Sometimes you just don’t get what all the fuss is about until you experience something for yourself. This was the first year Don and I felt brave enough to bring our old Delta Dawg houseboat to Mandeville. I’ve heard so many horror stories from friends that have anchored out in the open water there awaiting the fireworks show, I was scared to death. Dealing with slipping anchors at 2am sounds like drama I can live without!
We had the perfect situation. We took the Dawg to Mandeville Tip about three weeks before the 4th and tied it to a pylon at the island with two stern anchors. We weren’t going anywhere we didn’t want to. Sounds crazy going so early but it was a vacation to remember. We did use the runabout to go home to work most of the time but the several days and nights we spent on the boat in between were so relaxing, it was a world away. The bullfrogs and cicadas were singing their songs and were only interrupted one night by a wild rave party that went until sunrise.
As the 4th grew nearer, so did the number of temporary neighbors. We had about a dozen boats from Discovery Bay Yacht Club tied up with us by the 4th. Friends were all over the area and would drop by to say hi. The water fights grew more intense daily as did our weapon stash. We swam, played games, ate like kings and left all our troubles at home. I felt like a kid all weekend, I even ended up with a sunburned nose.
The Hilton fireworks show was one of the best I’ve ever seen. We situated ourselves on our lawn chairs on top of our boat wrapped in blankets, it was a little chilly. The show went on and on, each blast more amazing than the one before. By the end, I was exhausted and headed straight to bed. When I came out of the boat the next morning, I was delighted to find toilet paper decorations all over the boat. Yep, we had been TP’d! They even went on the roof and I didn’t hear a thing. The culprits, Dorothy Hentschel and Blythe Bruntz did say the dog growled but wasn’t too upset. I think she was in on the fun.
Don and I met the families aboard Bead Boat 1. They have been giving out beads from their spot on the gauntlet for 25 years. I understand why they keep coming back. I’m already planning next year and am shopping for a rubber dinghy so that I can get out visiting friends more easily. I think we’ll take the boat up a month early, which means I only have 11 months to wait!
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