Happy New Yaaaaaarrrrrr !

January 1, 2013
Lake George, NY

 

Mate:  Ahoy up there, what do ye see?

Look-Out: [aloft]  Close by, sir,  a large vessel  on the south shore, near what they call Million Doubloon Beach. She's preparing to cast off on a New Year’s Day cruise. Beamy and overloaded. We could overtake her easy, sir.

 

Mate:  No,  look further on, along the western shore –
I seek something other than plunder, today.

Look-Out:  [spins about in crow’s nest and
re-sights the glass] What ho! It looks like a shore party.
A ferocious-looking lot, too. Seems they each have their own longboat …?

Mate:  Steady as she goes – let’s approach with caution and see what they are up to.

[A short time passes.]

Mate: [from much closer now, and using his own
fine brass spyglass]   Why if it arn’t my ol’ pal Trashpaddler!  A-running with a new crew of Pirates.  Let’s have a gam!

And that’s one version of how I met up today with the intrepid Adirondack Pirate Paddlers.

I have heard that fellow blogger Trashpaddler is coming over from Massachusetts today, to join them on their annual New Year’s Day Paddle on Lake George.

Lake George is home to an odd combination of breath-taking beauty and tourism fantasy. It's easy to fall under her spell, one way or the other.
So it's no surprise at all to find that it would be visited today by Pirates.

Well, it would be great to see Trashpaddler again-- it's been over a year since first meeting him in 3-D. His blogging adventures are a constant source of inspiration.

He got up very early this morning to drive here, and was the first to arrive.

It's also a chance to meet some of the Pirate Paddlers -- so I am waiting here at the put-in site. 
Soon the others appear.
Hearty New Year's greetings are exchanged.

I am content to stay on dry land and be merely a spectator, being very much of a summer-duck in that respect.

Lake George can be a dangerous place, even in the summer. The water today has got to be around 40 degrees.

They’ve got the gear and the know-how to go out into such cold waters.

 

 

 

It’s a beautiful and surprisingly still morning, around 28 degrees, with broken cloud cover. The snow is still fresh-looking and the Lake is wide open.  It might get windy later on, but for now, it’s quite peaceful.
 

I didn't catch everyone’s name –  let's see, there was:
Captain V. Dangerous – (is he?)

First Mate, Smelly Ellie – (she isn't)

and Bonecrusher (a chiropractor, perhaps?) – among others. 

They’ve logged many hours together on the water,
and this is their 10th New Year's paddle.
They are suiting-up now.

Then it's a short haul to the water's edge.

 

Some are eager to try out new equipment received at Christmas, some are wondering aloud how they ever got talked into doing this, but all are happy to be out in the crisp air, setting out for yet another adventure.

 

After much joshing, one by one they slide into the water in their sleek craft.  

Though I don't even have the gumption to take my little boat out on Lake George in the summertime,
and am already thinking about how good a mug of hot chocolate would be right now --
I am a bit jealous of their next few hours out upon the water. 

 

Sing Ho ! for the Adirondack Pirate Paddlers, of which many legends will surely arise. Note that they fly the Jolly Roger, which means that if you surrender to them, you at least have a chance of being treated well.  

(Or So the Tale is Told.)