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December 2014

3292 Thompson Bridge Road #250, Gainesville, GA 30506 Phone: (770) 287-1444 Fax: (770) 287-1445 E-mail lakesidenews@mindspring.com

Vol. 20 Issue 12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Holiday calendar Many holiday events are planned around the lake this month. For an extensive list, see our calendar on Page 40.

Water wars update The U.S. Supreme Court named a prominent Portland, Maine attorney to act as Special Master in the Florida v. Georgia lawsuit over water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin. Page 2

Christmastime in Las Vegas Las Vegas, a fabulous gambling mecca, comes alive during the holiday season in a multitude of ways. Page 50 Also inside: Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Break from the lake . . . . . . . .Page Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Captain’s comments . . . . . . . .Page Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page COE column . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Cruising Wilsons . . . . . . . . . . .Page Dining guide . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Fishing report . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Fishing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Glenn Burns . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Lake Lanier Olympic Venue . . .Page Lake levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Lanier map . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Marinas information . . . . . . . .Page Outdoor activity calendar . . . .Page Recreation guide . . . . . . . . . .Page Safety guide . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Sailing calendar . . . . . . . . . . .Page Shore Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page Steve Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . .Page US Coast Guard Auxiliary . . . . .Page Vanderford’s travel . . . . . . . . .Page

51 54 26 18 55 42 22 45 10 12 20 16 20 52 44 40 47 48 26 35 42 8 50

PHOTO BY ALAN HOPE

Flowery Branch’s Main Street is making a comeback of sorts with new stores opening up in the town that began in 1874.

Story, page 35.

For more info, see our ad on page 7.

2 LAKESIDE

December 2014

Special Master appointed in Florida-Georgia lawsuit is published by Lanier Publishing, Inc., 3292 Thompson Bridge Rd. #250, Gainesville, GA 30506 (770) 287-1444 Publisher/Editor Alan Hope Production Susan Nish Susan Daniel Creative, Inc. Senior Writer Pamela A. Keene Contributing writers Millie Adcox, Jane Harrison Columnists Glenn Burns, Roy Crittenden, Steve Johnson, Mike Rudderham, Phillip Sartain, Ken Sturdivant, Bob & Carolyn Wilson Travel Editor Bill Vanderford Lakeside is published monthly by Lanier Publishing, Inc. based in Gainesville, GA, with distribution in some 300 locations around Lake Lanier and other areas. Opinions expressed by contributing writers are not necessarily those of Lakeside, its staff or its advertisers.

Manuscripts and photographs submitted will be considered for publication. Lakeside cannot be held responsible for such materials in case of damage or loss.

By Jane Harrison The U.S. Supreme Court named a prominent Portland, Maine attorney to act as Special Master in the Florida v. Georgia lawsuit over water in the Apalachicola-ChattahoocheeFlint river basin. Ralph I. Lancaster, who has served the federal court in two previous water disputes between states, has been appointed to schedule proceedings, summon witnesses and take evidence in case. Lancaster’s appointment was announced Nov. 19, about two weeks after the court decided Florida’s complaint had sufficient merit for consideration.

Florida filed suit in October 2013 claiming that Georgia has hoarded water upstream of Apalachicola and is largely responsible for decline of oyster-dependent economy of the region and environmental harm. In court filings, Georgia responded that Florida’s claims are undocumented and requested the court decline the case, pointing out that the water control manual being completed by the U.S. Corps of Engineers may resolve the conflict without court action.

Lake Lanier is the largest reservoir and metropolitan Atlanta is the largest consumer on the river system that serves Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.

The Supreme Court generally appoints special masters to investigate and set proceedings in complex, specialized cases. The court has turned to special masters to handle numerous environmental lawsuits, including long-standing water disputes between states. It often takes years for the cases to develop under a special master, who can recommend outcomes to the justices but cannot issue a ruling. As in the Florida-Georgia case, the parties involved in the lawsuit are often ordered to split the cost of the special master’s expenses, including travel.

The court can go ahead and schedule the case for hearing or decide it on the special master report alone when submitted. Both parties are likely to file objections to Lancaster’s recommendations.

The court has twice voted to go along with Lancaster’s recommendations in water conflicts. In January 2006 Lancaster was appointed to serve as special master in a New Jersey v. Delaware spat

involving a proposed riverside development and boundary issues.

A year and four months later, he filed a report suggesting the states share authority over inshore and off shore portions of the Delaware River project. In the case argued in the Court in November 2007, the court overruled New Jersey objections to Lancaster’s report and upheld the special master’s

recommendations. The court awarded him a total of $225,217.79 for the period September 1, 2006, through May 17, 2007, to be paid equally by the parties.

In October 2000, the court tapped Lancaster to master a dispute between Virginia and Maryland with roots tracing back See Lawsuit, page 48

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December 2014

LAKESIDE 3

VISIT LIVINGONLAKELANIER.COM TO FIND WATERFRONT PROPERTIES 3574 Ridgewood Point, Gainesville, GA

6445 Grand Marina Cir, Gainesville, GA

3473 Maritime Glen, Gainesville, GA

Each Keller Williams office is independently owned and operated.

Teresa Smith NEED OFFER QUICKLY! Great lake home w/renovated kitchen & Master on Main. Open floor plan, nice sunset lake views, great neighborhood!

Single Slip dock in deep water. Please call today for an immediate showing! $529K (Hall)

6474 Julian Rd, Gainesville, GA

NOW IS THE TIME to Build the Home of Your Dreams In Marina Bay, Gorgeous Lake Views.

Includes all amenities and Boat Slip Option Available. $349K (Hall)

5610 Pointe West Drive, Oakwood, GA

HARBOUR POINT RANCH. 3 BR on main level, fin bonus above garage. Partial fin terrace lvl w/GREAT office & work rm. You'll love the HUGE covered porch o’looking the private back yard! Boat slip option. Priced to Sell $549K (Hall)

Lake Lanier Specialist • Lake Lanier Resident

770-654-4173 • 678-318-5026 teresakw@live.com We sell lifestyles...not just homes.

5262 Trudy Circle, Gainesville, GA

Visit Our Websites at: www.LivingOnLakeLanier.com www.LanierAreaRealEstate.com

HAVE LAKE BUYERS NEED LAKE HOMES! 1 ACRE LEVEL WATERFRONT LOT w/low Corp line. Build your dream home. Soil tests, plat and dock permit available. REDUCED, $215K (Forsyth)

4216 & 4244 Bayridge Dr, Gainesville, GA

BANK OWNED. Gorgeous 5 BD/4.2 BA, Mstr on Main, full fin Terrace, Custom Gunite Pool, Fabulous oversized windows and views, private .92 acre lot, 12 ft ceilings, fenced yard. $1,064,900 (Hall)

424 Brookwood Dr. W, Dawsonville, GA

GREAT LAKE LANIER LOT ready to build your dream home! DEEP water always and a KILLER aluminum double slip dock. Please call for plat. $275K (Hall)

Just Listed! Four Seasons on Lanier

PLEASE CALL US TODAY 4008 Hill Ct., Gainesville, GA LAKE VIEWS, Cul-de-sac location, $90K (Hall)

0 Apache Trail, Gainesville

FANTASTIC LOT & POINT LOT in Rogers Bay Subdivision-325 feet of water frontageDeeded slip in covered community dock with party deck at NO additional charge! Close to hospital and GREAT shopping~$90 K & $170K (Hall)

532 Oak Grove Rd., Dawsonville, GA

FANTASTIC FIND - this 2006 Home has incredible lake views and SUPER EASY walk to Dock, 4 BD/4.2 BA, Open Floor Plan, Master on Main, Fin Terrace, Gourmet Kitch, Views from Every Room, Move In Ready, REDUCED, PRICED TO SELL $749K (Dawson)

RANCH HOME on full basement, 3 BD/2.5 BA, Excellent condition, master on main, open floor plan, level driveway, vaulted ceilings, great backyard and fabulous corner lot. $285K (Hall)

South Lake Income Producing Duplex!

Rebel Rd., Cumming, GA

NEAR LAKE, $29K (Forsyth)

5252 Trudy Circle, Gainesville, GA

R UNDE T! AC R T N CO

!

D L O S 4BR/2BA LOG CABIN w/fantastic Lake Views! Cabin includes deeded slip in community dock in beautiful cove.

Perfect for a lake weekender or investment. Cabin includes 2 kitchens, 2 living rooms, 2 FPs. Please call for more info. $279K

1ST TIME ON THE MARKET! UNBELIEVABLE lot just a stone's throw from the water. Even has it's own boat ramp! 3/2 with a HUGE 2 car garage with a room above the garage. Double slip dock in GREAT water. Call today to be 1st on the list to see this charming lake home! (Forsyth)

CHARMING LAKE COTTAGE ON quiet & secluded lot with year round views on deep water.

Single slip covered dock on tranquil cove that opens to great water. Updated kitchen & family room, wonderful garden area, walk out deck, with basement storage area. $399K (Hall)

Lot Listing on Lanier

Lot Listing on Lanier

Lot Listing on Lanier

Lot Listing on Lanier

3908/3914 Harbour View Ct, Gainesville, GA

6313 Old Shadburn Ferry Rd, Buford, GA

4 Lake Lots with Dock permits

3645 N. River, Gainesville, GA,

REALLY Cute Cottage built in 2005, Vaulted Great Room, Gourmet Kitchen, Master on Main, 4 BD/3.5BA 3 finished levels, Huge Covered Porch, Private yard, includes Dock.

REDUCED $360K (Dawson)

CED!

REDU 2 LOTS IN OAK HARBOUR SUBDIVISION. Cul-de-sac lots come w/single slip docks. Ready to build your new Lake Lanier home. $139K$169K. Close to NE GA Medical Center. (Hall)

1.71 ACRE SOUTH LAKE LOT!! Nice Corp line and double slip dock permit in deep water.

Shoreline has rip rap in place. Call agent for plat~$299K (Gwinnett)

4 WATERFRONT LOTS with WONDERFUL Lake Lanier views and docks/permits. Corp line is very close to the water. Please call for plat and soil tests. Lots range from $99K-$199K. (Hall)

BEAUTIFUL GRASS TO THE WATER LOTslip in double slip dock-neighborhood has swim and tennis-GORGEOUS building site! $99,000 (Hall)

4 LAKESIDE

December 2014

THE PATTI CHAMBERS TEAM Experience isn't expensive, it's priceless!

