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Gary Reich's Blog
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Date
5/16/2012
Beneteau's Swift Trawler 34 The Greatest Loop will be out on the Bay this Thursday with PropTalk aboard. Keep an eye out for her. Photo courtesy of Beneteau
Remember that saying "shake and bake" from the movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” that Cal and Ricky would charge each other up with before a race? Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with a shakedown cruise, but it seemed fitting anyway.
If you find yourself out on the Bay between Norfolk, VA, and Annapolis
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Date
5/8/2012
Sift shell crabs take a butter bath. Photo by Gary Reich
If you don’t like soft shell crabs, get counseling… err, don’t read any further.
While on a PropTalk road trip to Deltaville, VA, this past weekend, I had the opportunity to sample my first soft crabs of the season at the Sandpiper Restaurant in White Stone, VA. The crabs I had in Virginia were so good that I decided to
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Date
5/7/2012
What does the wind look like? Just like this.
While power boaters aren't as dependent on the wind as our sailboat brethren, we're wind geeks in our own rite. Fishing, watersports, cruising... well just about any type of powerboat activity is more enjoyable when it's not honking 25 knots.
I found this wind map on a tech blog that I frequent, and couldn't resist sharing.
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Date
4/5/2012
Photo by Gary Reich
Guess what, Callinectus sapidus fans? Fresh Maryland blue crabmeat (and whole crabs) are back in season for all to enjoy. No longer will we be forced to settle for canned, pasteurized versions of last year’s harvest, or rely on North Carolina and Louisiana blue crabs to satisfy our crabcake and shell-picking habits. I was wandering
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Date
4/2/2012
Photo by Gary Reich
If you read the March issue of PropTalk thoroughly, you no doubt saw our article “PropTalk Builds a Boat: Part 1,” where we chronicled our progress in building a nifty little Cocktail Class Skua Racer from a kit we obtained through Chesapeake
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Date
3/12/2012
PropTalk editor Gary Reich installs a time-lapse camera on a private street light while John Norton and Dana Scott provide moral support. Photo by Bob Pettit
It's no secret that we're time-lapse fans here at PropTalk Magazine—maybe we're going through some sort of phase. So when we were tipped off last week that a new Travelift (used to haul boats out of the water) would be going up just down the street from the PropTalk lair, we jumped at the opportunity to mount a GoPro HD camera
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Photo by Gary Reich
The PropTalk staff has been busy with our Cocktail Class Racer boatbuilding project over the last few weeks and only about four hours separates us from flipping the boat on her back so fiberglass sheathing can be applied to the hull.
Jimmy John’s was on the menu for our third evening at the Glue Factory, and someone who
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Date
2/6/2012
Bronx - Shoe Eater
Have a peek at the video below... Whenever we get tired and worn out close to a deadline (the March PropTalk is days away from going to the printer—look for it at one of our 850 distribution points March 13), PropTalk mascot Bronx Deere always lightens the mood.
While we thought he only liked leather shoes, today we learned
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Date
2/3/2012
Yours truly. What's not to love? Characterization by Bobby Matsudaira
There I was at my corner desk, feverishly putting together the upcoming March issue of PropTalk. Now I’d like to think that I get along with most of my colleagues at the PropTalk Lair, but apparently some karma is catching up with me. Watch the video to see what happened.
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Photo by Gary Reich
PropTalk staffers Gary Reich, Zach Ditmars, Cory Deere, Mark Talbott, and friends of the magazine Charlie Iliff and Jay Collison met again this week at our secret Glue Factory location to continue building Chesapeake Light Craft's cool new Cocktail Class Racer.
This week we were able to make final stitching adjustments to
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Date
1/20/2012
PropTalk staffers Zach Ditmars (L) and Cory Deere (R) stitch panels together on PropTalk's new Cocktail Class Racer. Photo by Gary Reich
Maybe we’re crazy. Or eccentric. Or both.
Staffers Dana Scott (Sales and Marketing Director), Zach Ditmars (Production Assistant), Cory Deere (Art Director), Mark Talbott (Web Guru and Contributing Photographer), Gary Reich (Editor), and friends of the magazine Charlie Iliff and Jay Collison gathered at the Glue Factory
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Date
1/13/2012
A gray morning coats Back Creek outside the PropTalk lair. Photo by Gary Reich
While we realize that we're lucky to have such a nice view of Back Creek from the PropTalk lair, it's this time of year when we find ourselves completely let down by the gray and brown scenery that paints Bay Country during winter.
I went fly fishing for some panfish at Wye Mills on the Eastern Shore yesterday and even
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Angler's enjoy good eats, tasty drinks, and an entertaining fishing flick at one of Boatyard Bar & Grill's "Angler's Night Out" events. Photo by Gary Reich
Angler’s Night Out (ˈaŋ-glərs ˈnīt ˈau̇t): Noun: A noisy gathering of angling-minded folks (also known as fish-heads, fishermen, or lunatics) organized with the purpose of sharing tall tales, hearty eats, and tasty libations while watching intriguing fishing flicks from around the world.
