Chesapeake Bay Boaters, It's time!!!!!

Dream_Inn

So all those Chesapeake boaters, who is dropping in the water this weekend!!  Forecast looks great, all clear from that freezing mark!  I've forced myself to wait since I will be gone the last two weekends in March, and the boat is ready to go.  But I'm still excited to get on the boat this weekend and gonna help some friends get ready and do a few rides I'm sure!  I'll take all my cleaning supplies and that kind of stuff down this weekend and get things organized in the dockbox as well.  (& just keep staring at that cover and hold back from taking it off!   )

ChesapeakeChiller

Took my shrink wrap off yesterday and got some work done. Taking off work tomorrow to do some more, hope to be in the water soon but I also have some business travel coming up so probably last week March for me.

06Rinker270

I just scheduled my launch for 3/28 with the possibility of going in the week before.  I am fiending!!   

jme097

I wish LOL. Even though the forecast here in Michigan is upper 50.s/low 60's for the next 15 days, we still have to wait another month haha. Envious of you guys!

06Rinker270

Yea but I bet you have some gorgeous boating up there my friend.

Bayrunner

I go in the first week of April.  This is my first season in a small yacht FV312 from a 21 foot bowrider. Can't wait. Still need to get anodes put on and polish the boat.  Hope to meet up with everyone.

jme097

@06Rinker270 oh we do. I can't complain. Just a very short season so you have to utilize it and take advantage of every vacation day haha. Mackinaw Island is sweet but the best is pictured rocks!

06Rinker270

@Bayrunner I hope to meet up with some of you bay guys, along with Dream.  Quite a few of us on the Potomac as well.  

@jme097 I hear you brother.  Everywhere has its pros and cons.  We have a long season compared to most but the water color isnt the prettiest.  However, we do have tons of beautiful areas to go boating along with endless destinations.  I cant complain either.  I used to travel up to Crystal Lake, Michigan.  I have never seen such clear water before.   

jme097

@06Rinker270 ever boat on Torch? Man oh man. 

Handymans342

Sorry I never made the party Dream. Just as well. I couldn't stand everyone salivating on my motors. LOL

06Rinker270

No I havnt but looked at photos, beautiful.  Boating/living at a place like that is on my list.

LaRea

Hoping for this Thursday!  All I need to do is install fresh anodes, and maybe one more coat of wax.

checkmate

@ jmeo97. I spent 17 years straight(4th of July weekend) on torch lake.  What a great lake.  Parents and brother rack and launch out of Dewitt Marina still.   I don't head up that way to much anymore especially on 4th of July.  To crazy for a family place(sand bar).

LaRea

I will now display my mediocre boat detailing skills by sharing this photo of the freshly waxed hull (with a cameo appearance by The Beast).  

Stodge

I'm thinking about cutting the shrinkwrap off.   Not quite ready as we are just having our first week of over freezing weather.  Not in a huge hurry this year.  We're waiting on a closing date for a house on a canal.  I'd like to delay launch date till I can tie up at my seawall.  We normally launch mid April so it won't be long.

Michael T

nice beast@LaRea. Audi's go great. A neighbour had an R-8 it went.

LaRea

Oh yeah, it goes!  It'll be going at Summit Point Raceway in a couple weeks.  I'll be teaching newbies how to drive a road course, and getting some adrenaline therapy for myself.

Cableguy Greg

I am going to wait 2 weeks before I uncover my 280.

Nice ride @LaRea! My neighbor has an Audi S6 and it is a rocket. If you ever have the time when you buy a new one, do the European Delivery. My wife and I did that when we bought our Mercedes GLK in 2013. It was awesome to drive our car on the German Autobahn and take it across the Fernpass in the Alps. The hardest part was waiting for the car to be shipped to the states.

Michael T

I lived in Germany for 3 years. My dad drove  Mercedes at their test track. It was awesome, I was with him. He had several great cars while we were there a chevy 409 and a corvette. He had the engines of both "worked on" by armed services personnel under his command. Those guys breathed some serious life into the engines, opened the exhausts with real dual exhausts, stiffened the ride etc. We would go hunt euro toys on the autobahn when mom wasn't with us and smoke them!

craigswardmtb

Boat and car looks great LaRea.  Boats and fast cars it must be a thing...  I came so close to picking up an S6 but ended up going American.  This past summer I got a 15 Ford Taurus SHO.  I did a Livernois tune with some minor hardware upgrades and I'm pushing 450hp and 450tq.  Fun family mover. 

All this talk of launching is killing me.  I'm heading to the boat tomorrow to bottom paint.  I hope to be in mid April.

Handymans342

Which one was waxed?

randy56

I need his occupation.

rasbury

I definitely need a new occupation....working on those lottery numbers!

LaRea

The best thing about that car is the redline.  It's a totally different engine from the A5/S5 cars ... basically an 8-cyl version of the Lamborghini V-10.  It revs to 8500 RPM.  8500!  The full-throttle shift from 2nd gear to 3rd happens just shy of 100 mph, and when it does shift, it's quite a thrill.  Not that I'd ever do that outside of a race track.

Oh, and it sounds pretty good too. 

If I didn't spend all of my play budget on boat fuel, I'd definitely do the European delivery thing!  A couple days on the 'Ring ...

randy56

thats a hot car, so how did you know it shifts from 2 to 3 at 100? LOL Virginia patrol maybe watching.

MarkB

RS5. Very nice. We have to race sometime. 

Mike_G

Wow Mark B.  Sweet ride!  Prob the v-6 with a wing and wheels though.. right?  (lol.. just kidding).  I can't believe they ever made the Panamera with that supped up Volkswagen Passat motor (the 3.6).  -=Mike G.

edit... just read that they got 310HP out of that V6 !  So.. I guess not just the standard VW V6 at all.  The V6 does 5.0 seconds 0-60 so imagine.. they also make a v8 and a TURBO v8 version!

06Rinker270

@LaRea say that again...did you say raceway???  

LaRea

@MarkB - nice sled!  I've never ridden in one, but heard great things about them! I'd be eating your dust if you have one of the performance engines.  

@06Rinker270 - I don't compete, but I do try to get myself onto a racetrack a couple times a year.  Road courses only - none of that oval track stuff for me!  There's a really fantastic group of people that we drive with in the Audi Club.  The Admiral and I both got addicted to it about 15 years ago, and I became an instructor about 5-6 years ago.  

06Rinker270

Very cool.  I have been trying to get to a track ever since I moved to this area.  I grew up going the track every weekend with my Cobra and being apart of car clubs.  I havnt got into it out here yet though.  I think us Chesapeake area boaters should start our own club.  

MarkB

LaRea, you'll take me. I have the Panamera 4, 310 HP.  Still, for a V6 it's pretty impressive, and no one can compete with my handling. This car is insane for handling. Launch control makes your internals squish a little.

The Turbo S, a V8, 4.8L tuned bi-turbo, is a 550 HP beast. In 2010 (I think) it was rated the 8th fastest production car in the world. It's since been displaced, but definitely still a beast. Coupled with the handling, very few cars can keep up on the track.