THE LAKE HOME YOU'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF MAY NOW BE AFFORDABLE ... CALL US!

CONTEMPORARY ELEGANCE: Nothing compares to this exquisite home & view. Open entertaining floor plan, gourmet kitch, breakfast kitch, formal dining rm, elevator, 2 FP, resort style bath, dressing rm, master suite on main, upper level loft, entertainment center, terrace lvl 3 BR/2.5 w/guest kitchen, large great rm, exercise rm, enchanting stone pool, Jacuzzi, waterfall oasis, outdoor living area, boat slip & n’hood pool.

$414,900

$925,000

THIS NANTUCKET INSPIRED HOME is a true master piece and located only minutes from the chattahoochee country club & golf course. Unbelievably gorgeous 3.25 acres w/lake on 3 sides. Lovely porches overlook Lake Lanier & the private enclosed boat dock.

$625,000

LEVEL LOT GRASSED TO WATER'S EDGE. Year round views. Everything a family would want. 4/5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, gourmet kitchen, screened porch, finished terrace level. 2 fireplaces, gorgeous setting, single slip boat dock with party deck. Convenient to I-85.

www.PattiChambers.com • Office 770-503-7070

$1,950,000

$695,000

TRULY A MUST SEE LAKE PROPERTY! Deep long range panoramic views from every room. Spacious gourmet kitchen with stainless appliances and granite countertops. 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths and 2 half, 4 fireplaces. Master plus a large guest suite on main level. Full finished terrace level. Lots of privacy. Only 32 steps to the covered single slip boat dock. Convenient to shopping, restaurants, schools, hospital and I-985.

The Chambers Team 631 Dawsonville Hwy • Gainesville, GA 30501

FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS CHARMING RETREAT ON LAKE LANIER. You must see this refurbished home!

Master on Main, a total of 4 BRs & 3 baths, stone fireplace in family room, finished terrace level. Covered single slip boat dock with swim platform. The perfect lake home and so affordable!

$449,500

3.178 ACRES ON LAKE LANIER! Small weekend home on property which could be refurbished. Lots of privacy. Boat dock. Located in North Hall off Highland Road.

$225,000

GORGEOUS LOT in Chattahoochee Country Club w/ lake access.

WE LIVE AND PLAY ON LAKE LANIER Patti Chambers c 770.287.4879 • Bobby Chambers c 770.654.0533 Sally Chambers Kirchner c 770.538.5626 • Patsy Mercer c 770.540.6507 • Office 770.538.4010

WWW.PATTICHAMBERS.COM

December 2014

LAKESIDE 5

Sheila Davis

www.LakeLaniersFinest.com The Norton Agency 434 Green Street, Gainesville, GA 30501

770.536.1250 We Sell More Lake Property

“Because places like these are rare, and the timing is just right”

770-235-6907 sdavis@nortonnorthga.com www.davisrenfroe.com

$2,300,000 • “POINT SOUTH” GORGEOUS SUNSET VIEWS WITH CORPS LINE IN THE WATER! 5BR/5.5BA home w/screened porch, theatre rm & second kitchen. Pool, spa and firepit for entertaining. 5364 POINT SOUTH DRIVE, GAINESVILLE 30504 www.5364PointSouthDrive.info

$2,250,000 • SOUTH LAKE LUXURY GATED ESTATE IN SOUGHT AFTER FORSYTH COUNTY. Enjoy fabulous open lake views from this custom home w/heated salt water infinity edge pool & spa, deep water twin slip aluminum dock. Separate apartment over 5 car garage. www.9085BethelRoad.info.

$1,995,000 • GAINESVILLE'S FINEST LAKE ESTATE WITH OUTSTANDING OPEN WATER VIEWS, private twin slip dock, pool with hot tub, 3 master suites, in-law apt, elevator and handicap accessible. Upscale Sidney on Lanier subdivision. www.2229sidneydrive.info

$1,799,000 • BREATHTAKING PRIVATE 3 ACRE GATED ESTATE WITH NANTUCKET DESIGN, GUEST HOUSE AND TWO DOCKS! AMAZING LONG RANGE VIEWS AND 380 FEET OF SHORELINE! 5 Car garage. 9055 KNOLL DR, GAINESVILLE 30506 (Forsyth) FMLS#5148615

$1,435,000 • YOU WILL LOVE THIS OUTSTANDING HOME WITH DEEP WATER AND BEAUTIFUL VIEWS OF CHESTATEE BAY! PRIVACY BEHIND GATES. THIS OPEN PLAN FEATURES RUSTIC ELEGANCE FMLS#5306097 www.9250ArbourlacLane.info. (Forsyth)

$1,399,000 • HUGE REDUCTION FROM $2,000,000! AMAZING DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY ON 9.5 ACRES! Approved for 18 lots and 18 boat slips. www.1799Cleveland Hwy.info.

FMLS# 7046198

$1,100,000 • EXECUTIVE BEAUTY AND ELEGANCE WITH THIS ALL BRICK THREE STORY HOME WITH POOL OVERLOOKING SCENIC LAKE LANIER! Beautiful lake views and upgradable to twin slip dock. FMLS#5288402 www.3155WindingLakeDrive.info.

$1,100,000 • SOUTH LAKE LUXURY LIVING IN EXCLUSIVE GATED “POINTE WEST”! Enjoy fabulous deep water views just 50 feet to water’s edge.

FMLS#5310026 www.5660Pointwestdrive.info GAINESVILLE

$899,000 • BEST VALUE! FOUR SIDES BRICK LUXURY LAKE HOME WITH THREE FINISHED LEVELS! DEEP WATER TWIN SLIP DOCK. www.8585anchoronlanier.info.

Forsyth County.

$765,000 • ALL BRICK 4BR/4.5B TWO STORY ON FINISHED TERRACE LEVEL IN CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTRY CLUB AREA.Gainesville 30506 FMLS#5256983 www.1039FarmhouseRd.info

$699,000 • BEAUTIFUL THREE FINISHED LEVELS WITH GENTLE WALK TO SINGLE SLIP DEEP WATER PARTY DOCK. FMLS#5242050. Forsyth County. www.8555AnchoronLanier.info.

$659,000 • FANTASTIC DEEP WATER LOT WITH TOTALLY UPDATED LAKE HOME! TWIN SLIP PARTY DOCK STEPS FROM HOME. FORSYTH COUNTY. 8940 FIELDS WAY, GAINESVILLE 30506 FMLS#5236147

NG I D N E P

SOLD

$549,000 • WHAT A VIEW! STUNNING YEAR ROUND LAKE VIEWS. 4BR/4.5BA. Not dockable, but walk to lake from backyard! w w w. 2 9 3 9 T h o m p s o n M i l l R d . i n f o FMLS#5319260

$899,000 • ONE OF A KIND CUSTOM DESIGNED LOG HOME ON POINT LOT! WOULD MAKE A GREAT CORP RETREAT OR GET-A-WAY LODGE. Gated, spacious 5BR4B. (REDUCED FROM $1,299,000!)

6438 CHESLA DR., GAINESVILLE 30506 FMLS# 5150233

NG PENDI $329,000 • REDUCED! AFFORDABLE LAKE FRONT LIVING IN PRESTIGIOUS GAINESVILLE/ NORTH HALL N’HOOD! 5BR’s/3.5B, brick. CORPS frontage for fishing, swimming and more!

3874 ALEXANDRIA, GAINESVILLE 30506 FMLS#5102457 www.Obeo.com/764251

$595,000 • PRICED RIGHT! ENJOY PRIVACY AND SECLUSION AT THE LAKE! Gorgeous four sided brick lake home on level lot. Twin slip party dock. www.6331PointTwentyTwo.info GAINESVILLE FMLS#5328615

6 LAKESIDE

December 2014

December 2014

LAKESIDE 7

Bev Knight #1 Agent on Lake Lanier 770 536-4416

Keller Williams Lanier Partners 770-503-7070

Dani Brown

Jackie Powalowski Heather Skoglind Darlene Plavacan

Luxury Coordinator

Buyer’s Agent

Buyer’s Agent

Investment Property

Call us at 770-536-4416 or through KW at 770-503-7070 ***Featured Listing*** Lovely 4BR lake home w/ room for a pool. Private setting close to GA400, party dock on secluded cove, great for kids.

Renovated by kitchen/bath designer & carpenter (and it shows!) Fabulous yachtwood counters! $425K

Mediterranean showcase

Lindal cedar @ wtr's edge

Exec's dream in Buford

Panoramic lake views

ED! REDUC

Designer saline infinity pool, easy walk to wtr, modern dock, yr-rnd vws, Cumming. $1.485m

Luxury at water’s edge

Easy walk to wtr, drought-proof cove, boat house w/party deck, open flr pln, views. $1.2m

N Hall school district

Deep wtr, fabulous view

Marina Bay beauty !

ISTING NEW L

ED! REDUC

2 kitchens, sought-after Buford, 4 FP, double slip boathouse, highend fixtures. $725K

Deep water, amazing views, at water's edge.

Place for pool. Great south lake loc. $930K

Great lot, lg. cov. SS dock, deep wtr, scr. porch, mstr on main, fin. terrace lvl. $599K

Huge home, like new

Craftsman 4BR, gourmet kitchen, 2 fp's, soaring ceilings, slip available, full bsmt. $525K

Big water views

!

ISTING NEW L NTRACT CO UNDER

ACT CONTR UNDER

RKET! ON MA K C A B

Craftsman, EASY walk to party dock, stainless appliances, master on main. $449K

Bonus rm, finished bsmt, mstr on main, two kitchens, gorgeous finishes. $425K

Cumming home at water’s edge, SS dock, great wtr, 3BR, partially renovated. $425K

Beautifully renovated

Lakefront whimsy ACT CONTR R E D UN

4 BR/3 BA, SS pty dock, dp wtr, updated kit, new deck, HW flrs, fin. terrace lvl. $399K

SS dock, quiet cove, extraordinary architecture, wine nook, library alcove, gourmet kit. $325K

Fixer-upper w/ VIEWS N! G SOO COMIN

Charming home w/ sgl slip dock & nice views.

