Merganser on the Mohawk
Posted By Brian on June 7, 2010
The Merganser and a skeleton crew took part in the Mohawk River Heritage event in Herkimer & Mohawk, NY this past weekend. Sarah couldn’t make it so I ended up as bowman and gunner for most of the weekend. The idea was that the boats would pick up and deliver troops for an amphibious assault. The problem was with many of the troops not wanting to get their shoes wet. We ended up with a pass-in-review and mini battle in front of Gems along the Mohawk, a local eatery on the Mohawk River and sponsor of the event.
Shout-outs are due for the crew of the new battoe, “Moon” and our friends, the Sea Rats.
Friday night, the Captain and I slept under a tarp propped over the side of the (trailered) Merganser. It rained. We got soaked. We only survived the night thanks to large quantities of rum and beer, which we accidentally finished before bedding down. Saturday night, we slept on the Merganser’s deck while she was tied up along the other boats. It rained. We got wet, but thanks to the decks allowing the rain water to flow down into the bilge, not as wet as the previous night. My opinion: I like sleeping aboard better, but next time, we need to use the tarp…
The wind proved difficult for some boats. We helped crew the “Moon” on Sunday for the pass-in-review, but the way home, up river and into the wind proved a significant challenge. We rowed like mad men and were aided by a small zodiac with an outboard motor. Huzzah!
We stopped in Schenectady on the way home to have dinner with my family and then headed home smelling of black powder, slow match, campfire, rain, and Mohawk River.
About the author
Comments
Leave a Reply