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Winnie and I are back from vacation and back to work this week. We had a short but relaxing vacation spent camping, and kayaking, and attending reunion dinners all last week. The big event was my second Navy reunion with former shipmates of the first submarine I served on, USS Scamp (SSN 588). We also springboarded off this event for some enjoyable extracurricular side adventures.
We ended up with a week of camping and kayaking and reunion dinners with friends and family.
The Road Up
So, this reunion has been in planning for almost two years, starting from when the last one ended. I’d only attended one previous reunion, held in Las Vegas back in May 2015. It was a lot of fun, and I promised myself I’d attend more. There were two reunions since, but I wasn’t able to make either one for various reasons. I was determined to attend this year’s reunion, all the more because it was so close to home.
Scamp reunions are held roughly every two years, each reunion in a different location around the US. This reunion was planned for Groton, Connecticut, which is only a ten hour drive. Easily doable, but since Winnie was interested in joining me we decided to do some extra stuff.
Camping
Winnie and I have been planning to go camping for several years now. One of our professed ambitions is to take long driving trips to explore National Parks after I retire. We’ve been looking, and debating pros and cons of a Van-sized RV (Class “B”) versus teardrop camping trailer. Meanwhile, we found a good deal on an SUV tent kit a coupe of months ago, and decided this was a great (cheap) way to get started on camping. So, it seemed a natural for us to go up to the Wurtsboro area of New York state for a weekend of camping as part of this year’s adventure.
Wurtsboro is about six hours driving time, so we left early Saturday morning. We drove up through Maryland and Pennsylvania, a trip we’d made many times while mom was still living in Burlingham, New York, just over the mountains from Wurtsboro. We arrived mid-afternoon at Berentsen’s Campgrounds and set-up camp. I had practiced setting up the SUV tent in our backyard a few weeks prior to this trip, so we didn’t embarrass ourselves too badly in front of the other campers.
The tent hooked up to our 2015 Jeep Cherokee and made for a comfortable camping setup. We slept in the Jeep on an SUV air mattress, and stored our belongings inside the tent. Our campsite included a picnic table, water hookup, electrical hookup, and a barbeque grill. Our camping equipment included a small folding table, so I used it to setup an electric kettle and coffee maker next to the electrical outlet. Winnie, as resourceful as she is, didn’t need any other cooking gear to whip up decent field breakfasts and dinners.
We spent two nights here, and despite the large number of RV campers it was quiet and restful both nights.
Kayaking The Bashakill
One thing I’ve wanted to do for many years was kayak on the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area in early spring. This is a wildlife preserve just outside Wurtsboro. I was last there in September 2014 and the paddling was great. Except that the water is so shallow that by September it’s mostly overgrown with plants. Other paddlers at the time told me it was best to get out in early spring. So, finally, I had my chance.
Sunday morning we unhooked the tent from Jeep, loaded up our kayaking gear, and headed over to the Bashakill. I planned on launching from a northern point I had previously been to. The water here was already getting overgrown with grasses, but still clear enough to paddle through. Winnie and I quickly set-up our tandem Sea Eagle 370 Nemo and paddled downstream going south.
As normal, Winnie took the front seat leaving me to do the heavy paddling. The open channel wove and twisted through water lilies and grasses.
As we got further along the channel the channel got deeper and wider. About two and a half miles downstream we passed another launch point, and from there the channel opened up and began looking like a lake.
The current wasn’t that strong, but we were paddling downstream. After we’d paddled four miles we decided we really needed to turn around and head back. Four miles was already the furthest I’d paddled on any one trip this season and didn’t want to push my luck. From what I could tell looking at maps, there were several more miles of water and I really wanted to keep going. Maybe a future trip…
Scamp Reunion
Monday morning we packed up our gear and headed over to Groton, Connecticut. We took I-84 through Newburgh, New York, as the most direct route from our campsite location. This was a trip I’d made many times back in 1979 – 1980, while I was stationed in Groton and visited mom on weekends. It was the first time Winnie had traveled this route.
We arrived in Groton and got checked into the reunion hotel about 1:00. Just going into the lobby I ran into some former shipmates who’d already arrived and were hanging out. Once checked in Winnie and I headed over to the hospitality suite where my shipmates were congregating. The rest of the afternoon was spent on introductions and catching up on news over drinks at the open bar.
Three-Day Reunion Events
The reunion organizing committee had daytime and dinner events planned for all week. I’d opted to only attend one tour on Wednesday and dinners each night. For the other two days, Winnie and I planned on exploring the Groton area and kayaking.
Tuesday
Tuesday morning we got out and headed over to the nearest beach I could locate on my GPS. This turned out to be the Bluff Point Coastal Reserve. The reserve included nice hiking trails as well as gravel beaches intermixed with salt water marshes. Once again, we quickly setup Nemo and did several miles of salt-water paddling. At one point, we passed a man wading waist deep clamming (looking for clams). Another clammer further on pointed out where we could find a channel through the salt marshes that led to a nice sand beach.
It was truly beautiful kayaking here.
The wind started picking up, so we only paddled about four miles. Then had a field lunch, and spent the rest of the afternoon hiking along the typically-rocky New England coastlines.
