Looking for a few good boaters for Norfolk Harborfest

[oil&water]

For all of the southern Chesapeake Bay Trojan owners... we are looking for good boaters to be Harborfest Safety Boats.

June 9, 10, & 11, 2017 Norfolk Festevents will hold the 41st Annual Harborfest. I am one of the Safety Boats during the event (and as luck would have it, will also be a happy F36 captain as well). We are looking for additional boats (with their skippers and crew) to provide a friendly and safe voice of reason to the otherwise unwashed during the event.

Starting on June 9, the Safety Boats take command of the Elizabeth River in the immediate area around Town Point Park. We provide volunteer "patrols" of the waterfront area surrounding the park, adjacent Naticus and Waterside marinas, Freemason and Wisconsin Basins, and secure the demonstration area during water based events.

This is a volunteer opportunity and while the pay just plain sucks... the benefits are quite good. Norfolk Festevents covers your fuel used while on duty. We ask that you fill up when leaving your home Marina. When you depart Harborfest on your last day volunteering, Festevents will fill your boat back up at Tidewater Yacht. Dockage is provided along the Town Point Park bulkhead, Wisconsin Basin, Nauticus Marina, and if needed Tidewater Yacht when we are not in service. Festevents provides daily rations of ice and bottled water as well as the coveted yellow Safety Boats shirts for each day on the water. Your boat is also issued the stunning yellow Harborfest Safety Boat pennet to fly on your vessel to designate your official role. In return we ask that you have a fixed mount VHF radio, your boat be safe, seaworthy, mechanically sound, and that you have all the necessary safety equipment onboard that is required by the USCG and VMRC for recreational boaters (flares, life jackets, fire extinguishers, etc.)

When we dock in the evenings, Town Point Park is ours to enjoy. The Safety Boat Captains and Crew don our non-Safety Hero garb and get our party on. Friday night is the introduction party. Saturday night is the real celebration! We get a front row seat to the very best fireworks display put on in the Hampton Roads area. After the festivities are over for the night, we of course continue the good times into the early nighttime hours. Sunday we hit the water again until we say our goodbyes. It is bittersweet. We have usually made several new friends, relished in the opportunity to see our old friends again, and look ever so forward to the next Harborfest event.

What do we do? We drive around in great big circles for three days of endless fun on the water. I mean really, do we actually need any other excuse? It's time on the water that we get free fuel! Besides secretly loving our on water time, we provide a courtesy to fellow boaters who may need some extra attention so they can fully enjoy their time on the water. We do things like encourage skippers to bring their boats off plane and observe the no wake signs. We also encourage them to not try and enter prohibited locations - marinas, berths, no traffic zones, etc. Sometimes they act a little silly when they have too many libations and need a few words of reason. When they don't listen, we simply radio the flashing blue lights and let the folks with the guns provide the extra encouragement needed to help make boating decisions much easier. We are simply the friendly smiling faces that try very hard to keep our fellow boaters from having to be visited by the boys and girls in blue.

While performing our big circle turns, we get to watch the amazing Parade of Sail on Friday to kick off the event. Then we witness awesome water based demonstrations such as Search and Rescue, U.S. Navy Riverines, Tug Muster, Work Boat Parade, Work Boat races, Build-a- Boat races, and many, many more dazzling displays of water based fun throughout the remainder of the weekend.

I usually average around 26-30 engine hours of idle or no wake speeds. The genset sees around 36-38 hours of run time as shore power is usually non-existent.

Please let me know if you are interested in becoming a Safety Boat volunteer or would like more information. You can view the Harborfest Safety Boats page on Facebook or PM me and I will provide you my cell phone number for more information.

Thanks,

Bret

[prowlersfish]

That's pretty cool , Did you get a F36 ?

[oil&water]

I did. A story that involves the wife's hammer coming down. She's more excited than I have ever seen her before. I did love looking at her last night when she said you just bought stuff for the boat and I got to say "nnnnnooooo, you bought stuff for the boat". That sheepishly cute smile of hers came out with an "I know I did".

Harborfest is a blast. Several of the Captains have more than 10 years of service. Would love to have you and fellow Trojan owners onboard.

[GrumpyDuck]

Bret - we're interested. F32 with all the right gear, I'm a licensed captain and will have 1-2 crew with me. I'll hit you up on the Facebook.

[oil&water]

Bret - we're interested. F32 with all the right gear, I'm a licensed captain and will have 1-2 crew with me. I'll hit you up on the Facebook.

Glad to have you onboard GrumpyDuck. I just sent you a long winded response on FB. Looking forward to meeting you real soon!

[prowlersfish]

You almost may it sound like fun to be in that mess LOL .

[oil&water]

Aw Prowler, it is fun. When else do you get the opportunity to be around cannon fire, be doused in water cannons, have assault ships wizzing past you while firing off their automatic weapons, with twenty tugs sounding horns simultaneously, and workboats so thick you can walk on them? Oh yeah, don't forget about more world wide naval vessels than Russia's Naval homecoming parade and enough boats that make the Miami Boat Show look small. It's an experience to behold.

[oil&water]

Alright folks, Harborfest is right around the corner. If there are any additional interested parties, let me know. This year is looking to be epic.

[Lizz]

I've been off the forum for a while and just saw this. I really hope you do this again next year. And I really hope our Trojan is done by then!

[oil&water]

I've been off the forum for a while and just saw this. I really hope you do this again next year. And I really hope our Trojan is done by then!

Lizz, there will absolutely be Safety Boats next year. Feel free to join the Harborfest Safety Boats Facebook Page for more information.

As to whether our F36 will be done by then? Time will tell.

[prowlersfish]

I've been off the forum for a while and just saw this. I really hope you do this again next year. And I really hope our Trojan is done by then!

Welcome back

[Lizz]

Will do! Thank you!

[Lizz]

Bret, where is your boat? We're at Little Creek. See a few Trojans around there.

[oil&water]

Bret, where is your boat? We're at Little Creek. See a few Trojans around there.

I've got friends' boats at East Beach and Vinings.

Mine is in Hampton on the hard for now. Hoping to get it in the water and over that direction mid-fall timeframe.

[Lizz]

Bret, where is your boat? We're at Little Creek. See a few Trojans around there.

I've got friends' boats at East Beach and Vinings.

Mine is in Hampton on the hard for now. Hoping to get it in the water and over that direction mid-fall timeframe.

Maybe we'll see you! We'll probably still be working on the boat, but we can always stop for a beer!