Chesapeake Bay Family Fun

We had another great trip to the Chesapeake in the middle of July. We hooked up Lazy Daze on Friday morning and trailered down to Elk Neck State Park (Turkey Point) where we launched and left the truck & trailer in their parking lot until we returned Monday afternoon. The launch is nice and they even have a pump-out facility and a small supply store.

From Turkey Point, we steamed down to The Sailing Emporium in Rock Hall on the Eastern shore of Maryland to hang out with some friends and spend the night there in the marina. For anyone that hasn’t come in to a marina by boat before, the standard protocol is to raise (call) the dockmaster on VHF 16 to announce yourself and ask where to go. We got situated in our slip and then made a very direct bee line to their swimming pool as the temperature was hovering around 100*. We’ve been at The Sailing Emporium a few times over the years and it has always been a great place to stay. The grounds are well-kept and the staff is inviting and very pleasant.

Our 3-year old daughter, Marina, decided she was going to try her hand at diving into a pool for the first time. After watching her a few times, I decided not to tell her that she is supposed to put her hands out in front of her as she dives. It was much more entertaining for everyone to watch this little blondy going head first… and, yes, sometimes it was more of a “face-flop” than a dive. But she always came up smiling and we always laughed and congratulated her – which, of course, meant she would get right out and do it again! Of course Cody couldn’t let his little sister show him up! Cody's favorite jump was, much to pleasure of everyone around him, a cannonball, of course.

That night we called Waterman’s, a favorite waterfront restaurant of many boater’s, and the manager came over and picked us up with his car. As you can tell in the picture below, my wife is a huge fan of “All You Can Eat” crabs! Apparently the kids enjoy crabs as well, since they kept stealing them from my wife whenever she wasn’t looking!

The following day we headed across the bay to Baltimore and Inner Harbor. It is very awe-inspiring to come in to Baltimore past Fort McHenry and imagine what it must have been like nearly 200 years ago as the port was defended against the British.

We had a great lunch at a restaurant where the kids were encouraged by our waitress to throw their used napkins on the floor. You should have seen their little faces as she told them “It’s OK”… Both kids looked at me with a stunned expression as if to say “Is it really OK, daddy?” Those confused expressions quickly changed to that of sheer happiness! After walking around for a while and looking at some of the old ships we headed back to Rock Hall and, of course, immediately jumped in the pool again.

On Sunday, we went north a bit to a place called Still Pond. This was our first time there – fantastic little cove! The water was warm and the sandy bottom provided a great hold for the hook as we decided to stay there all day and spend the night, as well. The kids must have swam back and forth between the shore and our boat a dozen times. They started calling the shore “Kid’s Land” and eventually wouldn’t let us go with them, as they wanted to explore on their own. It was great watching the two of them swim over, build sand castles and do their own exploring on the shoreline.

Eventually all good things must come to an end. Monday morning we headed back up to Elk Neck. We put the boat back on the trailer, had the kids take one last potty break and a just a few hours later we were back home in Allentown, PA. Living in Allentown, we obviously are not “right on the water”. But trailer boating can be a lot of fun as it opens you up to being able to go to many different places. The Chesapeake is definitely a great destination and one that we try to do at least once every year!

Not bad for a little 3-year old!

Can you tell my wife likes crabs?

"Daddy, why can't I dip my popcorn shrimp in a vat of butter?"

"I'm good at hammering!"

"Daddy, will you dance with me?"

Fort McHenry, the way the invading British would have seen it... minus the flying cannonballs coming at us, of course.

Baltimore Inner Harbor approach.

Monkey see, monkey do.

Fishing on "Sunset Boulevard" at The Sailing Imporium.

One of the last times that my wife was allowed to visit "Kid's Land".

Our last night on the Bay.

Lake George, NY

Many of our customers have told me about the vacations that they go on at Lake George, NY. Although I have traveled quite a few of the freshwater systems in the New York State area, I have yet to make it to Lake George. After seeing this video on the Today Show on July 27th I feel the need to someday visit this wonderful place.

When the Mayor of Lake George is interviewed at 45 seconds into the video, pay attention to the background. Can anyone name the two boats just over his left shoulder?

Have you ever been there? If so, please tell us about it. I encourage your stories and pictures.

Philly, via the Delaware River

Where are some interesting places to boat? If you are new to boating, or even if you’re a veteran, you may wonder the same thing. Well, just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip. OK, so maybe it should be a tale of a not-so fateful trip…

There are actually quite a few places to trailer a boat to that are close to the Lehigh Valley. There are many local lakes and even the Jersey shore is not that far away. However, something that often gets over looked is the Delaware River. Typically, my family and I will make 2 or 3 trips a year to Neshaminy State Park – it is only about an hour away from Allentown, just a short distance off rte. 276. They have a very nice boat launch with 6 lanes and it drops into deep water. In fact, they have two launches, but the free one is much smaller and launches directly into the river. If you are boating in anything other than small, aluminum boat, take my advice and use the pay ramp. The small ramp is muddy and you are launching directly into the river’s current. The pay ramp is well worth the money.

