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November 25, 1993 - Boat-Hauling Days, Past and Present6A • The Suffolk Times • November 25, 1993 BoatwHauling Days., By Paul Stoutenburgh _ the cove; we were Fall is the time for boat hauling. In the early days just after World War II all boats were wood and after sitting in the water all season they were pretty heavy. As I remember the anti - fouling paint I used never seemed to work as well as the paints they use today. The old maroon -red copper paint was the only one I ever knew, but today's bottom paints come in a wide range of color and price. Of course, in those early days there was no such FOCUS on thing as mechani- cal haulers and Nature high - pressure sprayers that today effortlessly blast barnacles, seaweed and other growth off with ease. In those days I'd have to go under a dripping boat and literally scrape every inch of the bottom and then when that was done, scrub the bottom with an old piece of wet burlap dipped in sand to get off the rest of the slime. Only then was the bottom ready for the next year's paint in the spring. Of course, you had to do this as soon as the boat was pulled out because if you let the growth dry you were really in for a day's work of scrap- ing and scrubbing. In past years the days for hauling al- ways seemed to be the worst days. It was either raining or cold and the tide was usually wrong. In contrast, this year everything was perfect — weather and tide. The temperature reached over 70 degrees and the tide was above flood which meant it would be a cinch to haul the boat out on the trailer. I called Dwight Edstrom, a professional boat hauler. He set the time and place. All I had to do was be there. A Perfect Day The day was so perfect that when we started the boat up a wild impulse rushed through me to just take off rather than meet our hauler. Once out of the chan- nel, that after a long summer season has filled in with shoals, we sped across the bay, oldsquaw ducks flying out of our way to the left and right of us. How sparkling and clean the water was. How bare the bay. All the boats were out of the last ones out of our little mari- na. The bay had taken on its win- ter look of empti- ness. As we waited for Dwight to come and haul our boat we could see small killifish still enjoying the bright, sunny wa- ters alongside the bulkhead where we'd temporarily tied up. The water had not gotten cold enough yet to drive them to the bottom for winter. Bluefish, too, were still around as my son and I can vouch for. He has a small aluminum boat and outboard that he can hitch up in minutes and be off to any of the many boat ramps for a day's fishing. Usually we launch the boat at a con- venient ramp and then run miles and miles to where the fish are. This time the ramp we chose was perfect for we could see but a short distance away gulls work- ing, telling us fish were there. We were soon under way and it wasn't long before our lines were over. Of course, Roger caught the first fish. Up and over the side it came, all silvery green, thrash- ing and snapping as it flopped on the bottom of the boat, sounding like some giant bass drum. In all we caught four bluefish weighing on an average of six to seven pounds. I could hardly wait for a broiled bluefish dinner that I knew would soon be in the offing. Past and Present Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh BOAT HAULING —The old- fashioned way required more manpower and less expense than today. Yet one has to admit modern devices make it a lot easier and quicker now. Back Years Ago My first hauling was when I was much much younger and had a lot more lifting and hauling power. It was when we slid the boat out on planks and rollers, helped along with a block and tackle. It was the time when all your true friends * Aft&90% 1 a...1L n....L 82 Years Ago Nov. 25, 1911 Greenport Locals: A new torpedo was tested by the Bliss Co. in Gardiner's Bay last Saturday. Naval inspectors were present, and the trial was successful and very gratify- ing to the company. Many of the disfiguring signs along the highways are still with us, unfortunately. Lovers of Nature thus unadorned regret that more interest is not taken by folks generally in tearing down these signs as has been done in many places in the state. Travelers over the road tell us that many signs are still confronting them as they pass by in their automo- biles. 50 Years Ago Nov. 26, 1943 East Marion News: "Donation Day" used to be an annual event in the life of many ministers, but Mr. and Mrs. Humphreys were quite surprised last Wednesday morning to have a whole load of cauliflower dumped on their front lawn. A station wagon was proceeding west on the Main Road when a tire blew, capsizing the car and its load of cauliflower on the parsonage lawn. Greenport Servicemen's Column: Fred Reeves, son of Police Officer Chauncey Reeves, better known to the gathered around to help for there was blocking up to be done, pulling of lines and, of course, the added directions from every quarter. We lived in a world of thrift, not because we wanted to but because it was forced on us by the times. Perhaps a lit- tle of those hard times and squeezing of every penny might help today's world, When we started for it seems we've forgot- the boat a wild ten how to be thrifty in our modern -day world of con- impulse rushed sumption and fast dollars. through me to Those early days found us reusing nails and saving just take off.' pieces of wood, just in _ case, and, of course, we kept every bit of paint no matter how lit- tle was left in the can. Much would dry up but then again some would be used as is or mixed with another to create a color that had never before been seen. When we met Dwight it seemed only minutes before his trailer was down in the water and the boat locked securely. It was then just a matter of pulling her out and out she came, dripping. She appeared twice as big as I remembered her in the water. I drove home in the cab with the boat looming behind us, back to the pasture at our place where the boat will stay until spring. Of course, as soon as we opened the big gate and the truck and trailer pulled in the two cows had to come and investi- gate. We were invading their turf. It all seemed so simple. The boat was shored up with old cement blocks we'd used on other boats, a few wedges were driven in on one side to make sure the rainwater ran off to the starboard scupper, and then the trail- er slid out from under her. In no time they were gone, leaving only two bewildered animals looking inquisi- tively at the new addition to their pas- ture. Now Barbara and I would unload the cushions, bedding and other equip- ment and store it down in the cellar where it will be kept dry and clean. Our back pasture has served us well through the years not only for our cows (one goes in the freezer next month) but as a resting place for boats. Every kind of boat from a rowboat to a powerboat to a sailboat has rested its winters here only to be refitted each spring for a new sea- son. Tirpes have changed, new methods of boat hauling have come into use, new types of paints are applied, but the basic art of storage at a convenient spot for the winter has not. Like trees and plants it seems boats, too, deserve a rest only to come alive again in the spring. public by his stage name of Fred Lightner, well -known vaudeville, radio and stage star, spent Thanksgiving with his father. Fred has been for the past year in USO work, enter- taining the boys in the armed forces in England and Iceland and he returned to this country from the theatre of war in Sicily. He leaves Greenport the last of this week to resume his USO work in Italy, where he will continue to help enter- tain the boys who are fighting this global war. 25 Years Ago Nov. 29, 1968 Hotel Wyandank to be Demolished: An his- toric old landmark in the Village of Greenport, the Hotel Wyandank located on Third Street, is being demolished. This well -known hotel, which was built about 130 years ago, has down through the years been closely identified with the past history of the community. When the late Ansel V. Young, for many years mayor of Greenport, purchased the hotel from the estate of Charles Wright, the barn where the stagecoach horses were stabled was still standing and in the tap room was the same old bar dating back to stagecoach days. Mr. Young sold the historic hotel in 1945 to a group of New York City men, who oper- ated the hotel for several years. Since that time the Wyan- dank has been under various managements. Volunteers Sought For Seal Patrol Okeanos Ocean Research Foun- dation is looking for volunteers to help with its annual census of seals that have come to Long Island from northern waters. Two training sessions will be held, the first on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at the Department of Environmen- tal Conservation building at SUNY /Stony Brook, and the sec- ond on Thursday, Dec. 9, at Cornell Cooperative Extension in River- head. Both meetings run from 7 to 9 p.m. and participants are only re- quired to attend one session. To volunteer, call 728 -4522.