Back to Basics
Yellow Jcket Campground
Suwanee River
Old Town, Florida
July 23-24, 2010

I’m not so sure of what “Back to Basics” means as far as the meet goes but I can tell you that after the meet, we need to “Get Back to Basics”!

More on that later----- Most meet reports deal with weather, attendance, food, people, awards, etc, so I suppose I could do this report by saying the weather was as perfect as you could ask for, the meet was well attended, the race boats were the best I’ve seen and the food was outstanding. Our hosts did a super job and so on and so on-----but I’m going to digress for a moment on something different and then get back to basics.

I get some of my greatest kicks just watching people, and since I’m still in my sling after shoulder surgery, there’s not much else I can do. Let’s face it---why would you want to go to the movies when you can sit at the launch ramp and be entertained for free! I mean where can you go and see such entertainment unless you watch America’s Funniest Home Videos. Some of what went on at the ramp might earn the club $10,000!---and then we could give everyone a free membership for years. Think about it and bring your camcorder. Probably best to do it in the summer months though as the heat brings out the best.

Picture this: It’s Friday and the meet is in full swing. Race boats are lined up along the edge of the ramp and under the trees. Members with tools in hand are tinkering on their rigs and occasionally you hear a motor fire up. But then here comes a couple of “Local Yocals” who plan on spending the day on the river. There’s the guy with the huge new pickup truck with lift kit, puffing on a cigarette and stereo blasting, kids standing in the front seat without seatbelts on, pulling a big pontoon boat with an older Mercury on it and a highly discolored plastic gas tank. He’s followed by his buddy pulling a Mariner powered aluminum jon boat with a partially flat tire and a life jacket dragging behind it.

As they enter the launch area the fellow with the pontoon boat pulls into the middle of our group and parks under a tree with the stereo continuing to boom and the guy with the jon boat backs his rig into the water, floats it off and parks his truck. Fortunately in backing, he doesn’t run over the life jacket dangling behind. As he comes back from parking the truck I noticed he’s carrying a battery for the boat and probably had sense enough (?) to charge it before heading to the ramp. So he installs the battery the usual way by banging the terminals onto the posts with vice grips while his buddy holds the key in the starting position---that way he’ll know when a good connection has been accomplished. The engine’s hood comes off and a can of WD-40 is readied for the starting process. Now, I can’t duplicate the sound of an outboard’s starter in words other than, “Brrrrrrrrrr, Brrrrrrrrrr, but I think you can imagine it, (you can hear it can’t you?) and that sound continues while one of the men proceeds to flood the carbs with the WD as the other fellow operates the key and the choke switch. “Brrrrrrrrrrr, Brrrrrrrrrrr-------“.

Now this continues for a while until Paul Adams steps up to help them and they admonish him by saying they know what they are doing. So we all step back and watch the show (remember, it’s free!). I commented to the person standing next to me, (and I think it was Joe Fisher), “I’ll bet that when they run that battery down, they get the one out of the truck and run it down also”---we laughed. Well guess what, that battery was the one out of the truck. So after running the battery completely down and the starter is smoking, one of the men looks up at the crowd gathered and says, “Anybody got a set of jumper cables”? I told him it wasn’t going to make any difference. I don’t know how he took that comment and I don’t care------.

Now while all this is going on the folks in the pontoon boat are up to the same sort of tricks except their boat is not in the water. “Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr” and that continues for a long time while Paul and I remark that the water pump must really be in great shape by now. “Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr,Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr” and it goes on and on but all of a sudden, there’s a pop, then a couple of more, and then the engine begins to catch, but not enough to keep going, but the starter continues to carry it through and finally, “Varoom”! A cloud of smoke and it’s running. A couple of bursts of high throttle and the owner gives the thumbs up and they decide since their other buddy’s luck isn’t so great, they’d head home and await another opportunity to boat on the Suwannee-----maybe it’s for the better. So with tires peeling away at the limerock, the disappointed boaters depart with stereo booming and kids standing in the passenger seat and leave me with great material for a write up. You gotta love em!