Livable but needs updating. $TBD

Luxury home, easy walk to lake, dbl slp party dock, fin. terrace lvl w/wet bar. $749.9K

Like new in Buford !

ISTING NEW L

SOUTH lake, deep wtr dock, huge home looks new, open flr plan, mstr on main. $499K

Proven income producer ED! REDUC

3 BR/3.5 BA, craftsman style, short walk to wtr, screened porch, 4 decks. $399K

We’ve sold over

60

houses in 2014!

w w w. H o u s e s O n L a n i e r. n e t

8 LAKESIDE

December 2014

The 53rd Atlanta Boat Show will be here before you know it Cold weather is here and boats are being winterized. Next on your agenda should be the huge 53rd Annual Atlanta Boat Show, again being held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta January 15-18.

One of the many things I really like about this boat show is the timing. It’s too cold to boat, unless you are a diehard fisherman, and football season is over, with the exception of the Super Bowl.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is not performing safety patrols on area lakes unless special circumstances call for our presence.

It’s a great time to gather up the family and take in a boat show, talking with the manufacturer’s representatives and the dealers, who are selling all kinds of vessels to suit the needs of anyone or any family.

There are also booths where all kinds of boating paraphernalia will be offered, from electronics to life jackets. The Coast Guard Auxiliary will also have a booth which will be located at the rear of the building along with other 10x10 booths. The U.S. Coast Guard will have their traveling exhibit in the front lobby as last

Roy Crittenden USCG Auxiliary

MORE INFO: 770-393-4382,

alcrit@mindspring.com, Flotilla 29 Lake Lanier, http://a0700209.uscgaux.info

year. By the way, it is important to choose the right type of boat for your needs, as we will discuss now.

Another thing you should know is that over 90 percent of the registered boats in the United States are trailerable boats, meaning that their length usually does not exceed 26 feet and their weight is maximized at around

5,000-6,000 pounds.

Vessels larger than that usually call for special towing rigs not available to the average family.

Boats come in many models, sizes, and types. Each serves a specific need.

A boat developed for one purpose may serve poorly for another. Likewise, a boat that is safe in one set of conditions may not be safe for others. When you select a boat, be sure that it will suit your needs. Let’s now look at the overall types of boats available.

Of course, we have sailing vessels, some even have engines!

Then we have other groups of boats known as utility boats, runabouts, cruisers, pontoon boats, houseboats, personal watercraft, yes, they are also called boats, and others. These are the types most seen on area lakes and rivers.

If a family intends to host guests who are a little apprehensive about boating, a pontoon boat makes a great platform, offering room to walk around and generally slower in speed, offering a smoother ride.

If you plan to spend nights

ments.

And please visit the booths that feature equipment for your boat. This will be a great time to consider a VHF marine radio or GPS if you don’t currently have either. The Coast Guard does not recommend a cell phone as your only means of communication.

If you have room on your dashboard, and the location is fairly protected from rain, we recommend the mounted type. The transmitting power is 25 watts.

If your boat is a smaller version with no room for a protected mounted radio, you may want to consider a hand held VHF radio.

Transmitting power is 5-6 watts, which will get you out several miles, and usually sufficient for Lake Lanier.

See you at the show, and please drop by our booth for free Georgia Boating Regulations, safe boating literature covering a multitude of marine subjects and information on safe boating courses being offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary throughout the majority of the State of Georgia.

Roy Crittenden is the Public Affairs Officer for Flotilla 29.

GOT LAKE?

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under the stars, you should look at cabin cruisers, beginning around 24 feet and running on up.

They usually accommodate two adults and two children.

Houseboats are “floating condos” and you can entertain the whole neighborhood!

A fairly new addition to the boating line is the “deck boat,” which combines the space and openness of a pontoon boat with the speed through the water of a planning hull boats like runabouts or cruisers. Generally, there is no cabin space, also common to the pontoon boat. These boats have gained in popularity over the past few years.

That’s about as far as we can go with this, but for you first time boat owners, I hope this overview will help.

One last thought; it’s a good idea to have a way to keep one or all of your passengers out of the sun, and sometimes out of the rain. This calls for a “hardtop” cover or a canvas top, sometimes referred to as a “Bimini” top. The latter type can be folded down when not wanted. You can also add clear vinyl enclosure to further protect you from the ele-

Our commitment and dedication is based on more than 30 years of technical experience.

Call us for prices before you commit!

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December 2014

LAKESIDE 9

10 LAKESIDE

December 2014

The Southern Fishing Report by Ken Sturdivant

A sampling of fishing information and tips from area guides lines and vary your trolling speed to locate your baits at various depths. If you are using planner boards set your bank side outside board at 15 to 20 feet behind your board and the inside boards at 40 to 50 feet behind the boards. Always hang a couple of down rods over the side when you are Bass Report pulling baits and vary the depth.

Bass fishing will be in transiIn addition, put someone on the tion all month. More cold fronts front deck throwing a buck tail jig will pass and this will get the fish and this will get an extra fish or through their fall transition and two. Sea Gulls have arrived and positioned more in their winter will be spending the cold months locations and therefore more preon the lake. These birds can help dictable. Look for areas with rock Striper Report you locate actively feeding and quick access to deep water as Striper fishing will get better well as ditches as primary locaas the shallow bite for the winter stripers. Keep your eyes open for sea gulls diving on bait pushed up tions. The early morning bite will get better. Water temperaby stripers. If you find this situashould be fair to good. Use the jig tures will continue to drop and tion move quietly into the area and a spinner bait. Focus on rock the bait will be moving from the and clay points in the mornings main lake into the creeks. Stripers with your trolling motor, drop a couple of free lines and down with the aforementioned lures. will continue to follow the bait Look for bait in the area you are into the creeks and the main lake rods out and cast a buck tail jig or fishing. If there is no bait, move bite should be slow. The free line small spoon. Be aware that Gulls will also hang out with Loons and on. The Lowrance Structure Scan bite with both herring and trout feed as they push bait to the surand Down Scan technology takes has begun and will continue as the guesswork out of finding the the stripers settle into their winter face. We typically do not fish where Loons are feeding but you bait schools as well as the fish. pattern. Set your free lines back The Davis Shaky Head with a 70 to 100 feet behind the boat and may want to check the area for stripers with your Lowrance Zoom Finesse worm has been pull at .5 mile per hour. Try a HDS. There are fish in all of the producing some bites as well, so small split shot on some of your Level: Lanier will drop as much as five feet over the next two months.

Clarity: Main lake and creeks are clear.

Temperature: Water temperature will range from mid to low 50s.

don’t hesitate to throw the green worm out there if the bite slows.

Fish are often in 15 to 20 feet or shallower when they are active, but look for those fish to get deeper as the water gets colder. A jerk bait and a Fish Head Spin is starting to work in the mornings as well. Steeper rock points and ditches are the key here.

This Lake Lanier Bass forecast report is from Jimbo Mathley. www.jimboonlanier.com, 770 642-7764.

Call Now For: Transporting Detailing & Maintenance “the connection between boat buyers and sellers”

www.boatsplusga.com

and jig vertically. As you approach, make sure you set your trolling motor speed on the lowest setting to avoid spooking the fish.

Crappie minnows should work as well as jigs all winter. If you are a dock shooter, you will most likely catch the bigger fish in this manner at 20- to 30-foot depth. The fish will have to fatten up for the winter, so they should be biting Crappie Report well after adjusting to the colder Crappie fishing should be good all winter. Lanier has a great water temperatures.

This Lake Lanier Crappie repopulation of crappie and the anport is from Dan Saknini, Memgler with good Lowrance elecber of the Lanier Crappie tronics will be in the game all season. Any sudden drop in water Angler’s Club. See our club’s website, www. laniercrappieantemperature will definitely slow glers.com. the bite down, but crappie like cold water and they will adjust in Note: Call Ken Sturdivant a few days. Any warming trend about the “On the Water Schools” will send the fish to the shallow for Sonar or the Rods, Reels and brush at 15 feet. As always on Lanier, your best bet will be fish- Lures for Bass or a full day ing brush piles in 25 feet of water. striper school.

Make sure you fish it from differ MORE INFO: ent angles, and if that doesn’t 770 889-2654, trigger a bite, try positioning the ken@southernfishing.com boat directly above the brush pile creeks and the best advice we can give you is to check the creeks for bait and fish where you find the bait.

This striper report is presented

by Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena of Big Fish On Service 404 561-2564, www.bigfishonguide.com.

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12 LAKESIDE

December 2014

Get ready for Atlanta Boat Show January 15-18 Escape winter chills and start thinking about warm nautical breezes at Georgia’s largest boat show, the 2015 Progressive Insurance Atlanta Boat Show, returning to the Georgia World Congress Center Jan. 15-18.

Celebrating its 52nd year as what organizers say is the premier boating event in the Southeast, this year’s show, one of the largest in recent years, will feature hundreds of new boats for sale, from schooners and ski boats to luxury yachts, as well as the latest in boating gear and accessories.

Hands-on activities for the entire family include the Let’s Go Fishing Center, where professional anglers lead hourly seminars, expanded sailing seminars, and a new boat building center for children, where young sailors can build and test out their own handmade vessels.

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Saturday, Jan. 17, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 18, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Where: Georgia World Congress Center, Hall C 280 Northside Drive, NW, Atlanta, GA 30314 Tickets: Adults 16 and older: $12 Youth 15 and under: Free (when accompanied by an adult) More info: www.AtlantaBoatShow.com Show Office 404-222-5200 (beginning Jan. 6)

Club holds ‘Kid’s Day Fishing Tournament’ The North Georgia Crappie Anglers recently held a “Kid’s Day Fishing Tournament.”

The club took its’ members children and grandchildren out for a fun day on the lake where youngsters were awarded a certificate of appreciation along with trophies for the winners.

The next day the kids enjoyed a fish fry with the catch of crappie.

Woodie Malone, president of the club, said, “Our kids and grandkids are so wrapped up in their computers these days it was good to get them out on the lake. Having fun during the 2014 Kids It made for a great family outing.” Crappie Tournament.

Deadly bass lures for wintertime action The cold winter water slows down bass feeding activities.