Once we get on the river, we usually head south as Philly is only a 30-minute boat ride away at that point. The main point here is that we are going into Philly by boat! It really is a beautiful ride down the Delaware and once we get there we can buzz up next to the USS New Jersey – now that’s a boat! Then we either dock right at Penn’s Landing or even at Dave & Buster’s! When we dock at Penn’s Landing, there is a crosswalk that takes you right to South Street – an absolutely fabulous place to walk around. Have you ever tried to drive around, let alone park, in downtown Philly with a car? By boat is a much more enjoyable and relaxing experience. That’s what boating is all about – relaxing and enjoying life with family and friends. When my family and I walk around, I tend to gravitate towards the multitude of quaint places to eat and drink, while my wife seems to always end up at all of the places to shop at! I look forward to these day trips every year, as they are always enjoyable.

Get out there and make some memories!

Enjoy,
Dennis Galligani

Let's Hear Your Boating Stories

Well, here we are. Thanksgiving already! It is hard to believe that another boating season has passed by. However, we can all reflect back on the fun we had this past season and make plans for next year. In fact, we at Peters Marine Service would like to know how each of you spent this past year boating and what you are planning for next year. Please send us your stories and plans to ted@petersmarine.com and I will publish select ones to run in our Newsletter.

I will offer the first installment.

Our Summer Trip
by Ted Shelson

As many of you know by now, I keep our family boat in Ithaca, NY on Cayuga Lake. This past August we took a 230 mile round trip from our marina to Sylvan Beach, NY on the eastern shore of Oneida Lake. This trip took us north on Cayuga Lake, east on the Erie Canal, and eastward across Oneida Lake. Here is an abbreviated version of my daily log.

Captain: Ted; First Mate: Sherri; Crew: Sarah, age 9, and Owen, now age 5

Day 1, Sunday, August 10th
We arrived by car at Allen Treman Marine State Park in Ithaca, NY by 1:00pm. We loaded up ‘Daytripper’, our Sea Ray 240 Sundancer, addressed a few maintenance issues, and headed out on our trip by 3:50pm. The first leg of our trip took us north 30 miles up Cayuga Lake to the cove at Hibiscus Point. Here the water is only a few feet deep and the bottom is sandy. We threw out the anchor around 5:30pm, swam around a bit, had a wonderful shrimp and rice dinner, and settled in for the night after playing games with the kids and watching a movie on our portable 7” DVD player.

Day 2, Monday, August 11th
Woke up around 8:00am and headed north after a Blueberry muffin and cereal breakfast. The weather was a bit cool, overcast, and breezy as we made our way to the first of three locks in our journey, Lock CS1 “Mud Lock”. This lock is the first lock of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. From here we continued north under I-90 to the intersection of the Erie Canal. From here you could travel west to Buffalo, NY or east to Albany. For our trip we headed east. By this time the sky was clearing and the sun felt warm. Sarah did a great job navigating and picking out the channel markers.

By lunchtime we approached Erie Canal Lock #E24 in Baldwinsville, NY. This is a great canal town. There is always something to do and much to see. For example: Tie up at the wall on the west side of the lock and walk into town to enjoy a little shopping or dining. Take a picnic lunch and venture to the park for some time off the boat. Or enjoy a concert at Paper Mill Island.

Once through the lock, we anchored in the river, had lunch, and did a little fishing. Owen caught a catfish. What fun!

Time was pressing us to move along as we wanted to get through Lock #E23 in Brewerton, NY by evening. The weather turned lousy. It rained all the way to Brewerton, which made dealing with the lock a bit miserable. Earlier we had called ahead to Winter Harbor Marina to reserve a slip for the evening. We arrived around 6:15pm. I can’t say enough about this place. It was exceptionally clean, inexpensive, and the personnel were very friendly.

Day 3, Tuesday, August 12th
We left Winter Harbor around 10:30am after an egg and fruit breakfast and a little fishing from the dock with the kids. I wanted to leave early enough before the winds had a chance to pick the lake up. We plotted our course on a chart and headed out across the 21 mile long lake. Fortunately the lake was calm but started to pick up as we approached Sylvan Beach on the eastern shore. Here we checked into Mariner’s Landing Marina where we plan on spending the next two nights. There is much to do in Sylvan Beach. There is of course the sandy beach, which is great to spend the afternoon. You can walk there from our marina or on calm days you can anchor just off shore and swim in to shore. There is also the nostalgic Sylvan Beach Amusement Park. After securing our slip we simply packed our beach bags and walked to the beach for the afternoon. That night we went out for dinner and watched a movie onboard the boat.

