Time and Tide,12:30 Local EDST, High Tide. Wind 350 degrees /North at 13 kts, 76 degrees F. Left Boat dock at the Marina in Sunbury at 1230 hrs. Anchored in a harbor 1 nautical North of the Lewisburg Bridge in 1 fathom / 6 feet of water for lunch. Cheryl weighed anchor with 50 feet of rode, all by herself!

We navigated to within in 1 nautical mile of Interstate 80 in Milton, then circumnavigated Milton State Park.

Due to a transverse line of shoal, we did not travel further North. We returned downstream, and at about 1/2 NM from DJ's Restaurant, we were greeted with something very scary. (DJ's is also the place where Cheryl lost both her shoes on the First Cruise!) We were slowly cruising the area when we both saw a very large fish 10 yards off our starboard beam. It was just breaking the surface, and spinning laterally, we went closer to check it out. It was a green and black mottled color, and its belly was a golden yellow. We estimated it to be between 4 1/2 to 5 feet in length. It was a Gar! They are predators; they eat other large fish, and ducks. Being that it is early June, it was probably a female guarding her nest. We got too close for her comfort, and she CHARGED us! Wow! I immediately gave her wide berth in a quick arcing turn to port. My fear was that she might torpedo herself toward us again, and leap into The Lady BR.

We left the area at planing speed, 100 %power. There were numerous boats on the Susquehanna, but they were well spread apart, and did not present a problem for the Captain, and the First Officer aboard the Lady BR.

Near Winfield Camp Ground, Cheryl again weighed anchor. We used Fuel Tank # 1, with about 1 gallon remaining. I connected the fuel line to Tank # 2, and Cheryl again weighed anchor. She's getting to be a real seaman / person. So, we headed South to the open water, away from the protection of the calm Island waters. We decided to circumnavigate Island Park where the Marina and Sunbury Airport are located.

It was a 3 NM round trip to the Dock at the Marina. We docked along side the floating dock without incident, and Cheryl quickly tied us fast to the dock cleat. It was then 1800 hrs Local time / 6pm! Wow...what a wonderful Boat. We spent 5 1/2 hours on the water, and traveled a total distance of 25 nautical miles, each way! I am VERY proud of Cheryl. She drove the Cherokee and towed the boat to and from the Marina. Why she even backed the trailer into the River effortlessly, to and from the cruise. What a First Class Seaman she is. We bathed, ate Chinese food buffet, and here we are, tired but happy. The Lady BR is a wonderful 14-foot, double wide, olive drab Jon Boat. Her engine is a 20 hp Mercury Jet.

AVYC Member Bill, from Sunbury, PA