Since the body of the fish takes on the water temperatures, these fish become very sluggish during winter. Casting lures to the banks will not usually find many active fish. But learn to read a high quality Lowrance depth finder and take out some slow moving baits and the fish can still be caught.

Bass will retire to deep water and regardless of the extremes in temperatures, bass still have to feed. Lures need to be placed as close to the fish as possible. This is the time of year when fishing vertically will work.

Several lures are deadly for winter time action. Many anglers use spoons all winter. The spoons will work, but there are other lures that will work just as well.

Buck tail jigs look like shad to a bass. Using several sizes and colors, dropping these lures straight down to the bass will get

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work all year. But they are especially deadly in the winter.

Spoons dropped to the bottom apKen pear to a bass like a dying bait Sturdivant fish.

Using different colors and Fishing sizes of spoons will work. Fish Tips the spoons into and under schools of bass and bait fish.

Always place the nose of the a strike. Hop them off the bottom boat into any wind and make sure and adding small trailers will the baits are fish straight down work as well. under the boat. Drifting over deep Worms are the best lures for points and flats slowly will put bass all year. Take a small finesse fish in the boat. worm and rig it up on a Texas rig.

Vertical fishing is an art and it The secret for winter time worm takes practice and patience. jigging is to peg the sinker. Drop Adding this technique to winter the bait right to the bottom time fishing will add hours of around points and creek bends. great fishing.

Jigs are used for cold water Ken Sturdivant produces the bass fishing. There is no reason statewide Southern Fishing Renot to drop this bait vertically and port and is operator of Southern jig it just like the spoon. Use a va- Fishing Schools. riety of sizes and colors and add MORE INFO: 770 889-2654, some extra crawfish scent on www.southernfishing.com these baits. Jigging spoons will

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December 2014

LAKESIDE 13

14 LAKESIDE

December 2014

ACFS looks at possible restructure, completing water management plan

By Jane Harrison A tri-state organization of water-use stakeholders is continuing an effort to come up with an organizational structure and scientific method to share the resource despite battle lines being drawn in court. The ApalachicolaChattahoochee-Flint Stakeholders met at Lanier Islands Resort on the eve of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to consider Florida’s lawsuit against Georgia over water in the river basin whose name they bear. The organization’s chairman, Jim McClatchey, indicated the legal case’s progression does not thwart ACFS efforts to reach an amicable settlement of the water wars.

In the one session of their Oct. 28-30 meeting open to the public, the ACFS governing board heard graduate students in its university collaborative recommend methods to increase its influence with water policy makers in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. The agenda from executive session meetings reflected the complex issues ACFS faces in developing its Sustainable Water Management Plan (SWMP), a data-driven guide for water allocation.

To float clout in the water policy makers’ sea, the organization

needs to include some state and federal legislators, said university professor Laurie Fowler, who supervises 20 University of Georgia and University of Florida graduate students performing research for ACFS. She recommended ACFS consider re-grouping or forming a separate entity to include legislators in a trans-boundary water management institution. The institution would coordinate state water programs, provide a forum for conflict resolution, and deal with future issues. It could take 35 years to develop a “safe place” to settle water differences, she said.

Such agencies have helped other states avoid lawsuits.

Fowler pointed out that a South Carolina suit against North Carolina over water in the Catawba River was dropped after the Catawba Wateree Basin Advisory Commission weighed in. She posited that some states would rather manage water issues themselves than take their differences to the Supreme Court.

Other water management institutions, including the Delaware River Basin Commission and Potomac River Basin Commission, have addressed interstate water is-

sues for decades.

Fowler suggested the GeorgiaFlorida-Alabama institute include federal and non-government members representing major water users and environmental groups. ACFS currently includes representatives from utilities, recreational organizations, city management, conservation groups, chambers of commerce, and historical/cultural interests, but has no legislators on board.

The non-profit group has raised more than $1.7 million for research into a scientific watersharing model.

“We want to build on what’s worked in other areas and in the basin,” said Shannon Bonney, a UGA researcher. “There’s already

a lot of momentum for agencies working together across state lines.”

The governing board approved appointing a charter committee to study forming a trans-boundary water management institute. Additionally, it voted to move forward with the SWMP. Affirmation of the SWMP goahead provided “a way to move forward the next 24 hours,” said McClatchey, whose executive sessions had already delved into complexities of water sharing behind closed doors. The chairman’s expression about progressing with SWMP during the remainder of the quarterly meeting was met with subdued laughter. “Mission impossible,”

quipped one member.

The nitty-gritty of water allocation issues that have plagued the three states for decades appeared on the agenda: how to deal with droughts, water control operations at Lake Lanier and West Point Lake, balancing reservoir levels, hydropower and environmental concerns and water consumption.

The SWMP, the organization’s proposed blueprint for sharing the water based on scientific modeling, had been expected to be ready in June. Postponed until fall, it was still not complete in late October. Executive committee member Wilton Rooks, who also serves in the Lake Lanier AsSee ACFS, page 41

ACFS’s resolve unaffected by litigation advances

By Jane Harrison Heat hung inside the grand ballroom where representatives from three warring states had met. Flip chart pages taped to the walls bore scribbled phrases from the brainstorming sessions that must have raised the temperature. Atop one of the pages: “Get the states to make peace.”

Shortly after the hopeful peacemakers adjourned, the war

deepened.

An administrator asked a reporter not to take pictures of the wall hangings which illustrated the complexities facing the Apalachicola-ChattahoocheeFlint Stakeholders (ACFS). Since 2009, the private non-profit organization has been working on a plan to settle disagreements between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama over water use in the rivers

whose names they bear. The diverse group reflecting public and private water interests from all three states has made critical decisions dozens of times without a single dissenting vote.

In their quarterly meeting at Lanier Islands Resort Oct. 2830, only a fraction of the 56member governing board’s sessions was open to the public.

See Litigation, page 41

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16 LAKESIDE

December 2014

LAKE LANIER OLYMPIC VENUE 2016 Olympic qualifier set for LLOV

By Jane Harrison A 2016 Olympic qualifying event is coming to Lake Lanier. Hundreds of the best canoe/kayak athletes from the western hemisphere will bring their Olympic dreams to the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue in May 2016 seeking berths in the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A number of local paddlers are likely to be among an estimated 200 to 300 athletes cutting the water toward lofty goals in the Pan American Canoe/Kayak Sprint Championships.

“This is huge,” remarked Lake Lanier Olympic Venue Manager Morgan House in his announcement to Gainesville-Hall ’96 board members last month.

The Pan American Championship canoe/kayak committee selected Lanier over sites in Brazil and Canada. The event is expected to pack hotels throughout the region, contribute at least $1 million to the local economy, and generate renewed international exposure for the venue that hosted the 1996 Olympic rowing and paddling competitions.

The contests will bring athletes from North and South America to the waters where their forebears strove toward Olympic greatness 20 years earlier.

The championship coincides with the GH ’96 strategic plan to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Olympics on Lanier.

GH ’96 board members applauded the announcement, which House said he “kept under wraps for two weeks” prior to the Nov. 21 meeting. GH ’96 members Stacey Dickson, head of the Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Connie Hagler, former director of the Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club and USA Canoe/Kayak officer, assisted House in submitting the bid several months ago.

Board member Rob Fowler pointed to potential economic impact of the international competition and its return on city and county investment in the venue.

Both governments have provided $150,000 each for two years to fund improvements at the aging facility.

“This should make you feel really good about your

investment,” he said to board members from Gainesville and Hall County governments attending the meeting.

“There won’t be a hotel room to be had in Northeast Georgia,” Gainesville Mayor Danny Dunagan predicted. Melvin Cooper, Gainesville Parks & Recreation Director, later emailed an economic impact study showing prior estimated revenues from LLOV events. It estimated the 775-attendee USACK National Championship last summer brought in $1,098,809. The study added direct visitor spending and indirect income through jobs supported and tax receipts for July 28-Aug. 2 event.

House said the selection of LLOV was especially poignant for him. The 2008 and 2012 Olympic hopeful saw his London Olympic dream vanish in the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, as did two other LCKC athletes. Lake Lanier will be “the place where people ultimately realize their Olympic dreams … as a former athlete, this is the most exciting part,” he said. House, who is no longer seriously training, coaches young LCKC high performance athletes.

Hagler also expressed pride in the Lanier selection. The former decade-long LCKC executive director was instrumental in bringing the last major international event to the venue in 2003. Her two children were among LCKC’s Olympic hopefuls in past years. “It’s incredibly gratifying,” she said, to continue the venue’s strong Olympic legacy with the leadership now in place. “To have an organization that is not only living but thriving speaks volume about this community,” she said.

She has also commented that having the event at Lanier gives American athletes logistical advantages and home support for U.S. team members.

House speculated that “getting manpower to fill volunteer positions” will be the major challenge in hosting the qualifier. GH ’96 chairperson Mimi See Olympic, page 17

LAKE LANIER OLYMPIC VENUE INFO Here's a profile and calendar for the two clubs operating at the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue:

Lake Lanier Rowing Club Contact: John Ferriss Phone: 770-287-0077 Email: LLRC@mindspring.com Address: Lake Lanier Olympic Venue 3105 Clarks Bridge Rd., Gainesville, GA 30506 Website: www.LakeLanierRowing.org Club offerings: Recreational and competitive rowing for ages 13 to 80+. Beginner to elite offered through regularly scheduled practices, classes, and camps hosting of local, regional, national and international rowing regattas.

Calendar of events: Check our website for upcoming dates

Lake Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club Contact: Office Administrator, Brenda Miller; LCKC President, Lee Cole Phone: 770-287-7888 Fax: 770-287-3444 Email: info@lckc.org Website: www.lckc.org Address: Lake Lanier Olympic Venue 3105 Clarks Bridge Rd., Gainesville, GA 30506 Club offerings: Recreational and competitive canoe and kayaking for ages 12 and up. Beginner to masters programs offered through regularly scheduled practices, classes, and summer camps. Also hosts local, regional, national and international competitions.

Calendar of events: Jan 1 - Polar Bear Swim Mar. 13-15 - Dragon Boat Training Camp Venue seats +/-2,000; parking capacity +/- 400 cars. The boathouse and tower are available to rent for meetings and special occasions.

