First boat trip of summer....
We haven't taken the boat out on the water since we moved house. One reason for this is the trouble we have had getting our boat up the new steep driveway. We had the trailer modified and raised so the engine doesn't hit the concrete as we reverse but it is still a hairy procedure!
Today was a beautiful day and we decided to have a go. The wind had picked up a lot by the time we got to the boat ramp and we had a hard job getting the boat off the new raised trailer and then pushing away from the shore against the wind. With the help of four blokes who had been having a BBQ we managed to get into water deep enough for the engine to take over.
It was a choppy run and a bit scary when Byron realised that we had probably left a plug unscrewed that was supposed to keep water out of the bottom of the shell of the boat. A tricky tie up to a jetty with the wind pulling the boat away and I was told that I needed to get into the water to try and find this plug that was well below water level... I was sinking into knee deep mud as I walked/swam my way around the boat. Eventually I found the plug and it was unscrewed so I had the fun job of getting soaking wet while putting it in. It was a fun start to the day (?) and I have the dubious honour of saying I was the first Baynham to swim in the lake this summer!
The rest of the day passed much less dramatically with a lovely trip around Lake Macquarie and coffee and biscuits in the sheltered Secret bay opposite our house. Getting the boat back to the boat ramp the wind had picked up again and Byron's Mam got absolutely soaking from the spray! We all had a great laugh at her expense!
Getting the boat out of the water was easy and we are home now tired and salty but happy to have successfully given the "Red Dragon" it's first run of the summer.