The reunion dinner that evening was a get-together theme, along with a special guest speaker. Frank Hood, along with his brother Charles Hood, have published a series of books on the submarine service over the past several years. These books focus on veteran (and active-duty) sub sailors telling their tales of submarine life. It turns out Frank is also a former Scamp shipmate, and he gave a presentation on the work he and his brother are doing. Very impressive, not the least that they’re donating their profits to Navy and Submarine Veteran organizations.
Full disclosure; I’ve been working with Charles Hood (via email) on a chapter in their next book on the USS Dolphin (AGSS 555), the second submarine I served on. This made it especially enjoyable to meet Frank.
We also had a reunion-within-a-reunion. There were a good number of people present who had all served together at the same time, under a Captain whom I now recognize as the best Commanding Officer (CO) of my 22-year Navy career; John Groth. John was present for only that evening, so naturally we all needed to get photos taken.
John Groth is the bald-headed guy in the center front row. The man next to him, with suspenders, was one of the Executive Officers (XO) I also served with. We were much younger when we were all together on Scamp. At the time, John Groth was only the second CO I had served with. One of my great regrets about my Navy career was that I didn’t have the experience, then, to recognize just how good a Captain he was.
After dinner I hung out with some friends while Winnie went back up to our room. Our sea stories continued a lot longer than expected, fueled by alcoholic beverages from the still open bar. About midnight Winnie came back down to “check on me,” and we collectively decided it was time to quit.
Wednesday
I had signed us up for Wednesday’s day trip, which was a promised tour of the US Navy Submarine museum, just outside the main gate of Subbase Groton. The museum includes the former USS Nautilus (SSN 571) in all her decommissioned museum-converted glory. I particularly wanted Winnie to get a chance to see this boat. The day trip also promised a tour around Subbase, and “a chance” to tour one of the operational Virginia-class subs currently in service.
I had been onboard Nautilus twice before this trip. The first time was in 1979 while she was still in commission. My second time was after she had been decommissioned but sitting up in Mare Island, California, “cooling off” (decontaminating and being cleaned) pending conversion to a nuclear-powered museum. Nautilus had just been returned to the museum after a six-month long drydocking, meaning she was now in good condition.
I was particularly interested in seeing how the navy had converted the interior for museum displays.
We arrived as a group at the museum, and had a museum guide show us around the outside and inside exhibits. Seemingly lasting forever. Finally, our museum guide allowed us to tour the Nautilus on our own.
US Navy Submarine Museum, Outside Displays
USS Nautilus (SSN 571)
I was disappointed with the way Nautilus had been converted into a museum. For one, we were restricted to only the non-engineering (forward of reactor compartment) spaces, just about one-third of the interior. All the interesting stuff we were able to see was behind plexiglas, keeping folks from actually touching anything. The tour route was tightly marked and controlled, so I couldn’t go off the tour route to explore other areas. But, Winnie had never seen it, and I was able to show her some electronic equipment on display that had also been on Scamp.
Another disappointment was that we not only did not tour a Virginia-class submarine, Subbase security didn’t even allow our tour busses on base. So, it ended up being a short day-trip as we all went back to the hotel around noontime.
That evening’s dinner theme was “Remembrance,” and a number of former Scamp sailors got up and talked about shipmates that had inspired them and helped shape them as young sailors. Many of these inspirational people were no longer with us. Iin submarine sailor parlance, these people are “On Eternal Patrol.”
After dinner I hung around a while talking with shipmates, but wisely decided to head back up early.
Thursday
Winnie and I wanted to do some more kayaking during the day, and tried to find a different beach then Tuesday. However, after a bit of driving around we determined that:
- All beaches we could find required out-of-state parking permits, that were unattainable on spur of the moment.
- It was really windy, and open beach areas were dangerous for kayaking due to high surf and currents.
So, we ended up back at the Bluff Point Coastal Reserve again. It was windy there so we kayaked inside a sheltered salt-water lagoon and marsh area. We kept the paddle short as we were getting blown around pretty bad even in a sheltered area.
After another field lunch, we spent several hours hiking the coastal trails and exploring the different beach areas.
That evening was the final dinner, which included some business selecting the next reunion chairperson and selecting a tentative location. We also took official reunion group shots outside the hotel, followed by unofficial photos in the dining hall.
Then it was a lot of saying goodbyes, with hopes of meeting again in a couple of years.
Family Reunion Dinner
A couple of weeks prior to starting vacation, I had contacted my cousin Richard, who still lives near Woonsocket, Rhode Island. This is where our branch of the Charest family originates, and several cousins still live in this area. Woonsocket is only 70 miles from Groton, Connecticut, an obvious opportunity to visit close family members.
So, Friday morning we loaded up the Jeep, checked out, and headed up to Rhode Island. We had lunch with another cousin, Roger, and hung out with him a few hours. Then went over to Richards place in Millville, Massachusetts. Richard had arranged a small reunion dinner for Friday evening with every cousin and spouse who were able to attend. It made for a nice evening.
The Road Home
We spent the night at Richards house. Saturday morning we all dragged ourselves up and went out for breakfast at a local restaurant. We were welcomed to stay at Richard’s house longer but, after a week on the road, we were anxious to get home.
Roger joined us at the restaurant and we had our final send-off. One of the things I like about this part of New England is the number of locally-owned restaurants. It makes for pleasant dining adventures.
After that, it was an uneventful ten-hour drive back home.