LLRC junior crew finishes strong

By Jane Harrison The Lake Lanier Rowing Club Junior Crew finished a break out season last month with top finishes in several categories. The team which barely had enough athletes to fill a boat nearly three years ago hit the water with 28 members and came out with impressive results.

“I’ve asked a lot from them and they have exceeded all expectations,” said Junior Coach Brian Ransom said. He noted podium finishes at three of four fall regattas. Men’s Novice 4 crews were victors in the Tail of the Tiger at Clemson on Oct. 18 and Secret City Head Race in Oak Ridge, Tenn. a week later. The Men’s Novice 8 achieved second place at Clemson and Oak Ridge, followed by a third place spot at the Head of the South in Augusta Nov. 8.

A Women’s Quad also won their Oak Ridge race.

The women’s Lightweight Quad scored second place at Head of the South. They also completed at the Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga Nov. 1-2.

Rachel Stacks medaled in single scull at Clemson, Oak Ridge and Augusta, with two golds and a

silver. She also rowed in the stroke seat of the award winning Women’s Varsity Squad. Ransom described her as “our best performing Varsity female.”

“Our best varsity man is probably Matthew Moore, who medaled in his single and is in the stroke seat of our Men’s Quad,” Ransom said.

He added Jake Taylor is the leader of the novice boys. He rowed at the stroke seat of the four and eight. Ronda Peterson was the top finishing novice girl.

“I have been very impressed with how the team has done. There aren’t very many athletes on the team who will wow you on the ergometer or in the weight room. They’ve gotten the job done through hard work, determination, and perfection of their technique,” Ransom said.

The crew is composed of high school aged rowers from area counties. Ransom reported that just a few days after their last regatta, the crew recruited five more for a total of 33 athletes.

This winter they will be building endurance and strength training on ergometers and lifting weights.

CAUTION ZONE N

December 2014

LAKESIDE 17

Kick off New Year with leap into Lake Lanier

• Olympic Continued from Page 16 Collins plans strategic planning meetings to discuss preparations.

Other discussion at the GH ’96 board meeting included: • A May 2015 John Jarrard Foundation concert at the venue. House said the charitable foundation dropped names, such as country music star Corey Smith, as a possible performer for a show at the lakeside grandstands. Members predicted that if he comes, the Jefferson native turned Nashville recording artist might sell out the venue to college-aged concert goers around the region. There was talk but no move to invest in the concert in order to partake in the proceeds, which would include revenue from concessions such as a “beer garden.” It will likely surface again at the board’s December meeting.

• Southeast Junior Rowing Championships set for May 810, 2015. Lake Lanier Rowing Club President John Ferriss reported US Rowing had “basically awarded” the bid to LLOV and that details remain to be worked out. The event is ex-

pected to draw between 3,0004,000 athletes, support staff, and spectators.

• Weddings at the venue projected to be big hit in 2015.

House reported 20 inquiries about weddings after he advertised the venue as a wedding site on wedding planning websites. He said nuptials provide “an easy $1,000 revenue” with low impact. He anticipates the numerous couples will follow the example set by a couple who tied the knot in a candlelit ceremony there in October. He joked he has “no desire to be a wedding planner” and suggested seeking a college intern majoring in event planning to fill that role.

• State appropriations.

Collins expressed hopes of getting $100,000 in state funds for the venue after talking with Senator Butch Miller, from Gainesville, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The next meeting is set for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 19 at the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce.

By Jane Harrison New Year’s celebrants can make a cool splash into 2015 in the Polar Bear Swim, organized by the Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club. The chilly and chili (there’s a cook-off) initiation into the new year is set for noon Jan. 1 at the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue at Clarks Bridge Park.

“Jumping is a great way to kick off the year. It gives the new year a fresh start. It is an annual tradition for many,” said event director Chris Potter. He hopes 150 to 200 polar bears will walk the boathouse dock to take the leap.

Participants jump solo or with co-workers, family members and friends. The club awards special recognition to the oldest and youngest jumpers, best costume, and best jump. After emerging from the frigid water, jumpers traditionally head straight for a large hot tub on shore. They can also warm up with a hot meal featuring entries in a chili cook-off. The cook-off categories include vegetarian, white (chicken) and regular chili.

Participants should arrive by 11:30 a.m. to sign in and get their souvenir shirt. Registration is

available at www.lckc.org. The cost is $25 individuals and $75 for family of four. Registration by Dec. 18 is encouraged to guarantee a T-shirt in the desired size.

The club is accepting sponsorships through Dec. 12. Sponsors get free jumps and a logo on the Polar Bear shirt.

The event is expected to help provide funds for a new para canoe program, maintain aging boats, and possibly purchase new boats, Potter said.

The 2015 Polar Bear theme is simply poetic: “I jumped in Lanier to kick off the year.”

LLRC Polar Bears to take up oars on New Year’s Day

By Jane Harrison More than one kind of polar bear will be making waves New Year’s Day on Lake Lanier. Hours before costume-clad chill defiers line up for the Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club Polar Bear Swim, a possible couple dozen rowers will be trying not to get wet.

The Lake Lanier Rowing Club’s own cold-hardy crew plans a Polar Bear Row at 10 a.m. Jan. 1. Anyone with rowing experience is invited to join club members at the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue boathouse to start 2015 with a row and a birthday party.

Club members and guests traditionally take up oars and don silly hats for an exhilarating trip the first morning of the year. That excursion has been as long as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) or just half that distance, said LLRC President John Ferriss. The turn-out and distance are often determined by the weather, he said. He recalled that one blustery New Years, the weather was so bad the polar bears rowed on ergometers in the boathouse and went on to party.

The party, complete with cake, celebrates master rowers’ birth-

days. Ferriss explained that US Rowing dictates that masters rowers automatically age up Jan. 1.

The double celebration caps off two annual holiday rowing competitions that began on Thanksgiving. Club members will hit the ergs to log as many meters as they can by Christmas in the Concept2 Challenge. They can add meters by actually rowing on water in the club’s Sidney’s Challenge, which ends New Year’s Day. MORE INFO: www.lakelanierrowing.org

18 LAKESIDE

December 2014

So can you identify a Kisbee Ring, a Mae West?

After writing about the U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides) last month several readers inquired about what kind of life jackets she had on board. They come in two forms, those that are worn and those that are thrown. They have been known by many names including; Kisbee Rings, Mae Wests, Life Buoys, Perry Buoys, Cork Jackets, Life Savers, life jackets and present day PFD’s (personal flotation devices).

In early times inflated skins or sealed gourds were used to assist in crossing rivers. In the 16th century Leonardo Da Vinci sketched a diving suit with a life belt. It wasn’t until lifesaving services began to form that the issue of safety was taken seriously.

Norwegian seamen were the first to build lifesaving devices using blocks of wood or corkstuffed vests. A 1680 issue of the Universal Magazine volume 10 contains a letter from W.H. Mallison trying to gain support for his invention, the “Seaman’s Friend,” but it was not adopted. Usage of the devices eventually became prevalent when organizations like Britain’s Royal National Life Boat Institution began using them. By 1855 the Institution was using a type of ring buoy known as the Kisbee Ring. Also a cork life belt was being used during this time. In 1852 the U.S. Congress passed a law requiring ships to carry life preservers and set up a board of supervising inspectors that set standards and rules.

Cork was the first material used in modern life preservers, followed by kapok fiber introduced in the early 20th century. It was later banned for being flammable and its quick loss of buoyancy. It was then reapproved in 1918. Cork life preservers were heavy and bulky. But kapok could be added to watertight pockets for better flexibility and comfort.

In 1928 after the loss of British passenger steamer Vestris with all lives lost, an international convention for safety of life at sea was convened. Kapok was seen as the superior material for life jackets because it kept the heads of unconscious victims above water.

After World War I balsa wood was also used in life preservers, but by World War II foam was in use and eventually supplanted kapok. The first inflatable life preserver was invented by Peter Markus in 1928, receiving a U.S. patent. It was nicknamed the “Mae West” in reference to the

sons states passed ski-belt and vest laws two years later.

In 1964 the U.S. Coast Guard realized that the required life preMike servers were still not suitable and Rudderham decided to have special life preservers made to suit different pasCaptain’s Comments times such as water-skiing and canoeing. In 1985 the Coast Guard proposed new laws for the carriage of life preservers on boats and their wearing during well-endowed entertainer. Wearers of the vest were thought to re- water sports. Since 1966 aircraft have been required to carry a life semble the buxom actress. preserver for each passenger. As In 1940 Congress passed the technology and water sports deMotorboat Act and less bulky veloped, so too did the life prevests were designed. The idea server. was that if they were easier to Past President Lt. JG, George wear more boaters would wear H. W. Bush was one of the pilots them, and lives would be saved. saved by his “Mae West” PFD, During the late ’40s and early when he was shot down over the ’50s water sports, water-skiing, Pacific during wartime. Passing aqua planning and disc’s became planes spotted him and a submapopular. This was mainly due to rine picked him up. Air crew the affordability of outboard boats members whose lives were saved with engines large enough to pull by use of the “Mae West” PFD skiers. The sport was no longer were eligible for membership in restricted to those who owned exthe Goldfish Club.

Peter Markus pensive, high-powered boats.

I was one of the outboard run- invented the “Mae West” when he was 16. He purchased a boat and about owners shortly after movhis mother was afraid he would ing to Florida in the early ’50s and I immediately took up water- fall overboard. It consisted of skiing. Previously while living in two pneumatic compartments of rubber coated yellow fabric that Wisconsin, Michigan and Mincould be inflated by blowing into nesota I had done a lot of snow skiing and jumping, so water-ski- a tube or pulling a cord that reing fit right in. We never heard of leased carbon dioxide. Waist and crotch straps kept it in place. The a ski-belt or vest, even going to AWSA (American Water Ski As- War Department paid him $1,600 for his invention in 1936. He used sociation) tournaments to compete. I continued to compete and I the money for a down payment on a house. was captain of the St. Petersburg Today’s PFDs are more comJr. College water-ski team in fortable to wear because they are 1958, when we won the World properly sized from child to adult.

Inter Collegiate Tournament.

