The February trip was a small scale adventure. The "core group" of 4 pirates made the journey. Captn Mitch and Kevin
ventured out earlier on Sat. afternoon and began the camp set-up. First arrival revealed extensive damage to our Gazebo structure.
It was evident the damage was not weather related, and could only have been caused by human effort. Hours were spent to rebuild
the structure and to have it remain viable for at least this one trip. Captn Mitch and Kevin secured the Gazebo with a cover
top of a heavy tarp and extensive use of tie-wraps. Further engineering revealed a center pole support to sure up the structure
using a 7foot post with a steel spike placed into a oil drum. (fortunately the post was provided on the island as yet another
piece of drift debris) The Gazebo rebuild was a sucess and proved valuable as rain arrived the next early morning.
The rest of the afternoon the pirates worked to set -up the camp kitchen and entertainment
center, then they finally enjoyed a sun basked day on the Island beach with temperatures in the 40's.
I arrived on the beach after 7:00pm and met Ed there and awaited our shuttle. It was nice to
make the trip in one single run and avoid a long cold beach waiting session. We were greeted at the Island's edge with
a volley of pyro-techiques fired at us. Thanks Kevin....dick.
The Island was sparse of drift wood. Captn Mitch and Kevin salvaged all the possible wood during the
daylight hours into one large pile. The temperatures were cold, but not as extreme as our previous trip in Nov. We would make
due with the wood available. Perhaps we would consider building a barge to get wood from the jersey shore in the Nov trip
when we had a full crew. We briefly discussed plans, but dismissed them as it involved work.
A mix of music added backround to a relaxed evening around the campfire. Dinner was complete
with 1/2 lb Bubba burgers, lobster meat,and roast smoked turkey drumsticks. We ate and awaited the begining of Star's End.
Morning arrived with some heavy rain, but fortunately it ended after 9:00am. We enjoyed great coffee
and watched the tide rise. The evening was peaceful and calm, the only unexpected event occurred when Captn Mitch decided
it would be a "good"idea to throw the empty mini-keg of Heineken into the campfire. The can exploded but luckily the lid shot
off away from us. I was suddenly awash with a hale of red coals. Thanks Mitch. future note: "don't throw empty cans into the
fire" (in the past we have also learned about the dangers of empty fuel bottles, and gas cylinder chairs, don't throw them
in either)
We shuttled home to the beach and made a trip to the local diner in Brooklawn to indulge in 1000's
of calories of breakfast. The boat suffered zero damage on this adventure.
"ismus be my lucky day"
