Get Ready !!!!

Prepare yourself for "Road Warrior Jeopardy" ...... coming soon to a regatta near you!

More details to come when the ice melts.

Holiday Greetings !

MFC!      'nuff said.

All Hail The Empire !

Team R had the honor and pleasure of participating in the 20th Annual Savage Family Regatta.   We were humbled to be included in such an esteemed event.
Many thanks for the great time, plenty of food and beer, nice shirts, GREAT HATS, and of course..... the camaraderie !

Captain Jeff had an honorable showing .... surviving until the next to last match race.   Having won the "challenge" race off, he is now an official bastard son of the family and Savage Empire.   Let's see if he can do it again in another 20 years!

As always ..... a Kiss of The Fish to all members of the Empire.

Sail On Sailor

Hadn't heard "Sail On, Sailor" for a long time.   Forgot what a nice tune it is.   Even if Brian Wilson didnt write most of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdrN89Vxu6I

I wrest the waters, fight Neptune's waters
Sail through the sorrows of life's marauders
Unrepenting, often empty
Sail on, sail on sailor

Kicked To The Curb

Ah yes .... relationships.   Gotta love 'em.  There is absolutely NOTHING that makes a guy feel better about himself than getting dumped by a woman.  Give me a kick in the balls and root canal with no meds anyday!  And the icing on the cake ....  "I'm too busy with work right now".   Nice ..... hope that job keeps you warm at night.

Oh ... and you're welcome for the t-shirt.  (at least I have some "interesting" pictures to share with people!)

So its back to piratey ways for me.   Giving up the chardonney for Private Stock.  Getting into Autumn so the beard may come back. Eating & drinking what I want, when I want it, where I want it.  Farting when I feel like it.   Just like being on the R boat with the boys!

It's just like Tom Waits says .... (Better off without a wife)

     "I like to sleep until the crack of noon
      midnight howlin' at the moon
     goin' out when I wanto, comin' home when I please
     I don't have to ask permission
     if I want to go out fishing
     and I never have to ask for the keys

And then again .... maybe it will be fun interviewing applicants for the NEXT pirate babe.

Bite And Smile ......

Team R has a friend .... (ok, he's really my friend .... Jeff and Brian have never met him).... named Don Janes.    Don is a whitty, charming, politically astute guy who's biting humor is surpassed ONLY by his ability to consume alcohol.  (no wonder he fits in so well!).  I attended high school with Don and was lucky enough to reconnect a few years ago.

But I'm not here to talk about Don.

I am here to praise his (slightly) younger brother Joe.   Who I also know from our hometown in northern Ohio.   "Joe is a writer, director and actor in Chicago. He teaches at The Second City Training Center and at Columbia College. He is also a senior writer/director at Fig Media, Inc."  Taken directly from his website.   (why try to create accolades when he does it for himself?)

But I'm really not here to talk about Joe either.    Just his blogsite..... "Bite and Smile"
http://biteandsmile.blogspot.com/

Very enjoyable and funny insights into life, love, and the human condition.    Or some bullshit like that.
Here is one that caught my attention recently:

 "dating at my age is sometimes fun and mostly frustrating. Part of it is that I don't look my age and women  my age do. (I know, I'm going to hell). I'm also dragging around a few past relationships where I invested a lot of time, energy, emotion and commitment only to get screwed over. Relationships are hard. They have their moments of being a blast and their moments of being rough. If I get into another relationship - and I'm totally cool if I don't - it's going to be with someone who's not going to jump off the roller coaster when they discover it goes down as well as up."

So check out Bite and Smile once in awhile.  We may "borrow" Joe's idea on tshirts.    Wonder if people would pay money to have drawings of the members of Team R on their chests?    Probably beats having the real thing shoved into their boobs! 

Team R Dominates with The Dread Pirate Robert

Team R had an impromptu reunion on this past Sunday.    A nice brunch at a local bisto ..... complete with a small dose of debauchery and inappropriate discussions.    (But the waitress was nice).