They are also designed to be less Several weeks later Mr. bulky and are light weight and Kiekhaeffer (Mercury Outboards) comfortable, you hardly know wanted to set the record of most you are wearing one. Also if your skiers pulled by outboards. I and K-9 buddy boats with you they some of my teammates were part now have doggie PFD’s sized of the group of skiers. Mr. K’s from small to large. boat pulled 21 skiers with twin Today it is the law to have a Mark 78’s on a 21’ hydrodyne PFD that properly fits and is in hull. That same afternoon Joe good condition for each person on Cash (Cypress Gardens skier and board.

If you are stopped and champion), told all the skiers if boarded and fail to have the they wanted to do some more skiproper number of PFDs, you ing, jumping and slalom we likely will get a ticket. Keep this should go to the Sarasota Skeeain mind next spring when you are rees Club location in Sarasota. getting ready for boating season.

We all enjoyed jumping and the If you have any questions about slalom course. My friend Bobby the proper PFD or the boating Miller decided to make a few more jumps. He went off, fell but laws, call the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. didn’t surface. Joe and I started A great Christmas gift for your diving for him immediately and crew would be new PFDs. when we finally got him to the PFD designs shore it was too late. I always The U.S. Coast Guard has thought (and was even told) dropped the current life jacket Bobby’s death was one of the rea-

codes (Type I, II, III, IV, V) in order to introduce more comfortable innovative life jacket designs. This should reduce the cost and confusion and increase availability as the codes were unique to the U.S. This is the first step in adopting new standards to simplify life jacket requirements for recreational cruisers and makes life jacket requirements consistent across many countries.

A wider variety of sizes and lower cost from manufacturers should increase safety across the U.S. Despite the new standards current life jackets will still be legal although it is critical to ensure there is one properly fitting jacket for passengers on board. To check further go to: www.uscg.org/boating The holidays are upon us Christmas is upon us and captain and crew should make their lists. Maybe it’s an electronics device you want to upgrade to make cruising or fishing easier, maybe you need new lines and fenders.

If your crew is into water sports then one of the new tubes that will seat two or more, water-skis or wake boards may be the answers.

One Christmas I gave my father a new propeller, he was good

at finding skinny water. I wrapped it many times and put it in a large outboard motor box. The whole family had fun watching him try and find out what was in the box after he found out it wasn’t a new large outboard motor.

If you don’t have any ideas, go to West Marine’s website and browse through their wish book on line, you are sure to find a great gift: www.westmarine.com.

Now is the time to schedule you and your family for a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary boating class before next season starts. If you have youngsters approaching the age to be certified to pilot a personal water craft they need the ticket. Have the whole family attend and everyone will benefit.

Atlanta Boat Show The Atlanta Boat Show will be January 15-18, so mark your calendar. There will be something for everyone: fishermen, youngsters, water sports enthusiasts, and sailors. Make your list and mark your calendar.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Mike Rudderham is a veteran marine surveyor with more than 40 years experience in the marine industry.

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BE SAFE ON THE LAKE THIS WINTER!

December 2014

LAKESIDE 19

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20 LAKESIDE

December 2014

Blame Nuri for the early cold weather It began as an area of low pressure southeast of Guam in the western Pacific Ocean. There was little wind shear and a very warm ocean and this area of low pressure began to grow and get much stronger. In less than a week, it became a Super Typhoon named Nuri. And that is the name of the storm that brought us brutal cold in the middle of last month.

Super Typhoon Nuri was powerful and massive, spanning some 800 miles. Winds were sustained, sustained mind you, at 180 miles per hour with higher gusts when it moved just southeast of Japan. As the storm moved northeast into the northern Pacific, it started to tangle with the jet stream and was drawn toward the Bering Sea. As it did so, it began to feed on cold Canadian air and became a massive extratropical cyclone.

As it headed for the Bering Sea and Alaska it mushroomed into the most powerful storm in recorded history for the region. Ships and crab boats encountered 100 mph winds and waves, get this, over 50 feet high!

As the storm began riding the jet stream into the northwestern United States, it began pulling up so much warm air from the south, and so much cold air from the north, it caused the jet stream to buckle.

When that happened, it opened the flood gates to the North Pole and sent the jet stream all the way down to Texas and Gulf

Coast. Bitterly cold arctic air sank far south, blanketing areas from Glenn the Rocky Mountains to Burns the eastern seaboard with record cold temperLanier atures. While we did not Outlook see any record lows here in north Georgia, our temperatures last month, as many of you know, were more typical of mid-January.

As we enter the month of December, I know everyone wants cold weather, and of course, a white Christmas. From what I have seen, now that we don’t have any more typhoons to disrupt the normal weather patterns, we can pretty much look forward to typical December weather.

So what is typical December weather?

We can and do see thunderstorms and 70s in December. We see sleet and snow too. I think we’ll see the usual progression of warm ups and cool downs with bands of showers along each cold front. I am not seeing anything really extreme.

However, I do see the possibility of an extremely cold January and February. A white Christmas is certainly possible this year but the odds are certainly not in our favor, based on the past 30 years of climatology. We shall see.

I would like to take this time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful, happy, and prosperous New Year.

See you again in 2015!

Glenn Burns is chief meteorologist for WSB-TV in Atlanta.

SOLUNAR TIMES FOR LAKE LANIER

LAKE LANIER WATER LEVELS APR 1 1070.89 2 1070.78 3 1070.55 4 1070.38 5 1070.38 6 1070.51 7 1071.68 8 1072.01 9 1071.91 10 1071.66 11 1071.56 12 1071.64 13 1071.73 14 1071.86 15 1072.07 16 1072.01 17 1071.88 18 1071.88 19 1072.05 20 1072.12 21 1072.00 22 1071.87 23 1071.73 24 1071.59 25 1071.42 26 1071.50 27 1071.57 28 1071.40 29 1071.50 30 1071.58 31 AV 1071.52 MAX 1072.12 MI 1070.38

MAY 1071.35 1071.14 1071.20 1071.25 1071.19 1071.14 1071.10 1071.00 1070.96 1071.03 1071.08 1071.00 1070.95 1071.02 1071.11 1070.98 1071.04 1071.18 1071.18 1071.14 1071.14 1071.09 1071.04 1071.09 1071.12 1071.05 1071.02 1070.97 1070.97 1070.94 1071.01 1071.08 1071.35 1070.94

JUN 1071.12 1071.07 1071.03 1070.97 1070.94 1070.92 1070.95 1070.99 1070.94 1070.95 1070.93 1070.90 1070.89 1070.94 1070.95 1070.96 1070.92 1070.91 1070.86 1070.81 1070.83 1070.84 1070.84 1070.81 1070.79 1070.78 1070.75 1070.79 1070.82 1070.91

JUL 1070.91 1070.91 1070.85 1070.86 1070.82 1070.81 1070.79 1070.75 1070.71 1070.70 1070.65 1070.65 1070.65 1070.61 1070.57 1070.53 1070.47 1070.45 1070.77 1070.83 1070.82 1070.77 1070.71 1070.68 1070.63 1070.63 1070.63 1070.55 1070.48 1070.43 1070.38 1070.90 1070.68 1071.12 1070.91 1070.75 1070.38

AUG 1070.31 1070.28 1070.28 1070.24 1070.17 1070.09 1070.03 1070.03 1070.13 1070.18 1070.14 1070.10 1070.02 1069.97 1069.90 1069.89 1069.87 1069.83 1069.82 1069.76 1069.64 1069.50 1069.48 1069.47 1069.34 1069.21 1069.06 1068.96 1068.88 1068.88 1068.90 1069.75 1070.31 1068.88

SEPT 1068.87 1068.79 1068.91 1068.88 1068.82 1068.79 1068.79 1068.76 1068.72 1068.68 1068.65 1068.63 1068.64 1068.64 1068.60 1068.53 1068.50 1068.47 1068.42 1068.39 1068.36 1068.33 1068.29 1068.21 1068.16 1068.12 1068.06 1068.02 1067.96 1067.92

OCT 1067.88 1067.84 1067.86 1067.84 1067.78 1067.72 1067.68 1067.68 1067.68 1067.64 1067.71 1067.78 1067.76 1068.23 1068.40 1068.40 1068.42 1068.42 1068.44 1068.36 1068.31 1068.27 1068.20 1068.15 1068.12 1068.12 1068.07 1068.01 1067.95 1067.93 1067.81 1068.50 1068.01 1068.91 1068.44 1067.92 1067.64

SOLUNAR TIMES FOR LAKE LANIER

NOV 1067.81 1067.80 1067.80 1067.63 1067.58 1067.50 1067.45 1067.44 1067.39 1067.34 1067.27 1067.22 1067.12 1067.07 1067.05 1067.05 1067.25 1067.21 1067.18 1067.14 1067.12 1067.11 1067.33 1067.46 1067.48

December 2014

LAKESIDE 21

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22 LAKESIDE

December 2014

Preparing for winter for first time in years Bob and Carolyn Wilson, aboard Sea Island Girl, continue Lakeside's long running series of cruising adventures which began in the mid-1990s. To date we've had the Johnston family, Jean and Bill Bayman, and Mechelle and Bill Cooksey all contribute to the series. Bob and Carolyn boated on Lake Lanier until leaving for their adventure in 2002.

It has been awhile since we have spent the winter months in the U.S., and while the adventures of cruising continue to be a part of our long-term plan, we are giving it up this winter to go back to work. Those in the know say we have picked what is expected to be another cold, wintry season in Atlanta, but if snow comes it is something we never saw in the Bahamas.

Our boating friends are heading south, and some have already arrived in Abaco. They’ve planted a vegetable garden and raised the tent that we have used to be the headquarters for our evening get togethers. Some have begun volunteering at the library or the local school for special needs children where Carolyn would

Bob & Carolyn Wilson Cruising Wilsons

volunteer, while others are planning the annual Thanksgiving feast for those that will have arrived by then.

But you know, the Atlanta area has been beautiful this fall. The trees were radiating their red, yellow and golden colors, the like which we haven’t seen in years.

The temperatures have been acceptable for this pair of salty boaters. Our shorts and t-shirts have been relegated for indoor only use, and our shopping experience has been Senior Day at the local Goodwill where we have been able to re-load our winter clothing inventory in preparation for the upcoming cold weather.

