Thought For The Week

To check the statewide status of those glorious leaves (until you have to rake them up that is!) go to www.visitnh.gov and get the low down.

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Ya Gotta Love Our New England Leaves!

It is a known fact that the only way to truly enjoy the fall colors is by boat. If you are like me and your boat is packed away for the winter  fear not! Book a cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee on the M/S Mount Washington. To make it even more appealing, there are special fall packages available.

The cruises leave from Weirs Beach. Besides the fall colors you're tour of Winnipesaukee is narrated, tunes to cruise by and lots of food. The host Captain Paul Smith not only pilots the ship but has also assumed the responsibility of being an official Leaf Peeper for New Hampshire. He reports his leaf color findings to the state several times a week. To access the reports, pay a visit to  Visit New Hampshire  or call 800-258-3608. .

The M/S Mount Washington ends it's season on October 24. Obviously time is running out so before its too late, call 888-843-6686 or go to Cruise NH and make those reservations already!

      State Forests And Parks Forced To Close

The New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development made a smart call and closed several state forests and parks due to the flooding from all that delightful rain over the past week. If any of these are on your favorites list for boating and fishing, you might want to give a call the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game to see if it's been reopened y

State Forest Closures

Annett State Forest Rindge
Casalis State Forest Peterborough
Fall Mountain State Forest Langdon
Gile State Forest Springfield
Hubbard Hill State Forest Charlestown 
Low State Forest Hillsborough
Russell-Abbott State Forest Wilton/Mason

State Parks and Trail Closures
Ashuelot Rail Trail
Cheshire Rail Trail
Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area Chesterfield
Fort Hill Rail Trail
Pillsbury State Park Washington
Pisgah State Park Winchester/Hinsdale/Chesterfield
Sugar River Rail Trail

If any of these are on your favorites list for boating and fishing, you might want to put a call in to the N.H.  Fish and Game to see if it's been reopened yet. The number is: 603-271-3127

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Piranha Rule Pond In Hudson

And you thought it was safe to go in the water in NH. Well you thought wrong. The New Hampshire Fish and Game department announced that a piranha-like fish had been caught in Tate Pond in Hudson. Fish and Game officers identified the toothy bugger as a South American pacu. Despite the physical similarity to piranha, pacu don't dine on flesh but instead on fruit and nuts. I don't know anything about Tate Pond but is there an abundance of fruit and nuts in the water to keep these fish happy? (By the way it wasn't caught on fruit or nuts-try live bait!). The big question is how this 2.5 pounder get there? More than likely it was dumped from someone's  aquarium. That's a really stupid thing to do and it's also illegal. So what should you do if you must get rid of an unwanted fish from your aquarium? According to the Fish and Game Department freezing is the best way to go. Anesthetize the fish with rubbing alcohol then put in the freezer in some water. When the water has frozen, the fish will be dead and will no longer be a threat. So next time you dip your toe in the water to check the temperature, just remember that you just might look like a piece of fruit to that fish!

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A picture is  worth a thousand words-unless it's of a boat, then it's worth a heck of a lot more. Thanks to one of our sponsors, www.art.com, you're sure to find something worth staring at on our Boating Artwork page. These are  just a couple of pictures that will make you wish you were on the water.

Got An Extra Ten Bucks?

I received a very interesting e-mail from the publishers of Power and Motoryacht Magazine today. I take it for granted that at the end of the day I can hug my wife, pet the dog and relax by reading one of the hundreds of boating magazines decorating every room in our house. But this e-mail made me realize just how lucky I am to have those things and how unfortunate it is that not everybody does. At Power and Motoryacht magazine they started a program whereby you can buy a subscription to the magazine and they will send it to the men and women in our armed services. It's little money for a great way to help make someone feel a little bit closer to home. Currently there are over 20,000 requests from service personnel so you know it will be well received. To find out more and purchase a subscription send an e-mail off to: PowerMotorYacht@primediamags.chtah.com.

NMMA Hounds White House

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is trying to remind the Bush administration of the importance of keeping marinas and launching sites in any redevelopment plans for those areas destroyed by Katrina. The worst case scenario would be similar to what happened last year after the hurricane season. Instead of rebuilding, many marinas found it was more lucrative to sellout to developers. Couple that with the new eminent domain law and you have a recipe for condo central. Will common sense prevail? Let's hope the NMMA  gets the point across!

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Where Did You Get That Bowling Ball?

Two years ago Brunswick made many boating industry grimace in pain when the company announced the unthinkable: Bayliner, one of several boat companies owned by a subsidiary of Brunswick, American Marine  would begin building it's entry level boats in Reynosa, Mexico. There is a certain amount of irony in the name. The move proved to be such a success that other boats in the lineup were soon being built south of the border. Enter the bowling ball. Now it's no secret that Brunswick is one of the largest manufacturers of bowling balls. It seem only natural that where you can build a boat, you can build a bowling ball. So Brunswick will no longer make balls stateside. They will be built in Reynosa right along with Bayliner. Who knows. There might be a promotion one day: Buy a boat, get free balls!!

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It's Better To Give Than Receive

In a move that is rarely seen these days, Brunswick Corporation has donated boats and motors valued at over $200,000 to be used in cleanup and rescue operations in New Orleans. Mercury Marine, which is owned by Brunswick, donated 10 inflatables with motors and supplied an additional five motors to be hung on boats donated by Sea Pro, also owned by Brunswick. The Louisiana Department of Fish and Game sent a request via the Governor's office to Brunswick who wasted no time in providing the equipment. After the flooding we've had here in New England the last week, maybe they'll send a few our way.

