Houseboat Weekend September 12-15

By Ed Martin     photos by Ed, Kristin      photos by John

boat Again I am searching for superlatives to do the Houseboat Weekend justice. In Après we have the problem that so many of our activities are outstanding, report writers come over with verbal effervescence. If you think reports tend to exaggerate our wonderful functions, maybe you're missing out on life.

So I am left without an alternative, the Houseboat Weekend was fantastic, a well organized event with both exciting and relaxing activities, plenty of delicious food and genial camaraderie. Erin, our queen of the weekend, did a wonderful job putting it together, thank you Erin.

The main activity, water skiing (also read wake boarding) had the support of 6 boats and with good conditions most of the time there was no limit to opportunity even with around 25 attendees. Exceptions were Saturday morning and early afternoon where a stiff breeze roughened the water to take the edge of the fun.

Our weekend began early Friday afternoon when we picked up and loaded the two houseboats from Jones Valley Marina. We knew we were set for a good time when Erin landed a ping-pong ball in the "fishes mouth" on her first pitch. Scoring in this Jones Valley free competition for captains and co-captains won her a $50 gift certificate, Subsequent attempts by the 3 remaining officers sadly yielded nothing, emphasizing Erin's skill.

After some instruction and the signing of Laura's reinforced concrete waiver we set off for our chosen cove along the Pitt Arm with the intention of staying put until Monday. This plan went slightly awry due to conflicting rules from Jones on the lashing of boats together. They persuaded us to separate them and we moved across the arm to a flatter beach for easier inter boat access.

Friday evening was beautifully warm demanding a dive into the water and swim for most of us. I was among those taking a spin in a ski boat, in my case Dirk's, which was just wonderful in the warm air with no need for more than a swim suit. We finished the day with Margaritas and pizza, listened to music and generally planned the coming weekend.

dancing The wind picked up in the night, apparently that had been the trend for the past week or so, and skiing was put on hold Saturday morning. But no problem, we hung out, took boat rides and played with water toys. By mid afternoon the wind was dropping and I set out with a group in Dirk's boat to find some flat water. Conditions steadily improved allowing Dirk and Kathy to demonstrate their skills on single skis. Mary, a skier of earlier times, showed she had not lost her skill and had fun crossing the wake. Then I was up and with considerable trepidation donned doubles and flopped into the water. The pressure was on, I'd never succeeded before, but with Dirk's skill on the throttle I was zipping along the surface on the fourth pull. This made it a big weekend for me, with two subsequent successes on Sunday I can now say I have yet another life. All the skiers and boarders enjoyed the afternoon which was near perfect by 5:00pm.

We gradually assembled for hors d'oeuvres and more Margaritas before dinner of pork chops with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and salad, washed down with wine or beer. Now relaxed we cranked up the rock and "danced" the evening away or sat on shore in the sweet night air.

Saturday night the wind trend broke and 7:00am Sunday morning saw the hard core skiers tumbling out of bed straight into boats to take runs on glassy water before breakfast, perhaps even coffee. Sunday was perfect all day, I was with Joe this time, easily the most luxurious boat, and we all had a joe stupendous day as the photos show. Lake Shasta really is something else in late summer with clear warm water and air. I can't emphasize enough how wonderful the feeling is. Everyone who wanted had plenty of time on the lake, including absolute beginners who gave both skis and boards a try.

Some opted to visit Lake Shasta Caverns in the afternoon but we all returned around the same time to finish up our hors d'oeuvre supply and prepare for dinner, yet another great meal selected by Erin of salmon and shrimp with a delicious Alfredo sauce. I was involved in trying not to burn garlic bread and missed the water sliding which I understand was a dress down affair.

Finally the long weekend had to end early Monday morning. Fred had to test his skill getting one of the house boats off the beach as the water level had dropped. After a minor delay we got back to the Marina in good time. However some of the die hards stayed and skied or boarded Monday afternoon, enjoying great weather and water conditions. The last of the group hit the road at 3:30 pm.

Thanks again Erin and all who helped shop and carry. I hope this sets a precedent for the future and we can look forward to another trip in 2004.