Day 4, Wednesday, August 13th
The skies today looked a little threatening so instead of walking we traveled by boat to the amusement park and tied up at the bulkhead. We had great fun. The rides and games are very family oriented and inexpensive. Sarah and I had a blast on the Galaxi Roller Coaster and the whole family enjoyed the Bumper Cars. We will never forget how Sherri and I got a little sick on the Tilt-A-Whirl. I guess we are getting too old for some of the rides we used to enjoy so much as kids. There was plenty to eat and there were no lines for any of the rides.

Later that evening back at the marina Owen and I fished a little while Sherri and Sarah went for a walk to do a little shopping. They enjoyed spending time together and watching a beautiful sunset from the beach.

Day 5, Thursday, August 14th
It was a foggy morning as we headed out for our return home. With the aid of our compass, charts, and GPS we easily navigated out onto and across the lake. We continued west back through the Erie Canal. This time we stopped for lunch around 2:00pm at Cross Lake in Jordan, NY. This lake is beautiful. We went skiing, tubing, and found a nice cove to anchor and fish. In fact, we liked it here so much that we decided to stay for the night. We cooked spiedies on the grill and bathed in the lake. Later that evening another Sea Ray boat found our cove a nice place to anchor for the night as well.

Day 6, Friday, August 15th
Today we got up early, had breakfast, and headed back for Ithaca. The ride went well. Sherri drove most of the way back to the mud lock. We stopped back at the cove at Hibiscus Point where we swam a bit and washed the canal grime from the boat. We got back to our marina in Ithaca late in the day. By this time we were glad to get off the boat for a bit so we went out to Pizza Hut for dinner.

Day 7, Saturday, August 16th
Today was simple. We hopped in the car and went out for breakfast at The Falls in Trumansburg, NY. We then packed up and drove home.

Final Thoughts
This trip was a great time spent together enjoying our boat. We made family memories that will certainly last a lifetime. Now as winter approaches we have been spending some time together planning next summer’s trip. Where we go is currently unclear. What is clear is that we will have fun planning it, enjoying it, and I am sure remembering it by this time next year.

What are your plans? Let us know. I am sure there are boaters like us who can never get enough thinking about how better to use our boats.

Please email me at ted@petersmarine.com. I would also encourage everyone to comment on this and any other entry in our blogspot. We would really like to hear your thoughts.

Cayuga Lake, NY -

Take a trip north for some freshwater boating possibilities.
By Ted Shelson, Sales Manager, Peters Marine Service, Inc.

Cayuga Lake located in the Finger Lake region of New York State is a beautiful boating destination only 3 hours from the Lehigh Valley. This is where my family and I have chosen to slip our Sea Ray 240 Sundancer. About every other weekend or so my wife, Sherri, and I pack the car along with our two children, Sarah, age 9, and Owen, age 4. We make the trip to our marina, Allan H. Treman State Marine Park, in Ithaca, New York. At times the four of us feel a little tight in only a 24’ boat. But we enjoy the togetherness and look at it as a camping adventure on the water.

We like the convenience of keeping our boat in the water. You may prefer trailering your boat here for a weekend getaway. The marina offers ample parking and eight launch ramps, each having it’s own dock. So launching and retrieving your boat is a breeze. Transient slips must be reserved in advance but you will not be disappointed with the accommodations. Each slip offers water and electric and features grass and shade trees along the bulkhead.


TRANSIENT SLIPS AND 8 LAUNCH RAMPS

We love this place because crowds are seldom – if ever, there is always something to do, and the boating possibilities are endless. After all Cayuga Lake is accessible to the largest freshwater inland waterway in the world via the Erie Canal! The lake is about 40 miles long with Ithaca located at the southernmost end. Most boating activities generally take place at either end of the lake with pockets of activity around the two state parks in the middle, Taughannock Falls State Park, and Long Point State Park. Most of the time however, you can easily find a secluded spot for skiing, tubing, fishing, or simply anchoring near shore to pass the time. We prefer to travel a short distance up the lake away from other boaters, cut the engine, and drift back down the lake in the gentle breeze. Other times we will grab a mooring and spend the night out on the lake away from the marina. Perhaps you would enjoy taking your boat for an evening cruise and finish with a waterfront dinner at The Boat Yard Grille where you can take in the nightlife every Friday with Live Bands.

Should the weather turn bad; there is always something to do. For the adults there is the Cayuga Wine Trail. Enjoy the scenery, sample the wines, and maybe bring a bottle or two home to share with friends. You can also take in a play at the Hangar Theatre near the marina’s main entrance off of Route 89. The kids will love the Science Center in downtown Ithaca. Take a short drive north on Rte 89 to Taughannock Falls State Park. There you will find a hiking trail to the base of the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi River. It is an easy walk and something the kids will enjoy.