Now entering its third
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Date
1/5/2012
Photo courtesy of NOAA
GLOUCESTER POINT, Va. — Under the murky waters of the York River, an eerie blur appeared suddenly on Edward Hogge’s sonar, near where his 40-foot deadrise boat sailed about a mile offshore on a cool December morning.
Hogge made a hard right turn. “I’m going back to get it,” he said. He called out to his wife and first mate,
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Date
1/3/2012
Tune in to WNAV 1430 (AM) tomorrow afternoon from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. for the WNAV Boat Show, hosted by Dave Hanson and PropTalk contributing writer Capt. Rick Franke. PropTalk editor Gary Reich and senior editor Ruth Christie will be on air with some great holiday gift suggestions for the powerboat crowd.
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Date
12/13/2011
Image courtesy H1 Unlimited
President's Cup Racing is scheduled to come back to Washington, DC, after a 35-year hiatus on June 15-17 at National Harbor on the Potomac River. And that means H1 Unlimited hyrdos that sport 3000-horsepower Lycoming T55 L7C turbine engines. So beside the ponies, what's the big deal? Watch this video footage from the Oryx Cup
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Date
12/2/2011
Image courtesy of Sea Ray
If you own a cuddy cabin- or cruiser-style boat and actively use it throughout the season, PropTalk wants to hear from you. We are preparing a feature for our February issue, which highlights the lifestyle surrounding these popular boats. Please drop a line to gary@proptalk.com.
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Date
12/1/2011
Image courtesy of CCA MD
"Whatever happened to Coastal Conservation Association's (CCA) Annapolis Chapter?" is a question I asked CCA Executive Director Tony Friedrich during a "flounder on the fly" expedition to Location X last spring. "We're definitely working on that," Friedrich assured me.
And indeed, after a series of discussions with Annapolis-area
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Date
11/29/2011
Image courtesy yofoto.us
Bay racer Scott LIddyocoat scores the win in Qatar
Bay Country racer Scott LIddycoat of Hayes, VA, was awarded the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship in Doha, Qatar after a nearly a one-hour delay early Saturday morning. Liddycoat is the rookie driver for U-7 Valken, an Unlimited Class hydroplane. Liddycoat took home the win after video footage showed U-1, U-96, and U-88 all over
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Date
11/21/2011
Graphic courtesy of ASMFC (Click Image For Larger Version)
Despite what some anglers are calling a "very tough fishing year" in regard to striped bass (rockfish), all scientific indicators are telling another story. About a month ago, the Maryland Department of natural Resources reported the fifth highest Young of Year Index in the sampling's history. Today, the Atlantic States Marine
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Date
11/11/2011
Photo courtesy of ZON North Canyon Show
In this video, Hawaiian Garrett McNamara breaks the world record for surfing the largest wave by shooting this 90-foot wall of water in Portugal. The previous record of 77 feet was set by Mike Parsons in 2008. Notice the personal watercraft exiting the screen with tow rope at the beginning of the video (top right). The small,
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Date
11/9/2011
Thanks to Shawn Kimbro for writing such a great blog post about PropTalk's recent excursion to Harkers Island, NC, for the false albacore blitz. Not sure what a false albacore is? Visit Shawn's Informative website to find out. Thanks
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Date
11/7/2011
Photo by Gary Reich
The Cocktail Class Wooden Boat Racing Association this weekend held their 2011 National Championships in Rock Hall, MD, at the beautiful Rock Hall Yacht Club on Laywers Cove off the Chester River. Upwards of 17 boats participated in the two-day event, consisting of both six- and eight-horsepower classes. Check out the video
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Image Courtesy of Chesapeake LIght Craft
If you have read the November issue of PropTalk, you already know about the super nifty, super cool Cocktail Class Racers that Chesapeake Light Craft will soon be offering in their easy-to-build kit form. If you haven't read the current issue of PropTalk, you can pick it up at one of our
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Date
10/22/2011
Photo by Gary Reich
Ever wonder if aquaculture oysters are any good? Want to know how to shuck your own delicious fresh oysters? Watch this video to find out more.
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Date
10/17/2011
The E-Canoe makes steady progress up the Wye River. Photo by Gary Reich
The Wye Island Electric Boat Marathon was held on Friday, September 30, and PropTalk was there to capture the action. Six boats participated, including PropTalk contributing writer Charlie Iliff, who lead the pack by a long lead in his Battery Warehouse PropTalk Electrashell until the bilge pump failed. Iliff says, "The
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Date
10/10/2011
Photo by Gary Reich
All of the weather services (well, OK, Weather.com, Weather Underground, and Intellicast) are agreeing that this morning's clouds and sprinkles will stay around all afternoon and into this evening.
