Woodchuck – Weds Jul 27

The Robin Hood tradition of sending each group on their own excursion is now in full swing. Over the many years of doing this we have chopped and changed the nature and venues that we send the groups. However, there has been one constant throughout this time: our Lancer group heads out onto the ocean to try their hand at deep sea fishing. This tradition has not changed in 50 years. There have been many changes in fishing companies that we have used – from Boothbay Harbor to Perkins Cove to Hampton Beach, but we have never failed to send them out.

It was my pleasure (as it has been for many years now) to join this year’s crew on the good ship ‘Whitestar’. I met 19 Lancers and their staff at the crack of dawn on a beautiful warm morning. We were kitted out with rods and set sail, out towards the Isles of Shoals, about 6 miles of the New Hampshire coast. At our first stop we were treated to a wonderful sighting of a pod of 5 or 6 porpoises who came within touching distance of the boat. This did create a problem, as the porpoises were after the same fish that we were, so we had to find another spot. Soon everyone was pulling up mackerel by the bucket load. Then came another age-old tradition. (WARNING: Graphic Content!) One Lancer is ‘volunteered’ to bite the head off a fish. Not one, but 5 of them performed this ‘ordeal’! Using the ‘bite, twist, pull’ method, all 5 severed head from body, and so entered the history books. We tried several spots around the Isles, some successful, some not so; but even if the fish weren’t biting we were lucky enough to spot various sea life such as seals, the afore-mentioned porpoises, and an array of various sea birds.

All told, it was a wonderful way to spend the morning. Our Lancer group are all shaping up nicely – they were a pleasure to spend time with. The Saxons of 2019 will be great leaders of Boys’ Camp, I have no doubt.

Dick Roberts