OK, so let’s talk about the meet-------

I’m not a huge race boat fan. I love to watch them run. I like to look at the old boats brought back to life and talk to people about how they found their boat and the trials of restoring it, and that’s about it---but I get pumped up when it comes to this meet. Bob and Geri Parkinson and now with the help of co-hosts Joe and Maria Fisher, put on one of the best meets ever! Oh the meet at the river in the winter is special too, but not like this one. Its summer--- and you can get wet!

You’ve probably seen the pictures Garry Spencer posts showing the magnificent trees that provide shade, the pits area also under the trees, the launch ramp lined up with boats, the pavilion where we distribute the awards and the banquet room where we eat a fabulous lunch and scenes from the parking lot where deals are made. But pictures don’t allow you to feel the presence of people---you have to be there. For me, and I bet for all of us, it’s the people--- and YaketyYak and Geri attract people. (Editors Note: Bobby, for some reason Spell-check doesn’t recognize Yakety---it wants to call you Yackety but I like your version better and I’ve updated my Spell-check---hahaha) Folks come from far away to be with us and that says something about us. We’re warm and accommodating, helpful and appreciative----and that’s why I look forward to this meet. Had those fools in the jon boat taken Paul up on his hospitality, they might have been able to enjoy a day on the water.

With so many people in attendance there is no way to mention every person, yet every person is important. Nick Gebhardt joined us on Saturday after a long hiatus and because of Steve Wood’s helpfulness, Nick’s motor is running. Nick is one of our youngest members and at age 17, he likes rowboat motors. Wes Lilly, finally after all these years, put a boat in the water and ran it! ---Can you believe that?---Yep, it’s true. Bart and Sherri Wynn trailered their beautifully restored boat “Forever Young” from middle Georgia and the MacGregors, both Rob and Mac, trailered from Virginia. Mac took the “Host Boat Pick” award for his AristoCraft and when you saw the before and after pictures, you know why he was selected. Jim Dunn solved the engine problems encountered last month and this time his beautiful rig ran flawlessly. Craig and Jeff Gomersall only brought 2 of their fantastic restorations for display—a Clarke Troller and an Evinrude Mate, but those engines caught the eye of the judges and they were awarded the “Hosts Motor Pick” award for the Mate. Since getting their Cadillac boat and Johnson Javelin restored and running well, you don’t see them sitting around like they used to. Tim Davis and his buddy Larry came down from Alabama---not with a banjo on his knee but with his newest restoration, a Speedliner and Mark 30H. Tim is becoming a regular at the Suwannee meet.

Two of our most senior members, and by that I mean length of time in the club, are Chuck and Mike Carroll. They’ve been in the Florida Chapter almost since its resurrection and they brought their rigs on a custom trailer with overhead crane. After talking to them I discovered that Chuck had shoulder surgery 3 times!---Now I know why they don’t lift those boats by hand anymore. Smart move!

So here’s how it all started: James Powell, Steve Wood and I arrived early Thursday afternoon only to find Yakety Yak and Geri in full swing readying the pavilion with banners, prizes, drinks and food. The weather was damp and misty with thunderstorms all around us and hungry mosquitoes---and I mean they were hungry! So we set up in our usual spaces and roamed around until time for dinner. A bunch of folks stay at Bill’s Fish Camp and Thursday for dinner, we rendezvoused at Salt Creek for dinner. Poor old Casey Lynn was in there by himself so we commandeered his table and enjoyed his company.

Friday morning saw folks there early and a much better day of weather. There was only a slight wind and that made it perfect for running hydros and as soon as they entered the campground, they rigged their boats and hit the water. A large dumptruck with a fresh load of limerock pulled into the ramp area and quickly was asked if he planned to dump the load as has happened in the past. He assured us he was there only to look at the boats and then headed off---glad he did.