Unfortunately this type of weather is not photography-friendly, so we've made the difficult decision to cancel our first annual
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Date
9/17/2011
PropTalk likes the cooler temperatures, but not the clouds.
With just one day to go until the first annual PropTalk photo cay on the Severn River at the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge, the weather forecast has evolved and there is a good chance of cloudy skies for the event. We're hoping that forecast changes, but wanted to remind participants that if the weather is not conducive to photography,
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Date
9/16/2011
Bring your boat by the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge on the Severn River and we'll take awesome "aerial" shots of her like this one.
PropTalk will have professional photographers posted 75 feet up on the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge (making for great "aerial" shots of your boat) and on the Severn River at eye level in the PropTalk Protector this coming Saturday, September 17 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Bring your boat on by, make sure to pass by the Protector
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Date
9/14/2011
Bird's-eye view courtesy of Maryland DNR
Exelon Corporation, owner of the Conowingo Dam, which is situated north of the Maryland towns of Port Deposit and Havre de Grace on the Susquehanna River, yesterday announced it planned to open 50 of the 53 crest gates at the facility by Saturday morning, when the water is expected to lap at the dam’s top lip.
The last
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Date
9/9/2011
Irene heads toward the Bay.
I had the opportunity today to speak with Senior Bay Pilot Capt. William Band, a 36-year veteran with the Association of Maryland Pilots, who phoned me about an upcoming article I am hoping to put together for one of our winter issues. And while he was helpful (as he always is), I was most interested in the account of his night
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Date
9/7/2011
Things get back to normal at the PropTalk lair.
What a glorious moment it was yesterday afternoon when the power came back on. I never thought I'd get excited about being able to run the dishwasher, but it was a beautiful thing.
About 80 pounds of thawed food I didn't trust came out of my freezer and refrigerator--a perfect opportunity to clean them both--but that's
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Date
8/31/2011
As hundreds of dollars of food sit spoiling in my fridge at home on "Day Three" without power, I keep giggling at Baltimore Gas & Electric's (BG&E) Twitter feed, while I blog away at our local coffee shop, Ahh Coffee, where they are allowing me to be a power parasite with my laptop, iPhone, and iPad.
Here's some of BG&E's
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It's pretty nasty out there right now, folks, but earlier Irene had calmed down enough to make a run for a nice IPA and check out the conditions at some of the waterfront points around Annapolis. Enjoy the video below, and stay inside and safe tonight, as conditions are supposed to deteriorate fairly quickly.
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Date
8/27/2011
Hurricane watches and warnings. Red denotes a hurricane warning, blue shows a tropical storm warning. Click image for larger view.
Much of Bay Country today woke to tropical storm and hurricane warnings as Irene continues a northward march.
Here is a list of the affected areas:
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE GRAND BAHAMA AND THE ABACO ISLANDS
* LITTLE RIVER INLET NORTH CAROLINA NORTHWARD TO SANDY HOOK NEW
JERSEY...INCLUDING
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Date
8/26/2011
Date
8/25/2011
Date
8/25/2011
So Irene is going to have some sort of effect on the Bay region whether we like it or not. Question is, what are you doing about it? We're as curious as a cobia at PropTalk. Tell us what you're up to. We want to know.
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Date
8/25/2011
Isabel in 2003 as a Category 5 hurricane.
Hurricane Isabel spent time as a Category 5 storm before coming ashore as a Category 2 hurricane in Dare Coutny, NC, on September 18, 2003. The storm eventually moved its way inland an up the Appalachians, but Bay Country felt widespread damage as a result of the storm. Docks were ripped up with the storm surge, many went without
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Date
8/25/2011
After receiving a good shaking from a record-breaking 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered near Mineral, WV, yesterday, Bay Country residents are now turning their eyes toward Irene, a Category 2 hurricane with reported 110 mph maximum sustained winds.
While the hurricane’s forecasted path has changed to a more easterly route
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Date
8/24/2011
Photo by Gary Reich
Just in case you thought it was a myth, our enterprising contributing writer Kendall Osborne made an interesting time-lapse video, which showcases the cleaning and filtering power of oysters.
This is one reason PropTalk fully supports oyster aquaculture on the Bay. For example, the Choptank Oyster Company's six to eight
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Date
8/23/2011
From Waterline Media:
We are honored to recieve “Best Fishing” and “Best Cinematography” at the Drake 5 minutes of fly fishing awards in New Orleans. Thank you to all that made this year possible and to our friends, family, and support staff (all 3). We would also like to congratulate our friends at Motiv Fishing for “Best
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Date
8/22/2011
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RUSH’s 2112 album was released in 1976 as a “concept” album. Hell, most of their stuff is conceptual. The second track on that album is called “A Passage to Bangkok,” which, according to “experts” is laden with references to a “happy” plant grown in places like Mexico, Jamaica, Colombia, and so on.
