rain during the week, and not on weekends.  The days are slowly getting longer too, and you can feel that everyone is getting restless about boating again.  Not that we ever stop getting restless about boating, but it just increases in February.  

Sherry and I have been making an effort to be healthy and get in a little shape for the new boating season.  As you know boating is not for the faint of heart, so Sherry and I did some hiking at Folsom Lake early in February.  As you can see from the pic the water is still very low, even with all the rain we have had.  I think they have been dumping a lot of water for flood control, but hopefully they will start storing some for us boaters.  I am sure those Folsom lake boaters are paying lots of attention.  (Note to self, I’m not sure hiking once a month is going to do it.)

I keep hearing boaters asking about when the weather will be good enough for a weekend out on the American river.  

There is also a lot of talk about the next boating trip to the delta or bay.  We are also missing our friends, since we see most of you out on the river.  

Fortunately there have been a few parties and events at the Sacramento Yacht Club (SYC) to help out.  I have to say that is where having a great yacht club like the SYC comes in very handy.  

Sherry and I had breakfast at the Virgin Sturgeon, and as usual it was a great breakfast.  We love being close to the river and watching the goings on.  It was fun to watch the little boats trying to do 5 knots going up river against that fast current but they sure sped by fast when the turned back down river.  

Every so often there was an island of trees and branches floating by with geese taking a free ride.  The Sturg sure slows down during the winter months, but it is good to see there is more business than some 5 or more years ago during winter months.  I know they use to go through some really tight times.  

The folks at the Virgin Sturgeon are so good to use boaters, and they really do deserve our support.  They have the most boater friendly dock in Sacramento, and they have never complained when folks use them to pick up their friends, or use their bathrooms or even when we have spent the night at their docks.  

During these winter months enjoy a great meal there as a way to thank them for being such wonderful boater friendly eatery and watering hole on our river.  

Do recognize this wonderful food server?  Jenny has been taking care of her customers at the Virgin Sturgeon for over 14 years, and has been on the river for more than 30 years.  

She once lived on a house boat at the old “Village Marina.”  The marina was just down river from the “River Bank Marina” where the medical office buildings are by Chevy’s.  

I was not boating on the river when the Village Marina was there.  I’m sure someone has stories to share.  Jenny is a true river person who always has a smile and cares that you are happy with the food and service.  Be sure to say Hi when you see Jenny.

On the airplane going to Alaska in January I met a woman named Gretchen who just happened to mention living on a boat while sitting behind me.  Of course me being the shy one, I had to talk with her and find out more.  She told me about how she and her husband live on their boat half the year in the summer months in Bellingham Washington.  

She has sent me some pictures and has been passing along some information about boating in Washington and the San Juan Islands.  I will put more information out in the Raft Up Locations of this website soon so stay tuned!  I know there are social boaters on the river who have spent time in Washington and the San Juan’s so feel free to send me information and pics too and I will include them.

The river water is still high, but it seems to be coming down a bit.  Ok 3 or 4 feet last time I checked, but there is still a lot of trees and branches coming down river.  

Some days it seems to get clearer but then the next day it is full of prop eating trees and sticks again.  So be careful and try to avoid the night runs till things get better.  

I am sometimes amazed at how fast some boats take the river during these times.  I sure hope luck is on their side.  I guess when I had a go fast boat back in the day I didn’t always travel so wisely, but then I was lucky.  I was in the delta several years ago bringing our last “Dithpicable Too” for a trade in on “More Dithpicable.”  On the run to Delta Yacht Sales I hit something in the channel floating just under the water line.  Nothing is more sickening then to raise your outdrives to see how bad your prop is bent, and then finding out there is no prop or lower unit for that matter.  

There is something to be said for having two engines and for that matter one remaining outdrive.  

However, not to be out done Sherry and I had a really great time at the Capital City Yacht Club’s (CCYC) Kick Off Party.  

Now that was one good time.  We all had a free sit down dinner, live band and lots of dancing and a few drinks to boot.  I think the CCYC members who stayed at the Executive Suites made great use of the free drinks at the Suite’s hospitality hour.  They had to keep getting more alcohol from storage.  Hey we are professionals!

But best of all was the fun of seeing all out boating friends, and even the ones in-between boat too.  Everyone was so excited to see each other it was hard to get folks to stop talking so the Commodore Bruce could say a few words and start the meal.  

Generally the talking slows way down when the meal starts but not this group.  I have to say CCYC does such a great job of bringing all the different member groups, like the shore, raft-out and lake groups, together.  

It is traditional for each CCYC Commodore to come up with this year’s new boating slogan for his or her T-shirt logo which Kevin and Gordon “Our Time” award annually at the Kick Off Dinner.  This year’s slogan or saying by Commodore Bruce is “It’s Not the Size of Your Boat, It’s How Often You Use It.”  

What a great T-Shirt, and Sherry and I have ours.  Get your Commodore shirt when the Hubbles have then at the next CCYC function.  That I suspect will be the Chili Cook-off on March 13th.

Jackie from “St. Somewhere” is just waiting for a sunny weekend to get out on the American, and the Dithpicable will be rafted up right there if at all possible.  See you on the Raft Up!