Maiden Voyage

Sunday was the first time I took the new boat out on the lake. Actually it was the first time I took any boat out on the lake. I had not pulled a trailer since I was a crop scout after my freshman year at State. That did not go so well as I jackknifed the trailer several times.

There was only a small misstep with getting the boat off the trailer. I unhooked the traps(and put the plug back in) in the rear but did not unhook the hull strap. So after unhooking the strap the boat was in the water. My first mate and I then set out to find a nice spot to chill for the afternoon.

After riding around for a few minutes we found a nice little a spot and decided to drop anchor. Out of all the things I thought I would have trouble with dropping anchor was not one. I had no issues backing the trailer into the water. No issues getting the boat off the trailer. But getting that anchor in the ground never happened. I must have thrown that thing 10 times. Finally gave up and just dropped it. Not a big deal as we really did not drift a lot.

 I packed a few sandwiches and snacks so it was time to have lunch. Sitting on the water and each lunch was great. Nice quite and relaxing.

 I have never claimed to be a fisherman. I will sit and hold a rod and a beer. That was very evident when there were no real fisherman around. The line for both our poles kept getting tangled. I must have redone the line on them both 5 or 6 times. I am going to have to take my first mate out with some one who actually knows how to fish.

After being out on the boat for almost 4 hours it was time to head back. I thought for sure we only made 1 turn. Well I was wrong. It took us about 10 mins to find our way back to the boat ramp. I must invest in a GPS system or find a good app.

 I just had the hitch installed on the truck the day I picked the boat up. The trailer has 5 prongs, something about an active braking system. Well the truck is only wired for 4. So when I picked up the boat the guy told me a work around. It involved having the head lights on. So when I pulled the truck out of the water I left the lights on. 4 hours later the battery was dead. Luckily I had my jumper cables in the back. After jumping the truck I had no problem getting the boat back on the trailer and back to storage.

 It was a great first day on the boat.