Later in the afternoon ...... The Dread Pirate Robert proved his worth as an honary member of Team R .... helping Captain Jeff to 2 wins and a 2nd place for the Fall Hoover Series.   Robert proves to have the makings of a good pirate and an able sailor.    (plus he gets all of our Team R humor).   Will look forward to sailing with him again.     Once he gets this whole ...... "bun in the oven" thing worked out.

Wonderful to see The Savage Man out and about.  Another generation of Savage sailors in the making?

It is unclear at this time if the entire Team R will be invading any ports and vanquishing foes in the near future. Captain Jeff may be visiting with The Poltergiest in October............Whoooooo ...... scary, scary, scary.
(please see hard copy of Big Book for full story)

However .... have no fear.    Normal debauchery continues off the water as usual.

We Didn't Get To Nationals ....But We SURE Got Down To Business !!!!!

2010 will be known as one of the few years that Team R did NOT participate in the Interlake National Championships.  Wish we could blowviate about "giving someone else a chance to win"....  (ha ha) ... but such is not the case.  

BIG CONGRATS to members of The Savage Empire .... Scott and Rick.   From all accounts an impressive .... and dominating .... performance.   Congratulations to Hank and all of the other "hardware" winners.   Rumor has it that Jumpin' Jimmy Ward and Jivin' Jay Mueller even showed up!

Lastly, we hope everyone has gotten a chance to see the 2010 Team R t-shirts.    Glad to have Terry quit yapping about never getting a shirt.   And thanks to my "personal assistant" for allowing the accompanying photo.  

"It's Business Time!"

Happy Birthday To The Big Wiener !!!!!!!

OMG ..... can you believe?     Brian "Big Wiener" Boelk turns 50 today!         FIFTY!!!!    He still looks great and has the butt of a 20 year old.    A kiss of The Fish and cold St. Pauli Girl to you Brian, our brother!

Could It Be????

Is it really possible that summer is right around the corner?    WELL I'LL BE.......       yep, hot sun and a 4+ hour kayak trip today.    Yours truly is one crispy critter.   Gosh.... good thing I wasnt on the R boat... probably would have been forced to drink beer too!

You Need the Right Tools for the Right Job

Washington (CNN) -- The United States has 5,113 nuclear warheads in its stockpile and many thousands more that have been retired and are awaiting dismantling, according to a senior defense official.

The release of the number of warheads marks only the second time in U.S. history the government has released the once top secret information.
The Pentagon statistics show the nuclear stockpile was reduced by 75 percent between the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and September 30, 2009, and 84 percent since its peak of more than 31,255 in 1967.

**** Wondering if they thought they would ever get around to using ALL 31,255?       Just sayin'

Springtime in New Hampshire

Black flies.     Need I say more?       

On the other hand, at least when they die, you dont need front loaders to dispose of them and your entire town doesnt smell like dead fish.   

So we got that going for us up here.

For Every Season There Is A Reason ......

Hurray, Hurray ... its the first of May.    Outdoor f#@*ing begins today!

Blue Oyster Cult .... get's it right!

Who would have thought that BOC (that's Blue Oyster Cult ... the band)... would be so darn prophetic and have such enlightenment in their lyrics?

"History shows again and again how Nature points out the folly of man".        Yep ... one little volcano and you'd think that modern technology and civilization were crumbling.   HA ... maybe that wouldnt be such a bad thing!     After all .... Ted Kaczynski wasnt all bad ... just a little misunderstood. 

Hmmmmm.... wonder what they mean by "All praise    He's found the awful truth, Balthazar     He's found the saucer news".    

Keep your eyes and ears open!

You Say It's Your Birthday .... !

Happy Birthday to Jamie the Weatherman.   Jamie is a long time friend of Team R.  Much beloved but much ridiculed.... usually over weather forecasts.  Jamie has turned 40!    WOW..... middle age.   Nothing like having a wife, an ex-wife, 3 kids, another on the way, 2 cars, a house mortgage, child support, and a declining economy to add a dose of reality to your life!   Wow... what a buzzkill.

