community weblog - [ Watersports ]

Lassoing a Post or Cleat from your Boat

by Capt. Jack Klang

Tying up at a dock no longer requires a dock attendant to take your me, nor does a crew person need to jump ashore. It can be done from the deck of your boat. If you can see it and you have enough line, anyone can do it.

Begin with the concept that all lines originate from your deck and return to your deck for attaching. This facilitates line adjustment from onboard at any time. It also allows you to maintain control of your boat’s position at the dock.   more...

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Harsens Island no easy hunt

ALGONAC, Mich. - A heavy sky of low, leaden clouds was pushing east-southeast against an attempted sunrise.

Only a luminescent lemon-rind of sunrays blasted through beneath the eastbound layers of steel gray, relentlessly driven as they were on 25 mph west-northwest gusts. Spits of snow pellets peppered the cattails and the hunters' camouflage parkas, each wind-driven bit announcing its arrival with a loud "tick!"   more...

 

Watersports  

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Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Sweat spiked with sunblock dribbles down my face and stings my eyes as the sun hammers me and everything else in Eastern Maryland’s Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. It’s 96 degrees, and the air is so saturated with moisture that I just might need gills.

But the searing heat isn't my only problem; I'm also quite lost in this 27,000-acre preserve of tidal marsh on the Chesapeake Bay about two hours east of Washington, D.C. The refuge is starkly picturesque, with miles of freshwater ponds, deciduous and evergreen forests, and grassy meadows, all of which shelter abundant wildlife. But the homogenous landscape can make paddling tricky, especially if, like me, your navigation skills are less than stellar.   more...

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Flattery for Packery

If you're a flat-water addict, Packery Channel County Park (near Corpus Christi, Texas) can deliver a fix.

Everyone knows about South Padre Island (Spring break! Whoo!) but North Padre Island is home to some great kiteboarding. It's windy year-round, and in prime condition from March through October.  more...

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Entertaining on Your Boat in Michigan

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Duck hunting season opens with more room to roam

Waterfowl hunters who headed to Saginaw Bay, Jackson County, Allegan, and/or Muskegon for the weekend should find more water in most of their favorite potholes and marshes. Summer rains have helped to replenish many dry areas, state wildlife officials said this week.

"With the wetland conditions looking as good as they do, we can expect a pretty good opener," said Barb Avers, the waterfowl specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "A good number of birds are showing up across the state. more...

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LakeFront Radio Interviews Ben Favret - US World Champion Skier

We had a great time talking to Ben Favret today all about slalom water skiing  for which he has won several awards and championships. The one that meant the most to Ben was the 2001 US Team World Championships in Italy....Listen in to hear why this was a very special day for Ben and Team USA.   more...

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PEDAL VS. PADDLE: Propel kayaks provide another option for anglers

We call kayaking a paddle sport. In 10 years it may be more of a pedal sport, because another manufacturer has introduced a unique pedal-drive system to rival Hobie Kayaks' ground-breaking Mirage.

The newest pedal-driven version is from Native Watercraft, whose 12- and 14.5-foot fishing kayaks have achieved near-cult status among anglers.   more...

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Canoeing Canada's Bowron Lakes

"Ready: standing draw … now!"Chris yells from the stern, as we slide into the Chute and spin across the eddy fence. Suddenly we are barreling straight down the Class II Roller Coaster section of the Isaac River in his restored cedar-canvas Chestnut canoe. As I watch out for rocks in the transparent, emerald water, my excitement gives way to astonishment at the towering beauty we are slipping through.   more...

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DIY: Handy Under-Hatch Tool and Fly Stowage

Small, easily-misplaced items like hook removers, fishing and/or split-ring pliers, and hook sharpeners can be kept organized and quickly accessed if you stow them on the underside of a hatch. The only problem with this is that if the hatch is fiberglass and the material used to make it isn’t very thick, there might not be enough there to hold screws of reasonable length. And who wants to drill a bunch of holes all the way through a perfectly good hatch?   more...

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Holland man builds World War I fighter plane in home workshop

When Jason Petroelje first scanned the plans for the Italian World War I fighter plane he hoped to build, this is what greeted him:

"Idrovolante a scafo e galleggiantini laterali, biplano, monomotre, monoposto ..."

Petroelje is Frisian, not Italian. And although he spent a couple of years in post-WWII Italy serving with the U.S. Army, he was hardly an expert at the language.

Ten years later, though, his dream-come-true was launched from the shores of Muskegon County's Little Black Lake and took to the skies for a maiden flight that delighted Petroelje and his friends, family members and onlookers.   more...

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Introducing the Hyper-SubTM by Marion Hyper-Submersible Powerboat Design

Marion Hyper-Submersible Powerboat Design is proud to introduce the Hyper-Sub^TM Submersible Powerboat, a revolutionary new vessel with a design flexible enough to open the seas to industry and to individuals in ways never before thought possible. The Hyper-Sub is the first small craft built with the horsepower, sea-keeping, and range to allow operation on the high seas, which also functions as a self-charging, autonomous, one-atmosphere submarine.    more...

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Start planning for next summer, NOW!

What can boaters do to help them through the long wait for the next boating season? If your boat comes out of the water shortly after Labor Day, there are many things you can do to get through the long six months before you see your boat again. Planning now for next season can ensure you’re ready to get out on the water as soon as next year’s boating season begins.   more...

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BOATU.S. RECOMMENDS LEAVING YOUR BOAT'S GAS TANK FULL THIS WINTER

ALEXANDRIA, VA, Sept. 9, 2008 -- Ethanol-laden gasoline, dubbed "E-10" for its 10% ethanol content, is now commonplace at marina fuel docks across the country. However, as winter approaches and boaters lay up their vessels for the season, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) has some recommendations to ensure that spring commissioning will go smoothly. That's because E-10 can phase separate, or form two separate solutions in the gas tank - water and fuel - over a long winter storage period. Once this happens, the engine may not run and internal damage can occur. more

Powerboating  Watersports  

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Early goose season is under way

MIDLAND -- My friend Skip Madsen in Grayling tells about the time he and friends went goose hunting and spent the whole day in fruitless efforts to call in Canada geese that wouldn't come close enough to hit with a cannon.

At the end of the session, Madsen and the other hunters were knee deep in water, gathering up the decoys, when Canada geese started dropping in virtually on top of them from everywhere.  more...

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