Fourth of July Near the Oil Spill

We had not had Bavarian Cream out for a while, because she was partially dismantled as we performed a number of updates, repairs, installs, and routine maintenance over the past couple of months (more on these tasks later). With the 4th of July falling on a Sunday this year, we decided that we should put the boat back together, get a crew together, and take the boat down the river to Lake Maurepas for some swimming and relaxing on the water. We did not expect to encounter any oil from the gulf oil spill, but oil was reported in Lake Pontchartrain which is separated from Lake Maurepas by a six mile canal, so one never knows. We invited some of the kids, but only Milana and Tracy showed up.

We had the boat ready to go and cast off shortly after they arrived. It was a sweltering day, but very windy, so we fired up the genset and started the air conditioning and some fans so we could duck out of the heat when it became too uncomfortable (oh, how nice it is to have a bigger boat with all of the systems when you're older!). As we cruised down the river, Larry got to demonstrate all of the new toys and gadgets that we recently installed and play some more with the gps and navigation software. We went past the Prop Stop which was in full swing and then headed on out to the lake. With 10-15 knot ESE winds kicking up whitecaps, conditions on the lake were not the most comfortable. We rolled our way over to the shallow water where everyone anchors and swims in waist high water, but stayed in a little deeper water because of the waves and the fear of dragging the anchor and becoming grounded. As expected, we had trouble setting the anchor, but finally succeeded on the fourth try after paying out 60' of chain rode for the 3 feet of water we were in!

With the boat holding OK, we went swimming. And no oil! The wave action made swimming difficult, so we tethered inflatables to the boat and just relaxed in the water and drank beer, ate snacks, listened to music, and had some great conversations. After a couple of hours in the water, it was time to eat. Because it was windy and we were grilling, we decided to pull anchor and go into the calmer waters opposite the Prop Stop. We anchored with about 30 other boats and proceed to make dinner. We decided to eat inside in air conditioned comfort. We dined, consumed several rounds of drinks, and conversed until someone noticed there was not much light outside. When we went out we were surprised to find that the sun was setting and we were the last boat in the anchorage. The anchor was hauled and we proceeded at nearly full speed back to the house. After all, it was the 4th of July and our neighbors have great fireworks displays. We put the boat in the slip and invited Milana and Tracy to watch the fireworks, but they felt they needed to head home, so Jane and Larry watched the fireworks from their deck and then walked down to a neighbor's 4th of July party before calling it a day.