Bayville Beat, Boothbay Register, July 26, 2007
By Peter Jordan, Columnist

Bayville's Third Annual International Water Olympic Games begin promptly at 9 a.m. Saturday with an adult kayak event of some sort, but Annette Merrill is demurely but adamantly refusing to reveal the nature of the competition, despite persistent attempts by the Beat to ply her with Duck Trap salmon and other blandishments.

If anyone is still floating after the kayak event, kids will register at the Community Center for the rest of the day's activities. But before the fun begins, the young'uns will be sternly lectured about caring for the clubhouse. For the first time ever, this summer has brought reports of kids having fun, making noise, and pounding the ping pong table with paddles.

Bayville's elders are appropriately outraged and horrified.

After Admonishment 101, the next event is also new this year - Sailboat Building (only the Merrills could have come up with this one!). Young naval architects will be divided into teams, given basic materials and a deadline, then challenged to build model boats in less time than it has taken the Merrills to launch their Southport 40. The sailboats will then be raced from the dock to the beach.

Other events include a half dozen old favorites like a scavenger hunt, a sandcastle building contest (given the nature of our "beach," the winner will be anyone who can find sand), the Beach to Beacon (or Shore to Post Office) foot race, a sponge relay, and a water balloon toss, whose object is to see how many balloons Julie O'Brien-Merrill can catch simultaneously.

The ever-popular blindfolded rowing will give children a chance to scream at the clueless adults who earlier had the nerve to tell them how to behave in the clubhouse. Then comes the greased watermelon swimming race, followed by the climactic event of the day - and the only event the Beat has a chance of entering and maybe winning -- a gourmet luncheon hosted by the Spencers.

Beat reporter Kristin Lafferty reports that the Fletchers and Laffertys teamed up for a very wet boat trip to Monhegan, where the adults enjoyed the scenery and the kids complained about the hike. If they built any fairy houses in Cathedral Woods, they're not telling, but they vehemently deny any impact on the island's ecology.

The two families were still on speaking terms the next day, so they again pushed the limits of inter-family tolerance, boating together to Seguin, where they toured the lighthouse and then headed to the rock beach, coming under attack from mother seagulls and the Audubon Society for wandering (unintentionally, they insist) too near some nests.

Janet McDonough, Kathy Hoss, Hillary Lafferty, and Ellen Eddy have enjoyed early morning tennis. Fog makes a great excuse for missed shots. . . . Emily Stover dropped by with a male friend one evening to say hello after dinner. No comment (or appraisal) from Kristin.

The Laffertys were due to head south Wednesday, as was John Eddy. Ellen Eddy and Jane Stover are planning to leave Bayville today, and the Copeland crowd, including Eleanor Jordan, Chessie Lawson, and an unnamed almost-Lawson, is off to points south tomorrow.

The Wellenius family, in-laws of Alane O'Connor, spent a week in the Bass cottage, with Kevin and Alane joining them for a long weekend Friday through Monday. Joanne O'Connor reports enjoying the CBMG island tour with the Wellenius family, then boating to Le Garage for dinner, her favorite three-season activity.

From way over on the far side of Bayville comes a buried lead from Moose McDonough. After all sorts of news about family visits, at the end of his last paragraph he drops in this nugget: daughter Kerin became engaged to Ian Mckechnie last Friday, and plans are shaping up for another Boothbay region wedding, this one in summer '08. Before Moose told of the engagement, he proudly announced news of Kerin's new job. She'll soon be working in the hedge fund department of Citibank in Portland (and moving to Maine). Leave it to Moose to tell the job news before the engagement scoop.

Moose also reports that he and Janet enjoyed (endured?) a full house over the Fourth, with daughter Kathy and her two children Katlin and Joseph plus golden retriever Baily coming all the way from Carlsbad, California (and staying until the end of the month). Katlin and Joseph are the third Mc-Donough generation to enjoy the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club youth program.

David and Chrissy McDonough came up from Baltimore for the Fourth, and Jimmy, Juliette, and Brady McDonough of Maricopa, Arizona, helped swell the crowd.

If you've seen Bobby LaCroix driving his new 30' Intrepid, you've got good eyes. Most of us have only seen a blur. Powered with two 250 hp Mercury Verados, it's the fastest boat in Linekin Bay (and beyond). "You know Bobby..." sighed Molly, explaining why someone would want to get to Portland and back in less time than a trip to Hannaford's. The boat is still un-named, so feel free to offer suggestions to Perry Bradley, who is heading the naming committee.

All the snooze that's fit to print - keep it coming. Mail to peterjordan @mindspring.com.