TAKING THE BOAT OUT FOR IT'S MAIDEN VOYAGE....

 It's with a touch or excitement and trepidation that Steve takes out the boat... 

He is super excited to have it, but it's so much bigger than his previous boats, and it is console driven rather than tilter- arm driven....  Also this trailer is so much bigger than his previous trailers so a little more difficult to get the boat off the trailer on his own..

We decided to take in the fresh water section of the Fitzroy up stream above the Barrage...

We packed a picnic lunch and and headed off around mid morning...

Dan & Chloe were pretty excited that they were going on the initial voyage with us, and bought their dog Mia along for the ride also...

It was a perfect day to be out on the water....

It is now out on the water...  pretty exciting....  Dan drove the car and trailer back up to the car park whilst Steve loaded the rest of us into the boat...

Mia's on board.... not sure she knows what is going on..

She was happy to sit up front with Chloe and was busy looking all around.  She seemed to be enjoying the wind in her face...

He's pretty excited to be taking her up the river...

This is a whole near experience for Steve,  this boat is driven by a steering wheel in a console, where he has been used to a tiller arm on the back of a motor...

We went up past the RGS Rowing Club where Dan and Chloe held their wedding reception.  Ah the memories...

I must say,  I am pretty excited to have a decent chair to sit on in this boat.  So much more comfortable than the thump thump of hitting the waves in our old boat....

Chloe was not game to let Mia off her leash, she was afraid that she would want to jump into the water to retrieve a stick.  As there have been quite a few crocodile sightings in the Fitzroy River, she really didn't want Mia to be crocodile meat....

She's loving the wind in face... we love to see her ears flap in the wind...

How could you not love this beautiful puppy...

Such a spoilt spoilt puppy...  She loves her human mummy so much... she follows her everywhere..

And have you ever seen a more happier chap.  Thoroughly enjoying being out on the water in his new boat...  The ride is so comfortable too,  so slapping up and day on the waves and ripples in the water... You just plough straight through it...

We headed up the river looking for somewhere to have out picnic lunch.  The spot we usually visit has been closed off today so we had to head further up stream...  We went up past the council dredger and I really liked the layered banks of the river...  Obviously the floods that come through have gouged out huge amounts of dirt and cut the banks of the river away.

We found the landing that we had a picnic at last year when the grandchildren were up but we couldn't possibly get into this year as there was so much hyacinth all around.  There has been huges amounts of this floating down the river today.   

No picnic here this year... Couldn't get in close due to all the hyacinth around...

Just a little further up the river we came across the second ski garden.  There was a pontoon her and picnic tables, but thought it would be a bit rude to use them without permission...  We did however find a little bay next to ski gardens to enjoy our lunch.

Time for a picnic...

Mia was getting a little excited she could see sticks floating by... Whilst she doesn't really like the water,  she was well and truly keeping an eye on those sticks...  Chloe wasn't letting her out of their grip...

We enjoyed our picnic.. Whilst we were enjoying our lunch, Steve and Chloe were having a good play with the new Motor Guide, taking us backwards and forwards across the river, setting routes, and just plan anchoring us in our picnic spot...

Time for a cuppa of tea....

I'm loving being out with my wonderful man and my beautiful daughter and her husband..

Everyone was keen to have a drive of the boat.  I feel a little more confident driving this boat, a little like driving the car.  I always found the tilter arm a little difficult as my sense of direction is not always the best and using a tilter arm for me is a bit like reversing... you have to push the arm in the opposite direction to which you want to go..

Quite happy to drive this boat...

Chloe's turn to take the wheel and she was in no hurry to surrender it...

Finally Dan gets to drive the final leg back to the boat ramp..

It was just after 2pm when we decided it was time to head back to the boat ramp.  Dan was due to play a game of golf with a friend at 3pm and 

Back past the RGS Rowing Club...

This side of the barrage is fresh water, so it makes it much easier to clean the boat when we get home.  Also the river is much deeper on this side of the barrage as it isn't tidal.  

The barrage on the Fitzroy River

Coming back into the boat ramp...

This puppy is excited to see land...

Back to the boat ramp.  Chloe looks after the boat whilst Steve goes up to bring the car down to the ramp...

This is going to be interesting,  trying to get this boat back onto the trailer...  First time driving it on...  It also feels a little strange driving the boat trailer right down into the water and almost submerging it...  Something that we have never done with previous trailers...

We were very fortunate to have Dan with us to help Steve get the boat back on the trailer...  I must admit, I do wonder how we will manage this, as if Steve really wants to enjoy his new joy, he needs to be able to manage it himself....

Well would have to say that the maiden voyage was a great success.  It has been a great day.  Thoroughly relaxing and the company has just been the very best..  Think we are going to have lots of fun with this new toy...