Last winter we were watching TV while in the Bahamas as the Atlanta area was besieged with that major snow storm. Friends

were emailing us about how they got stuck on I-285 and local roadways for hours. Some sat idle for hours, and others spent the night in their offices. As we watched it was apparent that most everyone was affected in some way, while we sat watching the continuing accounts as we sat comfortably on the boat in our shorts trying to imagine how difficult it was for so many of our family and friends.

We are unsure as to what we can expect, but we are in it for the long run. Should we buy a generator in case the power goes out?

Should we stock up on water, candles or batteries? How much firewood should we buy? And what about charcoal for the grill?

Should we stock up in case we have to cook on the grill if the power goes out? These are things that have not been on the radar in 12 years. We haven’t been faced with this, so what do we need to do?

I imagine the readers that went through last year’s snow storm have their own stories of how they managed their lives. We have heard of those that spent the night

From the Crusing Wilsons! in their cars. A few of the teachers at Carolyn’s school spent their night sleeping on the children’s nap-time cots because they could not drive home on the icy roads.

Hopefully, everyone will be better prepared should history repeat itself.

An advantage of being semiretired is that we are beyond the years of having schedules that must be met. Having a homebased office there are no time clocks to punch and no one watching my desk to see if I arrived on time. We can do any errands after the morning traffic settles down, and can get back home before 4 in the afternoon in

time to miss the maddening drive time rush.

With this being our first winter in Atlanta in twelve years, we understand that there will be a few surprises. Hopefully the weatherman will cooperate and we will be able to enjoy the holiday season with friends and family for the first time in a long while.

We would like to wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable holiday season as we look forward to what we hope will be a bright, secure and prosperous New Year.

- Until next time, Bob & Carolyn Wilson

MORE INFO: cruiswils@gmail.com or www.cruisingwilson.blogspot.com

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December 2014

LAKESIDE 23

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24 LAKESIDE

December 2014

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December 2014

LAKESIDE 25

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26 LAKESIDE

December 2014

Lakeside Calendar December 2014 Dec. 5, 6 – “Sing A Song of Christmas” presented by the Voices of North Georgia. Times: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $15, adults; $12, seniors/students; $5, children under 11. Info: 678-3911545; voicesofnorthgeorgia.com.

Dec. 5-7, 11-14 – “A Christmas Chaos,” presented by Habersham Community Theatre at 1370 Washington St., Clarkesville. Info: 706839-1315.

Dec. 5-7, 12-14, 19-21 – “White Christmas” presented at Holly Theater, 69 W. Main St., Dahlonega. Info: www.hollytheater.com, 706 864-3759.

Dec. 6 – “A Christmas of Blessings” art show, held 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at Sarah’s Lavender Cottage, 450 Bybrook Trl, Clarkesville. Free.

Info: 706-754-9200.

Dec. 6 – Holiday Open House from 10 a.m.4 p.m. at Lyndon House Arts Center, 293 Hoyt St., Athens. Free. Info: 706-613-3623l; athensclarkecounty.com/holidayevents.

Dec. 6, 13, 20 – Mingle with Kringle from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Main Street Market, Gainesville square. Free. Info: 770-531-2664; exploregainesville.org.

Dec. 7 – Christmas on Green Street starting at 4:30 p.m. on Green Street in Gainesville.

Free. Info: 770-531-2664; exploregainesville.org.

Dec. 17-21 – Christmas in the Park at Cornelia Community House and Cornelia City Park features Ice skating ($5 admission), hayride ($1), crafts in the elf workshop, carolers, visit with Santa and a Christmas market for last minute gifts. Hours: 6-9 p.m., Wed./Thurs.; 511 p.m., Fri./Sat.; 2-8 p.m., Sun. Info: 706-7788585, ext. 280.

Dec. 18 – The John Berry Christmas Show, benefiting Challenged Child & Friends, will held at 7:30 p.m. at Carlos and Sandra Cervantes Theatre (located on Riverside Military Academy Campus in Gainesville. Tickets: $30 & $35, available online at miltonmartinhonda. com; challengedchild.org. Info: 770-535-8372.

Thru Dec. 24 – Season of Giving Show held at Sautee Nacoochee Center, 283 GA. 255

North, Sautee. Features 200 juried artists in Center Gallery and Gallery Too. Free.

Info: snca.org.

Thru Dec. 31 – Holiday Light Spectacular in Cornelia held from dusk to 11 p.m. daily at Cornelia City Park, Wyly St. Info: 706-7788585, ext. 280; exploregainesville.org.

Dec. 31 – “Elvis and Friends” New Year’s Eve, presented by Habersham Community Theatre at 1370 Washington St., Clarkesville.

Admission: $25/person. Features Ken Culbertson’s Tribute to Elvis, dessert and a glass of champagne. Show starts at 8 p.m. Info: 706-839-1315.

Brenau University Dec. 5-7 – “The Nutcracker,” presented by the Gainesville Ballet Co., performed in Brenau’s Pearce Auditorium. Times: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 5; 2 & 7:30 p.m., Dec. 6; 2 p.m., Dec. 7.

Admission: $11-30.

Info: 770-532-4241; www.gainesvilleballet.org.

Buford Community Center Dec. 4-19 – “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” presented at 8 p.m., ThursdaySaturday; 3 p.m., Sunday.

Dec. 20 – Glory Crampton, accomplished soprano solo artist and Broadway leading lady known for roles in “Phantom,” “My Fair Lady,” and “Camelot,” to name a few, performs at 7:30 p.m.

All shows are presented in Sylvia Beard Theatre unless otherwise noted.

Info: www.bufordcommunitycenter.com.

Cumming Playhouse Dec. 16 – North Georgia Barbershop Singers Christmas Concert Thru Dec. 21 – Christmas Carol, presented by the Gypsy Theatre Co. Dec. 31 – China Grove “Doobie Brothers Tribute Band,” (two shows) Jan. 9-11 – “Me & 4 Others,” 50s and 60s

Present Info: www.negahc.com

Rock ‘n Roll Info/times: 770-781-9178; www.playhousecumming.com.

Interactive Neighborhood for Kids Dec. 1-5 – Christmas Ornament Craft Week Dec. 6 – Canvas Painting Class, will feature painting Owls. Times: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for ages 12+. Admission: $35/person, which includes all supplies.

Dec. 8-14 – Christmas Card Week Dec. 15-21 – Reindeer Week, make own reindeer antlers to wear Dec. 22-24, 26 – Santa Craft Week, make a thank you gift for Santa. INK will close at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve. (12/24); and will be closed Christmas Day. Dec. 29-Jan. 2 – New Year’s Craft Week, make fun crafts to celebrate New Year Dec. 31 – INK’s New Year’s Eve Celebration with special New Year’s Eve Parade at noon and 4 p.m.

Info: www.inkfun.org.

Lanier Islands Thru Dec. 31 – Lanier Islands Christmas, 5-10 p.m. nightly, features skate for free at Coca Cola Polar Rink, carnival rides, Santa visits and shopping.

Info: 770-945-8787; www.lanierislands.com.

North Atlanta Trade Center Dec. 6-7 – Atlanta’s Exotic Bird Fair Dec. 12-14 – Gem, Mineral, Fossil & Jewelry Shows Dec. 13-14 – Eastman’s Gun Show Jan. 9-11 – Georgia RV & Camper Show Jan. 17 – Golden Spike Train Show Jan. 23-25 – Great American Motorcycle Show Info: www.northatlantatradecenter.com.

Northeast Georgia History Center Dec. 7 – Family Day—Christmas Past to

Piedmont College Dec. 5, 6 – Service of Lessons and Carols, the 26th annual service held in the Center for Worship and Music in Demorest, features the Piedmont College Chorale, the Brass Choir and Joy Hagner on the Sewell Organ, as well as readings, carols and anthems. Time: 7:30 p.m. for both performances. Free.

Info: piedmont.edu.

Quinlan Arts Center Thru Dec. 6 – 67th Annual Members Exhibition and opening reception is Oct. 16 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6, 7 – Handcrafted for the Holidays gift ideas featured at the center at 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville. Times: noon-4 p.m., Dec. 6; 1-7 p.m., Dec. 7.

Dec. 7 – Holiday Craft Party for Kids as part of Christmas on Green Street, Quinlan Arts Center holds the party for kids at 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 11 – Winter Exhibitions Opening Reception, 5:30-7 p.m.

Info: www.quinlanartscenter.org.

Tannery Row Artist Colony Thru Dec. 7 – “Tell Me What you Want, What you Really Really Want” features Tannery Row artists holiday presentation.

Dec. 6, 7 – North Georgia Art Ramble, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., is a self-guided tour featuring 44 local artists, 36 studios and12 galleries hosting USA Artists.

Dec. 13-Jan.17 – “Winners Circle” highlights three prize winners of juried show Info: 770-904-0572; www.tanneryrowartistcolony.com.

University of North Georgia Dec. 1 – “Of Love and Remembrance” musical performance in Oakwood at Ed Cabell Theatre, UNG-Gainesville Campus Info: www.ung.edu.

Sailing Club Events Club

Event

Day

Date

DECEMBER 2014 LLSC SSC UYC LARC

Pig & Rum Thistles Bill Sears #5 Boat Parade of Lights Fall #5 - (UYC 5)

Sat Sat Sat Sun

12/06 12/06 12/06 12/07

2015 DATES JANUARY 2015 BFSC/SSC Poker Run/Mad Hatter Thur LARC Winter #1 - LLSC Hosts Sat LLSC Laser Frostbite#1 Sun SSC Ice Breaker #1 Sun SSC Ice Breaker #2 Sat LLSC Laser Frostbite#2 Sun LARC Winter #2 - UYC Hosts Sun LARC Winter #3 - AISC Hosts Sat LLSC Laser Frostbite#3 Sun SSC Ice Breaker #3 Sat LLSC Laser Frostbite#4 Sun LLSC 1064 Sat

01/01 01/03 01/04 01/04 01/10 01/11 01/11 01/17 01/18 01/24 01/25 01/31

Club

Event

Day

Date

Club

Event

UYC

UYC Spring #2

Sat

01/31

Sun Sun Sat Sun Sun Sat Sat/Sun Sun Sun Sat Sun Sat Sat

02/01 02/01 02/07 02/08 02/08 02/14 02/14-15 02/15 02/15 02/21 02/22 02/28 02/28

UYC BFSC LLSC LLSC SSC UYC SSC LLSC AISC

UYC Spring 4 Sun 03/08 Dorton 1 Sat 03/14 Flying Tiger #3 Sat/Sun 03/14-15 GA Tech Collegiate Regatta Sat 03/14 Nippert #3 Sun 03/15 Comm Cup/UYC Spring 5 Sat 03/21 Nipper #4 Sat 03/21 Atlanta Cup J24/J22 Sat/Sun 03/21-22 Dogwood Regatta/Wed Night Sign-up Fri 03/27 Dogwood Regatta Sat/Sun 03/28-29

FEBRUARY 2015 LLSC SSC UYC LLSC LARC SSC LLSC LLSC UYC LARC LLSC SSC LLSC

Laser Frostbite #5 Ice Breaker #4 Hot Ruddered Bum Laser Frostbite #6 Winter #4 - SSC Hosts Ice Breaker #5 Flying Tiger #2 Laser Frostbite #7 UYC Spring 3 Winter #5 - BFSC Hosts Laser Frostbite #8 Nippert #1 Laser Southerns Regatta

MARCH 2015 LLSC LLSC SSC

Laser Southerns Regatta Sun PHRF Championship Sat Nippert #2 Sun

03/01 03/07 03/08

AISC

Day

Date

These races are open to non-club members interested in connecting with the racing scene on Lake Lanier. For more information, visit www.SailLanier.com and click on the club that's hosting the race.