At about 2 a.m. Friday
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Date
8/20/2011
RUSH percussionist Neil Peart's DRUM set. Notice, it's black.
After a comfortable night at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club as a guest of PropTalk contributing writer Kendall Osborne, I woke up at 5 a.m., showered, and then walked about 50 steps to Kendall’s Kevla-Cat center console. This is civilized fishing. No long drive, no trailer hassles—beautious. (For PropTalk Road Trip Day
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Date
8/19/2011
Alex Lifeson (L) and Geddy Lee (R) of RUSH
The prog-rock band RUSH, who most readers are likely tired of hearing about by now, recorded a song called “Free Will” (track two of the Permanent Waves album, released in 1980), which has a phrase in it that says, “I will choose a path that’s clear, I will choose free will.” This sort of explains my choice of taking the slower,
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Date
8/17/2011
Photo by Gary Reich
Clouser crab-colored minnow. Deadly anywhere.
PropTalk is hitting the road for Virginia beach, VA, Thursday and Friday to try our hand at some cobia fishing on the fly, and also to get to know Virginia fishing guru Ric Burnley, who is also a PropTalk contributing writer (you could be too, just e-mail gary@proptalk.com).
Keep checking back to our home page
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Date
8/16/2011
Photo courtesy of Interlux
UNION, NEW JERSEY (USA) AUGUST 15, 2011 – Just over two weeks remain until the August 31 deadline for community organizations to apply for a 2011 Interlux® Waterfront Challenge grant. The company will award $50,000 in grants in October 2011 to organizations to create sustainable waterfront environmental improvements in their
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On page 28 of the September issue of PropTalk, you'll find Charlie Iliff's story about his journey north through the Erie Canal on Indian Summer, his DeFever trawler. Of particular note in the story is Second Wind, a small pocket cruiser sailboat, which Indian Summer passed three times during the canal
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Date
8/15/2011
Image courtesy of Groton patch.com
Most anglers know that stripers are suckers for live eels, especially big stripers. Greg Myerson’s 81.8-pound striped bass (a new world record), caught on a live eel near Outer Southwest Reef off Westbrook, CT, proves the point. Still pending International Game Fish Association, if confirmed, the fish will beat the old 1982
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Date
8/8/2011
Photo by Gary Reich
Yes, we braved the 100-degree heat last weekend at the 101st running of the Cambridge Classic powerboat races just for you.
You can buy any of the water-shredding images you like (at nominal prices) by visiting the Photo section of the proptalk.com website.
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Date
8/1/2011
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today the restaurants participating in the week-long celebration, From the Bay, For the Bay Dine Out, to promote Maryland seafood, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Some of the restaurants include
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Date
7/27/2011
The 101st running of the Cambridge Classic powerboat races kick off tomorrow in Cambridge, MD, in Hambrooks Bay off The Choptank River and Great Marsh Park. The event finishes up Sunday. PropTalk will be there handing out magazines, applying our signature tattoos, and we've even managed to pull together a miniature pool with
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Date
7/22/2011
MSSA's Northwest Chapter is hosting its 16th annual perch tournament at Sandy Point State Park this Saturday with free barbecue and refreshments following check in.
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Date
7/14/2011
Annapolis, Md. (July 11, 2011) - The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has opened its virtual doors to a free online fishing clubhouse for anglers between the ages of 5 and 15.
“This fishing club is a fun and helpful way to instill a sense of community and environmental stewardship in young anglers and their
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Date
7/12/2011
Image courtesy of BoatU.S.
Gasoline blended with up to 15 per cent ethanol is starting to creep its way into Bay Country fueling stations. This fuel blend is intended for "Flex Fuel" vehicles only. Although most boaters have made the transition to E10 (the maximum allowed for non-Flex vehicles), a pumping mistake could cause serious issues with engines
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Date
7/11/2011
"Amid all the talk in Washington, D.C., about what should be cut from the federal budget, the Beltway’s largest lobbyist, AARP, recently released a television ad saying the deficit could be reduced by getting rid of “treadmills for shrimp.”
Although the research grant costs $560,000 for these athletic shrimp — a drop
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Date
6/20/2011
The annual Coastal Conservation Association Maryland (CCA MD)- Kent Narrows Fly & Light Tackle Striper Tournament will be held Saturday, June 4, with a new approach—a catch and release format.
The tourney will again feature three divisions—fly, light tackle, and kayak. Tournament boundaries are the Sassafras River to the
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Date
5/24/2011
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