By Clif Wassel, Lake Committee Chairperson – The Lake Buoys once again have emerged from hibernation in the dark lower reaches of the Peck Marina barn. They are once again happily bobbing in the Lake. This was no small feat. This task is accomplished by the help of many dedicated volunteers who annually prepare the buoys and deploy approximately 50 of them around the Lake.
A buoy repair and refitting session was led by John Dackow on Saturday, May 13th. John was assisted by an energetic group of volunteers that included Steve Atcheson, Jed Conboy, Rich Coffey, Bob Wasiczko, Dave Bartholomew, Lou Decunzo, and Jim McCulley. Thanks all for the prep work.
On Wednesday, May 17th, the buoys were deployed into the Lake. The weather was brisk and cloudy at 40 degrees for the deployment task. Thanks to the Peck Family the task was easily accomplished with the use of two of their pontoon work boats. The surf was certainly up during the effort to place the buoys in their summer homes. The boats were met with sizeable waves during most of the task.
Boat number #1 was Captained by the very able John Dackow, a seasoned veteran of pontoon boating lore at the Lake. John’s deck hands were Jeb Conboy and Shawn Croucher. John mentioned that the crew focused on the task at hand and not on GPS coordinates of the buoy locations as in previous trips.
Boat number #2 was Captained by Alby Peck who is familiar with every boulder in the Lake. Alby’s crew consisted of Clif Wassel and Bill Matuszak. Boat number 2 functioned as a well-oiled machine and deployed their load of buoys in a rapid fashion. It was noted that unlike Boat number 1, there was no dissension or threats of mutiny from the deck crew.
Both boats and crews returned safely to the Peck Marina with no loss of personnel or equipment. The only notable occurrence was that boat number #1 was feared lost in Beaver Bay due to their tardy return to the Marina.
Thank you all for your assistance in making this annual project happen. The boats around the Lake also thank you because they do not appreciate running into immovable objects on the bottom of the Lake. Remember that the buoys are only approximating the location of hazards and should be given a wide berth while boating.