As the morning wore on and boats were running a mishap occurred. This is the sort of thing we all fear--two boats colliding and injuries. Bobby Parkinson was running his Bezoats hydro along the outside edge of the river and behind him was Pete Sushinsky in his hydro and 25SS. As Bobby made his turn to the left, for some reason Pete came to the inside and they collided. Both boats suffered considerable damage and Pete suffered a broken upper right arm, hairline fracture of the right hip and possible concussion. Fortunately Bobby was able to get to Pete quickly and get his head above water. Casey Lynn, Scotty Scott and Joe Fisher went quickly to the rescue and brought Pete and Bobby to the dock. It was hot at the dock and Geri Parkinson stayed at Pete’s side with an umbrella to provide shade. Several other members assisted in bringing water and cushions. The boats came in later and members jumped on the engines to get the water out and get them running quickly to dry out. Both men were fortunate and the club was fortunate to have Austin Fisher and his girlfriend, both EMTs, there to assist until the ambulance arrived. Pete was taken to the hospital and reported to be in good condition requiring a 2-3 day stay. Bobby suffered bruises and cuts to his arm that only required bandaging. Geri commented that Bobby lost his Timex watch but she was sure it was still ticking. Perhaps it has made contact with the 5 horse Johnson Steve lost overboard 2 years ago! Anyway, both men wore the correct equipment and that prevented more serious injury. We look forward to both of them being back out on the water soon.

Once things were under control and Pete was on his way to the hospital, things got going again but with a little less enthusiasm. Lunch came just a little later than normal due to the accident but that was hardly noticed. It was different this time and folks liked it. The menu was U-Make-UR-Own-Sandwiches. There were luncheon meats, buns with fixins, oriental and macaroni salads, beans, chips, watermelon ala Nancy Dunn and cookies by Maria Fisher and plenty of different drinks to keep you cool. While “dining” you could view the stash of door prizes available for the Saturday presentation.

Friday evening, as always, we invade the Salt Creek Restaurant and as always they are prepared for us. The back room was filled and the food and service was wonderful. Can you imagine handling 45—50 people all wanting separate checks? They can do it!

Saturday saw even more people arrive for the meet. The weather again cooperated and it was wonderful. Some of the members took their boats and headed to Fanning Springs, about a 30 minute ride, for a cool dip into the crystal clear waters. The race boats made their way back into the river and those of us with “old” kickers burned some gas. I rode with Marsha and Phillip Walker in their BigFour powered boat and as we made a turn in the same area as the previous day’s mishap, a huge sturgeon leapt in front of us. Those fish are a serious threat to boating safety and that’s something to pay particular attention to when running those race boats. It seems the gear noise from the lower unit attracts the fish and incites them to jump----so be careful at all times out there.

Saturday’s lunch is something of a reputation for the Florida Chapter on the Suwannee. 200 pieces of fresh, hot fried chicken arrived just before the dinner bell rang and members converged upstairs in the cool banquet room. We enjoyed cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, salad mixins, pineapple cake, chocolate pies, watermelon and cookies. Our hosts, Bobby and Geri, were assisted by Nancy Dunn, Jackie Putman, Pat Baumgartner, Maria Fisher, Vicki Brown, Sherri Wynn, Gladys Sears, and others. Our sincere thanks to all of you who made our lunch fantastic!

After lunch it was awards time, so off to the pavilion we went. 50/50 winner was James Powell and he took home a wad ($175) of money; Candy Jar winners were Maria Fisher and Pat Baumgartner who shared in the prize as they both tied; Best of Show went to Eddie Osborne from Virginia for his beautiful Whirlwind and Johnson 75; Bill Kelly won a ribbon for his meticulously restored C service racer.

Door prizes were doled out and there were plenty of oil and fuel preservative thanks to Paul Adams. There were tool sets, fans, coolers---just a bunch of neat stuff provided by Yakety Yak. This time the multiple winner was John Timmons and Marsha Walker with her stack of tickets never heard a winning number. After the awards folks headed back to the launch area and enjoyed the rest of the day. As the sun moved westward, folks packed up and headed home. Another fine weekend of antique outboarding came to a close and we have some great people to thank---Bobby, Geri, Joe, Maria and all the others who helped out.

Watch for information on the next meet and take a chance by hosting a meet!