Regardless....  have a very happy, happy birthday.   Capt R was there to represent us .... I owe you a birthday beer.   CHEERS!

AHHHHHHH ...... Spring time ....

YEAH ..... RIGHT!          35 and snowing this morning in Ashland NH.
"Boat drinks ... waitress I need two more boat drinks ....."

Happy Tax Day ....

Yep ... its April 15th.      By now most of you have filed your tax returns ... or gotten your refund.      CHEER UP!      This is Amerika .... the land of opportunity and capitalism.        Just remember this little tidbit of info the next time you take a look at your check stub:

**************************

The joke goes, The economy is so bad Exxon Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen. If only.


Turns out the economy is never really bad for the oil giant, and the last thing they would want to do is cut off support to members of Congress who allow them to pull off the remarkable trick of making $45 billion in profits last year but paying no federal income tax.

Mid-Winters Update

Yeah .,.... I know.     The entirety of Western Civilization has been hanging on .... just waiting for final thoughts on Mid-Winters.     Whatever.      Photos are being acquired.     Lawyers lined up.  Legal options being reviewed.

Actually I just can't stop swooning over the wonderful "trophies" Davis Island YC gave as prizes.    FRIGGIN COOKBOOKS!     Oh boy.... such effort.     They probably had a couple of boxes of books they couldnt sell and decided "let's pawn 'em off on those dingy sailors"!

Their creativity is only surpassed by their planning for parking and docking and their hospitalityshown to visitors.    Remember:  "YOUR people are on the lower deck"

Children By The Million Sing for Alex Chilton

A sad day for contemporary music.    One of the greatest but least known singer/songwriter/rockers - Alex Chilton - passed away yesterday.

You may know him best from The Box Tops - "The Letter"

A Kiss of The Fish to Mr. Chilton.

I'm Kaput ...

An exhausting day ... by EVERYONE'S account.    We finally got 3 races in this morning.    Team R barely made the start .... oh, wait ... correction.   We made the 2nd start of the first race.   Guess we must have been busy doing ..... something... somewhere.

3 races ...... wind was 20+ the entire time.   Chop.      VERY tiring.    After 3 races... Matt Fisher (and family) are 1st,  Team Aspery (Beef Boys) are 2nd, and Team R is sitting in 3rd.   

Predictions are for lower winds tomorrow AM and at least 2 races.

Attaching several photos of Interlakers in very stages of drinking or dining.    (mostly drinking).

O......H...

I....O!!!   Oh my.    Two WAY TOO close games and the Buckeyes are in the Big Ten final.    Still ... way cool.    It's good to be a Buckeye.  GO BUCKS!

Can It Get Any Better Than This?

CRAP.    Rain, rain, rain.    "Stuck inside of the clubhouse with those spinnaker blues again".  Postponement until 2pm.   No one is very optimistic about even getting any races in today.   So it goes.

Plenty of conversations to participate in:   Eisert is either talking stocks and bonds or telling jokes.   Joe Joe Hurst and I are hoping to catch the Buckeye BBall game at noon.   Capt Jeff is itching to put the mast up.  Jeff and the Juxtaposer are watching a rerun of the Colbert Report.   So it goes.

Guess it could be worse.   As Eisert says... "you could be in a wheelchair".      Or on the boat stuck with Cara.

Happier to sit here and read.

Blow Me

Whoa ..... just had a gust to 43 knots (approx 50mph).   "I'd keep playing Bishop... I don't think the heavy stuff is going to come down for quite awhile"

Weather Update:

Steady breezes of 24+.     Sooo.... what do SMART Interlakers do?     Oh ... put up a tent, rig a boat, put on a wind indicator.     Here is Team R's doctor of psychology ( team shrink) Alan with the tent.    Next photo is Capt. Jeff deciding about the weather.   Like Bob Dylan said ... "you dont need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows".

