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May 03, 2001 - The season's first foray on the baySA • The Suffolk Times • May 3, 2001 The season's first fora on the ba Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh The telephone number 195 on the side of this old bait shop reminds one of long ago when weak- fish was king and party boats lined the busy docks of New Suffolk. THE TELEPHONE RANG AND a voice came through from my son Roger, "Do you want to go with me and get the boat over at the shipyard ?" It was kind of sudden but I always like a challenge, so within 10 minutes I was up at his house. First, some logistics had to be worked out. FOCUS Seeing the boat was going to be ON moored in the NATURE creek, we had to first get a boat by Paul out on the moor- Stoutenburgh ing so we could get back to the dock. We solved the problem by taking two boats out and leaving one at the mooring and the other we used to get back to the dock. Then we were off. We got tot the shipyard late in the afternoon, around 5:30 p.m. There were pickup trucks loaded with gear and cars with their trunks open with all sorts of paraphernalia for getting boats ready to be put in the water. It was great to see how many people were working on their boats. After all the rain and cold weather we've had, this day of sunshine brought everyone out. At one of the docks at the shipyard we found the boat ready to go. I marveled at the clear water. It was like looking through a glass window. This is a sign of winter's low nutrients. Later, as the water warms up, we'll notice that it becomes a bit more cloudy. This is not pollution but nutri- ents in the form of algae, etc., that actually make our bays and creeks so It was good to get on board and feel the movemen of the boat under- foot. Roger had the motor run- ning, one of these new four -cycle outboards, the ones that don't need a mixture of oil and gas to run. That's a big step for the environ- ment, for it keeps oil from getting into our bays and creeks. Soon the four -cycle engine will be mandatory for all new out- boards. The engine purred quietly in the stern, squirt- ing its surplus cooling water out letting us know the system was work- ing. In no. time we had the lines off and were waving to Barbara, "See you later." She would drive the car over to the dock so we could get home after tying the boat to the mooring and tak- ing the smaller boat back to the dock. As we left Schoolhouse Creek in New Suffolk I had flashbacks to the days (40 -50 years ago) when our bays were busy with party fishing boats. Every slip had its party boat or a boat for hire, for it was the time when the weaktish was king. People would travel from the west end to go on one of the boats and'fish at Roses Grove. There the boats would anchor and chum with shrimp to lure the silvery fish. Those were the days when hundreds would be caught in one day. Perhaps that was their demise: overfishing. At any rate I can remember cars parked all around and boardinghouses waiting for people to come and spend the night so they could get an early start in the morning. That was a thriving time for New Suffolk. I have a photograph of the lit- tle bait shop at the mouth of the creek, and on its side it advertises "Bait, tack- le, blood worms, etc.," with a tele- phone number of three digits. boat at anchor As we left Schoolhouse Creek there was only one boat out in the bay; it had been there all winter long. I could- n't believe that someone would leave their boat moored in the bay for the whole winter. Is this a sign of things to come? As we left the mouth of the creek we could sense the movement of the bay. Halfway across I could see some old - squaw still around. Oldsquaw are win- ter ducks that are noted for their yodeling call. On a still day you can hear them calling out of the bay, one of winter's wild and pleasant sounds. Off to the left an osprey soared. Perhaps it's the one that makes its nest on The Nature Conservancy's Meadow Beach Preserve, a nest I put up over 30 years ago. Or perhaps it was from the nest that Steve and Dan just recently put up on the Wickham marsh after the old nest blew down. I remember one year, not too long ago, when my platform for the osprey blew down on Meadow Beach. Lucky for me Larry Tuthill, whose business is bulkheads and docks, was working nearby. I told him my problem and he immediately grabbed a few of his men and a long locust post and went over and put up a new platform. It was just in time for the return of the osprey that year. My thanks to Larry for help ing. And the ospreys thank you, too, Larry. It is still standing and weathers every storm through every season. There are no markers to the entrance to East Creek. In season there are red and green markers that give you some idea of where the chan- nel is, but since I've used these waters since I was a kid, we have no trouble finding our way. As we pass into the mouth of the creek I notice a great white egret foraging in the marsh near- by. These handsome, big white birds nest out on Gardiners, Plum and Fishers islands. They build their flimsy stick nests in the trees or bushes. They lay their pale green eggs, about the size of bantam eggs, in them. Farther along we'd pass an area where there has always been good eeling. Certain spots of the creek produce more eels than others. I'll be looking forward to those later in the season. The marsh is still wrapped in its ragged brown of winter, but if we look closely we can see green shoots already starting up, which means our water temperature is rising. Soon the marsh will be a mass of lush green. Moving along the now -quiet creek I see one boat has already been launched and is now tied to its mooring. Soon the creek will be dotted with boats. Two crows go by in hot pursuit, twisting and turning as they fly. I don't know if it's the male chasing a female or one male chasing another male out of his territory. This is the time of year for games that all wildlife plays. Now that we are in the creek we are out of the wind and it is quite pleasant. It was rather raw coming across the bay. That northwest wind hasn't lost its sting as yet. The motor slows down and Roger swings the boat into the mooring. The lines, left there through the winter, come up covered with a slimy brown algae that slips through his hands. He ties the boat fore and aft. It's been a great trip across the bay. The sun has set by now and a coolness has taken over where once the sun did play. Into the creaking, leaky boat that was tied to the mooring we both climb. Then it's a short row to the dock. The boat secured, we both walk up to the car and notice the high tide bush starting to break out. Later it will have a white, fluffy flower. Then the flower will turn to seed and will float on the air to a new location along the edge of the creek, giving it its common name, high tide bush. Once in the car we slump into that wonderful feeling that all is right in the world. It was a great day. My first day out on the bay this year.