2015 Opening Weekend - Day One

The boats and gear are all on the beach, and we are getting ready to head out. St. Helena Island can be seen two miles offshore to the right.

Preparing to launch AMARANTH, one of our two fourteen-foot Zodiacs.

AMARANTH in the water. Time to get the motor.

Getting ready to lower the motor and fire it up.

Because of all the gear we brought to the island for opening, we had to make a total of five round trips.

AMARANTH makes her second trip to the island with a couple of freighters and the Mackinac Bridge in the background.

Both AMARANTH and MARIGOLD are tied up to the dock and we are bringing up the final load of supplies.

After unloading all our gear, some time at the fire pit was called for to remove the chill from our bones.

The roll-out dock, which we pulled from the water at the end of the 2014 season, called us mockingly - reminding us that we would likely need to get wet once again as we returned it to its summer position in the lake.

But before we tackled the dock, some lunch was in order. Clearly, Marie Koch and Mary Pepper found something to brighten their day while preparing pulled pork sandwiches and salad for the crew!

One two three PUSH. The dock makes a begrudging return to the lake.As the only one with a dry suit, Ric Mixter volunteered to push the outer end.

The dock is in and leveled, and the crew pauses to give tribute to the V-Dock Company which manufactured the roll-out dock system. Left to Right - Ric Mixter, Bob Brunais, Steve Sheridan, Mike Finn, Jim Koch and Terry Pepper.

The weather finally cleared as the sun started to set, and we had the makings of a beautiful - but chilly - evening.

Some of the crew returned to the fire pit to warm up before turning in at the end of a productive day.