MOORING AT CROW BAR POINT

Take a trip by boat! On this lake you don’t have to just go in circles. Cayuga Lake is connected to Seneca Lake to the west via the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, located at the north end of the lake. Here you will also find access to the Erie Canal. Canaling is loads of fun and the adventure of going through the locks gives everyone the opportunity to have a hands-on experience. Just a short distance west on the Cayuga-Seneca canal and through 2 locks you will find a wonderful place to overnight at Seneca Falls, NY. Towns along the canal system make every effort to attract boaters. Seneca Falls has a beautiful waterfront offering nice docks and free water and electric hookups. Here you can get off of the boat to do some shopping, grab a bite to eat, or explore this historic town. Visit the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, within walking distance of your boat, and discover how five women changed the world.

There is so much to do and so much to see. So take a weekend and give it a go. In fact, you could come a few times and not see the same things twice. Like us, you may even decide to stick around for the entire season.


So where on the lake should we go today?


DIRECTIONS:
From the Lehigh Valley take I-476 North to I-81 North (or 33 North to I-80 West to I-380 North to I-81 North) fifteen minutes north of Binghamton, NY take Exit 8, Whitney Point. Follow Rte 79 West for about 45 minutes into Ithaca. As you approach the bottom of the long hill into downtown Ithaca bear right onto Seneca Way which turns onto E. Seneca Street. E. Seneca Street becomes W. Seneca Street. Stay in center lane. RIGHT turn from center lane onto West Meadow St. Follow signs to Rte 89 North. Take immediate LEFT onto West Buffalo Street. Turn RIGHT onto Taughannock Blvd / Rte 89 North. Go about 1 mile to marina entrance on right. WATCH YOUR SPEED. 30 MPH and strictly enforced.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Plan ahead.
For transient slip reservations contact the marina c/o Robert H. Treman State Park at (607) 273-3440
Lock Passes are required for going through the canal and can easily be purchased at the first lock that you arrive at. Click here for fee information: http://www.nyscanals.gov/exvac/boating/bctolls.html


Feel free to email me with any questions or comments. ted@petersmarine.com

Time to get ready!

Wow! It has been a busy spring here at Peters Marine Service. We have been busy getting customers boats ready for the summer. Now is the prime time for you to start planning and getting your boat ready for spring. A good check of your boat and trailer is necessary to help ensure a great season of boating. Below is a list of items you may want to check for the upcoming season:

Comments are welcome in the section below.

Safety items:
Fire extinguishers all charged and ready?
Life jackets in good condition? No tears and do they still fit?
Flares expired?
Does the horn still work? Do you have a back up device?

Trailer:
Tire pressure ok?
Are the lug nuts still tight?
Did we grease the wheel bearings? Are the bearings OK?
Do the brakes work?

Boat:
Do we have all of our bumpers, lines, and other equipment in the boat? Are they all in good condition?
Hey, where is that drain plug for the boat?
Has our engine been properly maintained? Fluid levels ok?

This is just a short list of items. Do you have any other suggestions? Feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

Where do people boat in Allentown, PA?

So often we hear this question asked. To many it is a surprise that we have been here in Allentown since 1936 - Over 72 Years! But where's the blue-green water and snow white beaches? Well, for that experience you may have to go elsewhere. However, this area is great for many different boating experiences. For instance, pack a picnic lunch and tow your boat to Belzville State Park Lake one weekend and follow it up with a road trip (boat in tow of course) to the Delaware River for sightseeing around Philadelphia on the next weekend. Or maybe another daytrip could be to New York Harbor and get a perspective of Manhattan that you have never had before. Others may find the northern Chesapeake Bay with all its wonders the preferred destination. Lake Wallenpaupack, Northeast Pennsylvania’s largest lake, has over 52 miles of shoreline to explore. Blue Marsh lake near Reading, PA is another excellent choice for skiing, tubing, or beach the boat on shore and have a picnic lunch – lakeside of course. The point is this - you can do so much in so many different places with a boat. And this area has lots to offer all within a short hour and half drive from Allentown. Day trips with smaller boats are fun, easy, and relatively inexpensive.

If the idea of trailering does not appeal to you, don’t feel left out of the fun. Make the boat your destination for an extended stay on the water. There are plenty of places to keep your boat in the water within a short drive. You could have your very own water front condo in a boat. Many in this area keep their boats at the Jersey Shore, on the Chesapeake Bay, Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania, and there are even some, like myself, that keep their boats in beautiful places like the Finger Lakes of New York. Imagine yourself being gently rocked to sleep at night and waking the next morning to a hot cup of coffee in hand with the view of a beautiful sunrise over the water. Wow, how about that?

So what destinations lay ahead today? Use your imagination. The choices are yours. And this is the perfect place to explore them all – IN A BOAT.

Ted Shelson
Sales Manager
Peters Marine Service, Inc.