Regatta 2015

The trip was a grand success and I'm so glad I went out again this year.  The kayak travelled very well on the Jeep - with the exception of one time I had to pull over and straighten it out.  The wind had begun to push it to the right side, but after fixing it and cranking down on the ratchets a bit more, things went well.
The only problem was the noise - the ratchet straps were vibrating in the wind something fierce.  I had to wear earplugs just to make the trip bearable.
The ride back was much better because I picked up some cord and used that to tie the front of the kayak to the handle that's in the middle of my hood.  Not too tight - I didn't want to pull the handle out of the kayak, but just enough to keep it pointed straight into the wind.
I also tucked a blanket under the kayak and draped the edges of it over the ratchet straps to block the wind.  There was enough wind drag to keep the blanket edges over the straps, and it all but eliminated the noise. Sweet!

The ride out was uneventful, just the way I like it.  I made great time, hit the graves when I arrived in Olean, then headed off to the Club to catch up with whoever was able to make it.  As it turned out; a lot were able to!  The whole bar front was filled with the crew and it was great to see so many faces.  I didn't stay too long because A) I knew it was going to be a long weekend anyway and I didn't need to get too ripped up right away, and B) Mark and Mary were nice enough to have dinner waiting for me and I didn't want to be late for that!

So after about an hour and a half (and a group photo out on their new deck - which is awesome!), I made my way to the exit.  And was promptly cut off by Lynner telling me I had to have a shot before I left!  Ok, one shot and then I'm out!

Arriving at Mark and Mary's, it was time for more hugs and handshakes.  We got to catching up while filling our bellies and then kicked back a bit.  Then the doorbell rang - it was Skrobie!  He came in and joined in the conversation, then the doorbell rang again - Jerry!  Wonderful!  We sat around the table for many an hour until it was finally time to turn in.  (Of course, I hid some beer cans before I went up to bed, but Mark told me the next morning that I'd been making more noise than an elephant traipsing on bubble wrap so I think he's got a good idea where I hid them.)

The next day I got introduced to spidercakes.  I'd never heard of them - they're apparently Mark's version of potato pancakes, and were named spidercakes for Isaac's benefit.  As he was preparing them, the the doorbell rang once again.  Sweet!  The Sherriff!  He came in and we all hung out chatting, and then stuffing our faces when breakfast was ready.

Barbie and Jerry popped back over briefly to say hello before heading off to take care of their day's errands and such.  It seemed as good a time as any for the group to split off so Bryan left and I hit the shower.  From there it was into town for a couple of errands (food for the weekend), then off to meet up with Myskza for the Regatta!

There was a bit of a hiccup in that the Budget rental truck which had been reserved in January, and which Erin had checked on each month since then, wasn't there when Steve went to pick it up.  Fortunately, Sped's father "Sr" had a truck and trailer which we were able to use to transport our kayaks for the weekend.

Ok, back to meeting up with Myszka for the ride over to the campground; he took some mountain roads to get there and just beat the ever lovin' bag out of them.  Speed limit signs apparently don't mean much to him...or anyone else for that matter, judging from the speed of the cars that shot past us, going in the opposite direction.  What a fun ride that was!!  I can just imagine doing it on a bike!

Arriving at the Regatta check-in, I was introduced to the folks I hadn't met before, as well as re-introduced to the folks I had.  We got settled in and then the beer pong, washer toss, and cornhole games kicked in to high gear.

When it got dark out we headed off to the main camping area but there wasn't anything of interest to see there.  It was all asses and elbows...and sausage.  Nothing much for us to look at, so we headed back to the campsite and whiled the rest of the evening away.

The next morning there were a number of souls who had stayed up too late the night before and were rather slow to get moving.  Last time I did the Regatta, we were in the river by 10am.  This time around, we didn't make it until closer to 11, but it didn't matter; we still had the whole river waiting for us.

I wound up being the first of our group to go into the drink.  It didn't even take me that long - I think it was about half an hour after putting in.  I was coming up on a corner where a tree was sticking out a bit.  I was aiming to cut around it but there were two flat-bottomed boats in front of me that got hung up sideways and blocked me.  The current pressed me right into them (also now sideways) and then undercut my kayak, spinning it right out from under me.  I managed to pop up quickly enough to grab my cooler which was now topless and floating away from me.  I wasn't fast enough to grab the 7 or 8 beers which were being swept rapidly down stream, though.  (Fortunately; the river taketh away, and the river giveth back.  During the day, other folks would spill into the water, have their beerverages swept downstream, and into my waiting hands.)

The day overall was a grand success.  The temps went into the 70's, the skies were almost fully clear, and the water was running well.  I didn't intend to, but I wound up far ahead of most of the crew, so I wound up at the end of the run long before the ends of our group finally arrived - two hours later.  Damn!  I coulda been on the river for two more hours!  Oh well, in the long run I'm sure it was for the best because I had been maintaining an even keel (pun intended) with the libations, so being out of the water (and by the cops) two hours earlier didn't hurt me at all, I'm sure.

Once we were all accounted for and back at the sight, we headed up to the fire hall for dinner, then came back and gathered around the fire to recount the day.  Everyone had had a great time and were already looking forward to next year's event.

I said my farewells before it got too late, then tucked myself into my Jeep to grab some sleep.  I woke the next morning feeling surprisingly well, and was out on the highway by 6am.

With the exception of one traffic jam on the Pike, my return trip was also uneventful, and I pulled safely into my driveway @ 1pm.  Not too shabby at all.

It was an awesome time and I hope that the folks who've made it before will remember how much fun they had, and go out there with me next year.

Because...

Ya Gatta Regatta!