Wolfeboro/Back Bay
On Winnipesaukee, the school of thought tends to be "the bigger the
better." To some of us, who like to frequent the Back Bay of Wolfeboro, the school of thought is "the lower the better". To
get to the Back Bay you need a boat with a low bridge clearance. Depending
on the level of the water, bridge clearance runs about 4 feet and under. If you
want to get their in ultimate style go "old school". Our boat of
choice was a 24' Triple Cockpit Hacker Craft. 
This Beauty was docked inside a boathouse in Smith Cove. 
Bill had all the prop's, flying the manufacturers flag in the bow, and Old Glory
aft. 
A Triple Cockpit is called so because (you guessed it) it has three cockpits. The
furthest one aft is called the "Mother-in-Law Cockpit." My
mother-in-law couldn't make it, so the rest of the crew designated me to sit back
there. Once in a while they would take a break from their good time to
give me a wave. 
As we turned the corner and headed out for the broads, 
it
was getting pretty rough, so they let me move up to the middle cockpit. 
The Broads can get rough. As we approached Rattlesnake Island
The swells were approaching four feet. 
I frequently took a look back wishing my mother-in-law was here to enjoy the
ride 
(If you read this Antiope, you know I'm kidding of course) .
The ride became calm again as we turned the corner to Wolfeboro Bay.
Wolfeboro, 
the oldest summer resort in America, has all the charm of a great New England
Town. Wolfeboro is a great destination for all boats, big and small, with
large and plentiful public docking. 
If you think you are "low enough" to make it through the bridge to Back Bay,
make sure you remove all high flying objects. 
The
stone bridge has little mercy on night lights, VHF antennas, radar arches, and
windshields. 
Bill took it slow, but navigated us successfully through the bridge. 
The Back Bay Crowd loves wooden boats. To avoid being know as a snob, it's
a good idea to wave at passing boaters and onlookers (standing is optional). 
Back Bay is just as popular with water skiers 
as
it is with wood boat enthusiasts. 
It's glassy water is a great haven from Winnipesaukees rough water. If you
have a pair of ski's on board make sure you try the ski-jump. 
Unfortunately, we forgot ours. We decided to do something a little less
strenuous, so we went for lobster instead. We pulled into Back Bay
Marina,
Home of the Wolfetrap Restaraunt. 
Look for an American Flag for a
slip that is designated for restaurant patrons. 
We had lobster, steamers, fried oysters, giant peel and eat shrimp, crab cakes,
and a few Coronas. By the time we finished it was dark, so we
navigated back by the Handle of the Big Dipper. The warm water
temperature made the air warmer in the Broads than ashore. Finally, we put
the boat to bed in its boat house. 