Making Friends Wherever We Go

Team R........ Ambassadors of Cheer and Goodwill.    We make an impression wherever we go.   Case in point:  While enjoying a cold beverage by the pool.... Capt Jeff strikes up a conversation with a young lassy from Buffalo NY.    (ok ... in all honesty .... she was at least from Buffalo).  Such a small world ... they both LOVE babershop singing.   And so .... proceeded to entertain (?) the entire hotel complex.  Was it a coincedence that all the songs they knew were old ......   I dont think so.

After about the 4th song ... the lady's husband summed it all up:   "It's gonna be a long night".

This Bites!

Dear Friends..... you arent missing a thing!     We were able to spend about 45 mins yesterday on the beach in feeble in sunlight. But at least the sun was out.   Today (Thursday) it's cloudy, blowing 15 - 25 knots, tornado warnings north of Tampa, and it looks like it might rain at any moment.   This is NOT what I had in mind for a vacation.  Crap.    Might just have to start drinking!!!!!   Forecast for the rest of the week is "breezy" or "windy".   Apparently SUNNY is not in this weeks vocabulary.    More updates to come.

Mainline Florida ....... Oh Say

A tip of the hat to Mr. Clapton for that old song.     All packed and ready to go.    Capt Jeff hit the highway this morning with the boat.    I'm playing rock star and jumping on a plane at 6am tomorrow.   Life is tough.   With my luck I'll probably end up sitting next to 300 lb smelly Bubba on his way to a NASCAR race.   Maybe it would have been better to drive!

Updates on 2010 Interlake Mid-Winters all weekend long!      The Fish Rules!

The Weather Is Here .... I Wish You Were Beautiful

Thank to Jamie the Weatherman for taking care of business.    It appears that conditions are improving.    75 and mostly sunny for Wed.     By 1:00pm Wednesday, you will find me on the beach with a cold hop pop in hand.    Can't decide on which Speedo to wear.     Will post photos !

Come On Jamie .... Show Me Some Love

What good is having a weatherman for a friend if he cant fix the weather?  Its like having a buddy who is an auto mechanic but wont touch your car.    Hrrmph!

 Forecast for Tampa next week is MAYBE 70 .... cloudy.... and showers.     I want to work on my tan!

Bad enough I'm gonna have to spend 3+ plus days listening to Cara babble in gangsta speak.  Now I'm gonna have to be cold, wet, AND annoyed!

OH Baby,,, baby

Many thanks to the individuals who voted on our current survey.    Expecially the ones who voted on coming to Mid -Winters in order to have sex with Team R.

Unless that was Tom Eisert's votes.    Aint gonna happen!

Advertisers welcome!

A thought just occurred to me.      If any commercial entities out there would like to become 'oFISHal' sponsors/supporters/friends of Team R .......... (oh ... say NORTH SAILS).... we'd be happy to provide a link.

And a little nice swag wouldnt hurt now and then.     I'm just sayin......    I got enough water bottles, ok?

"Sexy Mother F*&#ers"

Yes ladies and gentlemen .... that IS the original Team R pictured above.     From left to right:   The BIG Wiener, Terrible Tim, Captain Jeff.

There are numerous honorary members of Team R:  individuals who have crewed on the R boat, friends and colleagues who share our "zest" for life, women who have slept with us ..... those types of things.

Thanks to our comrade-in-arms Photographer Extrordinaire Jeff Thompson for making us look younger, thinner, better looking, and well hung.

AAARRRGGHHH

And so it begins ..... the first post about Team R.      How come nobody taught me about this before?    We could have been posting all kinds of adventures about Team R for years!    Guess its about time we caught up with modern society.   Although the three of us do enjoy being Luddites.

Perhaps as time allows we will post the history of Team R ...... hence the name ... "The Big Book of Team R".      Anyone who has been around us for any length of time knows that a paper copy of said book does exist.   In The Reliquary.     (but that is another story).

So much to say .... and so little time.
Stay tuned.   Plenty of commentary and photos yet to appear.
Lots of history to catch up on.
(wonder if I can do a virtual reliquary?   hmmm..............)


Look forward to hearing from all of you.