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I Will Gladly Pay You Tuesday For Some Shrink Wrap Today.

Due to the devastation caused by hurricanes Rita and Katrina, many suppliers of petroleum based products such as polyethylene, olefin and resins are in short supply. Major manufacturers such as Mobile, Chevron and Tyco have indicated that they probably won't be able to fulfill customers orders. So what effect will this have on the average boater? Glad you asked. As prices increase because of the high demand, we get to pick up the tab. If you haven't already purchased your shrink wrap for your boat's winter nap, be forewarned it might hurt your wallet more than usual. Some folks are predicting increases 25% and higher. New boats won't be immune from this torture. Prices are going way up for resins and gel coat materials for fiberglass. Hopefully the price  increases and availability issues will be short lived. I want my shrink wrap!!

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HURRICANE KATRINA (FOR RELEASE) POTASH, La. (Sept. 17, 2005) Edward Primeau, a safety officer with Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team evaluates cleanup operations at the Sundown East Oil Facility. The site which has spilled approximately 18,900 gallons of oil after sustaining damage during the hurricane, is one of ten large oil spills that federal, state, and local officials are responding to in cooperation with industry partners. USCG photo by PO Mariana O'Leary

Can I Have One, Please?

 Cobalt boats, the builder of high end sport boats (as in " I'll never be able to afford one") has taken the next logical step. The company is creating a new division aptly named, Cobalt Yachts. The yachts will be in the express cruiser layout and in keeping with Cobalt's well earned reputation will most likely be nothing less than perfect-as is reflected in their pricing. Of course a new factory will be needed to be built. Word is that the preferred location will be in the Southeastern area of the country. Did I mention that I want one?

Check These Out. We Came Across These How-To-Articles Courtesy Of Boaters World.

New Hampshire Fish and Game releases maps

Finding those drop offs that produce some the better fishing spots just got a whole lot easier thanks to those fish loving friends at the Fish and Game department. Now access to 130 lake and pond depth maps are available by following this link- www.wildlife.state.nh.us.

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Weekly Fishing Reports On WNDS TV

WNDS and N.H. Fish and Game have put together "The Fishing Buzz", a series of 60 second spots that feature fishing gurus that share those normally well guarded fishing  secrets. The reports will cover fishing hot spots, best strategies and techniques to reach your limit all over the state.

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New Hampshire Fishing Tournaments

For the die hard competitive anglers among us, you don't want to miss out on a single opportunity to strut your stuff an humiliate your fellow angler. Just make sure you are fishing on your boat when you do it. A list of all the state sponsored tourneys are listed by the New Hampshire Fish and Game.

 (Click) Tournament Schedule

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Boating Safety Classes

No, it may not be terribly exciting and it might interfere with a day on the water but it's not only the smart thing to do but it's also the law.

I'm talking about getting your state issued boating certificate. There are a couple ways to get it. There is an online course or a class. I did the online course (hey no cheating) and it is excellent. The class setting is also very good. A lot of folks grumble that it's a waste of time BUT-statistics show that the majority of accidents are caused by those that don't take the courses. Below is the breakdown of the dates for course requirements.

It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

I must have lead a very sheltered life so far. I mean am I the only one on the planet that didn't know that people actually carve up  perfectly good pumpkins and turn them into boats! It seems that there is this whole secret organization that revolves around giant pumpkins and converting them into boats. If you don't believe me, do a Google search for "pumpkin boats". Or just go right to www.giantpumpkin.com. So how do you make a pumpkin boat? It's simple. Just get a giant pumpkin-at least 550 pounds-remove it's guts and strap a motor to it. Some pumpkin boaters use oars, but how in the heck are you going to win races that way. This isn't a sport enjoyed by people that don't know any better. No way! Martha Stewart was supposed to participate in  festivities in Nova Scotia, Canada but was unable to attend do to poor weather. Sure. Apparently Stewart was denied entrance into Canada because of her criminal record. By the time she convinced customs to allow her in, the weather took a turn for the worse and put an end to her pumpkin boating career. Oh well, there's always next year. If there are any pumpkin boaters out there send us a picture  and prove to me that you really exist!!

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Name That Boat

Yes I proudly admit that I am easily amused but I would be shocked if any decent powerboater didn't find this gem to be quite the nifty toy. If you need help in coming up with a name for your boat or you just want to play, you must go to Firstboat.com. You will find a link that will take you to a gizmo  that spits out one name after another. The folks at firstboat claim that there is 10,000 names in the database. As if someone is actually going to count? Go check it out. Just make sure you have a bit of time set aside. You will need it!!

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Doggy Barfs In Bilge-Almost Sinks Boat

The Coast Guard station on Lake Tahoe recently received a call that a overloaded boat was taking on water over the gunwales. Large waves and windy conditions only aggravated the situation. Such rescues are not uncommon for the Coasties that can handle this sort of stuff blind folded. Well this mission had an interesting twist to it. A dog was aboard the boat. Not that unusual right? Lots of boaters bring the family pooch along for the ride. With all the excitement of the potential sinking of the boat, mixed with wind and water conditions proved to be more than the canine boater could handle. The dog proceeded to vomit, which I'm sure added to the mayhem. The disgusting display of sea sickness soon turned life threatening. The vomit proceeded to find it's way into the bilge and then into the bilge pump which promptly clogged and stopped. Luckily all were saved-even the dog. Chances are that dog won't be doing any boating soon. Man's best friend. Ha!!