Week ending 2/18/10

Spring newsletters hit the mail. It was a busy weekend as everyone chipped in to help prepare our annual Gath III newsletters for this weeks mailing. Jeanette spent days deciphering and updating our address book, Miss Trudy laid out and did the printing for the twelfth year in a row. Gloria, Courtney, Jeanette, Frank,Captain Whit and I folded, labeled and stamped for a few days and as if by magic.... they will appear in your mailbox this weekend. Hope you enjoy the read, it's fun for me to think back on each summers season and then do my best to present a four page synopsis that you hopefully will enjoy. As I re-read this years I thought of all the help and guidance my mom contributed over the years to give me this ability.Thanks mom! Anyway if you forgot to leave your name in the guest book and would like to receive one just call or e mail and I'll get one right out.This morning Jeanette and I reviewed and began to process of redesigning our fishing logs for this season. It will be another busy paperwork week getting 2010 reservation book ready for opening day next weekend. I wonder if we'll ever find the time to get back to the fun stuff like pouring jigs, rebuilding and spooling reels, and spicing up our jigging sticks.

Tomorrow morning, little Dennis, Frank and I will begin a fairly big project on India. We have to pull the rudder assembly to inspect and then repair or replace the bronze rudder bearing.The crew puts in a lot of hours and a serious effort in the off season to insure a safe and steady run offshore for our guests during the summer season. As you can see I have a bit of cosmetic topside work to complete and not much time before April's launch. Hope to hear from you next Saturday morning. Best Satch

Week ending 1/02/10

Happy New Year! Wishing all our good friends and guests good health and the hope of easier financial times for those in need this coming spring. We spent a few days over Christmas break with my grandson McCarey's Jamaican Grandma. Ms Patsy, I believe she summed it up best. "We are praying to God for continued good health and the strength to support our families in the coming new year." Here in Maine we are very blessed to have such a good life, clean water, great schools, caring friends and neighbors, a couple of strong seaworthy boats, our own farm and plenty of wood for a warm family hearth. It's my hope that we will continue working together over the next few years to make it easier for those who have so much less.

On Thursday, we officially ended or 2009 season aboard the "India Marie". On the last day of the year, Captain Whit, little Dennis and I hauled in the rest of Whits lobster gear back to Wells harbor. Pictured below are Whit and Den seated a top a fully loaded "India Marie". In her role as commercial lobster boat she is superb, able to haul at least 40 traps to and from the fishing grounds in heated comfort. " For the Captain in the wheel house at least". We enjoyed a very good fall lobstering, but all good things always come to an end and with the oncoming cold weather and heavy snow it was time to call it a season. I believe we timed it almost perfectly getting our gear in before this very large winter storm hit this weekend.


At noon time, I rode down to the harbor and tied additional storm lines on "Indi". The forecast is for northeast winds with gusts to 40 knots tonight and tomorrow morning.On the ride home I passed Captain Whit (pictured above) he was out helping his brother Den make a first pass on his ambitious snowplow route. Both boys will be busy plowing for a few days cleaning up this big mess.

I've already made arrangements w/ Captain Scott Worthing to have "India" hauled out at his Webhannet River boat yard early next week. Then little Dennis and I can begin working on our list of winter maintenance items. Whit and little Den spent a few days over the holiday insulating his new maintenance workshop. This will give Ms. Jeanette, Frank, and the rest of the gang a nice warm, well-lighted place to hang out make jigs and rebuild our fishing gear. Now that the seasons over, I'm already looking forward to a nice relaxing day ice fishing with my boys before I get immersed in submitting our guests trophy lists and my annual season newsletter.

Anyway Happy New Year and sincere thanks for another successful season..Satchie