Shakedown cruise...

        Tuesday we finally got out on the water. It has been so hot here (and everywhere in the Midwest) that Ruth and I waited until just before sunset and took the boat out for a shakedown cruise. She did well except that she won’t idle at the lowest speed and after you restart her several times a fuse burns out and that has to be replaced. Luckily we had spares.
        This was the first time I have been out on Longview Lake and there isn’t a lot to it. Mostly just a round oval with two arms that are shallow and full of old trees. I was surprised how warm the water was when we stopped for a swim. If this heat keeps up the lake water will feel like a hot tub soon.
        But we had to get off the Lake of the Ozarks. It was too far to drive and the other boats had just gotten too big. It just wasn’t fun anymore. I will give Longview a try for this year. Who knows maybe I’ll sell the runabout and buy a jet ski.

Summer in Kansas City

        Summer has finally arrived in Kansas City. After a prolonged winter and a spring full of rain we now have a full-fledged Midwestern summer. Temperatures are expected to soar above the century mark for the next week and beyond.

         After more than two years in dry dock my baby Sea Ray is back in the water. We launched her into Longview Lake last week. After almost five years on the waiting list for a slip at Blue Springs Lake I received a call in February that I finally had a summer home for my little 18’ runabout. All these years of waiting for a slip at Blue Springs to open up, I had been on the waiting list for the wrong lake. But who am I to argue with the Jackson County Parks Department? I took the slip at Longview Lake anyway.

        I didn’t get to put the boat into the water earlier this summer due to family responsibilities and profession upheaval, and I was out of the city until mid-July.
        I checked her out before we took her to the marina and she was running fine, launched her into the water, turned the ignition key…dead in the water. Luckily a kindly jet skier towed us over to our slip. And to think all these years that I have been bad-mouthing jet skis. It was just a blown fuse and after replacement she started right up but it was late in the day and we were tired so we delayed the long anticipated shakedown cruise until another day.