LARC - Lanier Auxiliary Racing Committee AISC - Atlanta Inland Sailing Club BFSC - Barefoot Sailing Club LLSC - Lake Lanier Sailing Club UYC - University Yacht Club

For the complete 2015 sailing calender, visit our website at www.lakesidenews.com/sailing-calendar.

December 2014

LAKESIDE 27

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December 2014

LAKESIDE 35

Hall County’s best-kept secret making comeback

Flowery Branch Main Street celebrates the holidays with shoppping, festivals Upchurch remembers the Shore Lines area’s first revitalization in the From the fascinating to the remarkable, Lake Lanier harbors many personalities and places along its shores. Lakeside presents “Shore Lines” – stories about people who live, work and play around the lake and the places that make the area special.

By Pamela A. Keene n first glance, Main Street Flowery Branch can be deceiving, seemingly quiet and unassuming.

But the charming downtown is on a strong comeback with restaurants, retail, specialty stores and art/antique galleries drawing shoppers to the other side of the tracks from Atlanta Highway on the west side of I-985.

The town is located a stone’s throw from Lake Lanier, with a city park along the lake’s shoreline.

“People who find us tell me all the time that they didn’t even know we are here,” said Janet Upchurch, long-time Main Street Flowery Branch merchant and owner of Sample Pleasures, one of the street’s anchors and longtime businesses. “All of us are working really hard to continue to build the identity of our downtown and let people know we’re here and open for business.”

The downtown merchants – nearly 25 of them – have formed the Flowery Branch Business Owners Association and, working in tandem with city officials, the

group sponsors festivals, arts and craft shows throughout the year.

A weekly farmers’ market on Thursday afternoons during the growing season features local fare, including vegetables, fresh meats, vine-ripe tomatoes and other specialties.

“A lot of new businesses are coming to Main Street, especially with the area’s redevelopment over the next 10 years,” said Patty Phillips, owner of Calliope Sweets Phillips bakery and president of the Flowery Branch Business Owners Association for 2014. “The city has worked really hard with us to make us a destination and we’re almost completely occupied. If you haven’t visited Main Street lately, it’s time you came to see us.”

Holiday celebrations Main Street is hosting a parade and Christmas celebration, complete with a visit from Santa, on Saturday, December 6. Street vendors, children’s activities and the first annual Miss Flowery Branch Contest – limited to contestants at least 70 years of age – will highlight the afternoon and evening.

Upchurch’s Sample Pleasures is the downtown’s longest-operating non-government tenant. Janet and her husband Gray purchased several buildings on Main Street in the mid-1980s and have seen the changes over the past 30 years. They sold some of the properties but still own the building where Sample Pleasures is located, as well as the town’s old jail. “It’s amazing the amount of renovation that’s taken place here,” she said. “Our store used to be an old barber shop with a toilet and sink in the front winPHOTO BY ALAN HOPE Main Street Flowery Branch is designated as dow. We transformed it into what it is today.” a Historic District.

O

early 1990s, when the town was occupied by antique stores and one of the area’s most popular restaurants at the time, Major McGills, But as development burgeoned in the rest of South Hall County, Flowery Branch’s Main Street sort of fell off the radar.

Second time around “We’re in the second revitalization now, and things are going very well,” she said. “The main thing we need is for people to come out and support us,” she said. “With the diversity of retail shops and dining – plus professional services offices above some of the stores – I can really see that it’s taking off now. It’s so rewarding and positive, and we’re all working together.”

While Sample Pleasures anchors the east end of Main Street, Antebellum Restaurant is the exclamation point on the west end.

Proprietors Nick and Alison St. Clair moved into the former Flowery Branch Yacht Club almost 30 months ago and have created a casual fine-dining restaurant that’s attracted the attention of Atlanta food critics, bringing diners from the metro area to downtown Flowery Branch.

“We knew Flowery Branch was the location for us as soon as we saw the area,” said St. Clair, an award-winning chef who is gaining renown for his creative cuisine. “We fell in love with Flowery Branch and the setting – it has a lot of character – and we haven’t looked back since.”

Spirit of cooperation The couple strongly supports the revitalization of Main Street, reaching out to other businesses to create special events, such as the summer’s beer-pairing dinner in partnership with Growlers on Main. The event sold out within a few hours of being announced and showcased one of the newest businesses downtown – Growlers – that features nearly two dozen craft beers on tap for take-away purchase.

St. Clair speaks highly of the cooperative spirit among the merchants and business owners in downtown. “We couldn’t have had better support from people here, like Karen Ching with Liberty Candy Company, and the other folks in downtown. It’s wonderful how everyone works together and it’s great to see the

PHOTO BY PAMELA A. KEENE

New Buford residents Kenny and Denise Overman recently discovered Sample Pleasures on Main Street.

growth and vitality.”

Common Grounds Coffee Shop, another long-time business on Main Street, brings customers downtown every day but Sunday.

Serving breakfast and lunch, the popular café also hosts community meetings and several weekly Bible-Study groups.

Gene Burch manages Common Grounds for building owner Randy Dill. “We have a number of long-term regular customers who Burch tell their friends and families and people just keep coming back,” Burch said.

“We’ve got some people from other parts of the country who come here every time they’re on vacation in this area.” Burch calls Common Grounds “Cheers without the beers,” but he’s quick to add that customers can just go across the street to Growlers for that.

Ashley and Alan Davenport opened Growlers last summer and have seen steady growth in their

customer base. “We chose Old Town Flowery Branch because of its hometown feel and the character of the town,” he said. “And we all cross-promote each other, which is good for everyone – the businesses and the customers.”

Growler’s hosts Firkin Fridays on the third Friday of each month with a special event that attracts area residents. “There’s an excellent synergy here among the businesses. We tend to support all things local, like local charities and each other. It’s a great place.”

Other businesses in the immediate area include LakeView Art Center, owned by Karron Denaple, and Sport Shooting Firearms, owned by John Dempsey. Dempsey will take over the Flowery Branch Business Owners Association as president in 2015. The City of Flowery Branch, including City Hall, the administrative offices and the police department, occupies space on both sides of Main Street.

Downtown Flowery Branch is also embracing the businesses along Atlanta Highway.

See Shore Lines, page 48

36 LAKESIDE

December 2014

Get set for a blizzard; SnowWorld comes to Lanier Islands

By Pamela A. Keene Don your hats, mittens and scarves to experience the firstever SnowWorld at Lanier Islands this month.

With five speed slides and 13 snow-tubing lanes, Lake Lanier’s summertime resort is turning to old man winter for extended family fun through the first couple of months of the new year.

In honor of the season, the resort has transformed itself into a winter wonderland with manmade snow, fire pits for making s’mores, ice skating and a special area for children’s activities.

With descriptive names like the Himalayas, Arctic Gap and Ice Kingdom, rides at SnowWorld will entertain all members of the family.

Additionally, through the end of the year, the resort is hosting Lanier Islands Christmas with millions of sparkling lights throughout the property.

Santa will be on hand to hear children’s Christmas wishes. Free Chapel will present the Living Nativity on select nights during Lanier Islands Christmas.

After Lanier Islands Christmas closes, SnowWorld will continue

to be open. Sunset Cove Restaurant and Giannni’s will be open during both events for dining.

Admission to Lanier Islands Christmas is $30 per car.

Admission to SnowWorld for children under 42 inches tall is $24.99; for adults over 42 inches tall admission is $34.99. Season passes are available at $84.99.

MORE INFO: www.lanierislands.com/snowworld

Kids rolling a snowball at Sunset Cove.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LANIER ISLAND

Georgia sues Corps over ACT water supply requests

By Jane Harrison More lawsuits been filed in the quest for water.

On Nov. 7 Georgia, along with the Atlanta Regional Commission and Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority filed suit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over delayed action on water supply requests from the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) River Basin.

The suit alleges that the Corps has not addressed requests by state and local leaders for additional water from Allatoona Lake.

It accuses the Corps of failing to consider the water requests in its on-going work on a water control plan for the lake.

“It is frustrating to find the Corps unwilling to do what it has committed to do in the adjoining Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) basin – namely address the issue of ad-

ditional water supply need at the same time the water control manual is being updated,” said Gov. Nathan Deal. Corps Spokesperson Pat Robbins declined comment.

The suits were filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Georgia is already involved in one lawsuit over water and threatened to file another more than a year ago.

The U.S. Supreme Court last month appointed a special master to preside over proceedings in the Florida v. Georgia lawsuit over water in the Apalachicola-ChattahoocheeFlint river basin. Georgia’s 2013 General Assembly threatened to sue Tennessee over a boundary dispute.

The state has not carried out its threat aimed at securing access to a tributary Tennessee claims is within its state lines.

Merry Christmas from Lakeside!

December 2014

LAKESIDE 37

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38 LAKESIDE

December 2014

To Benefit Special Olympics Georgia

Saturday, February 21, 2015 LanierWorld at Sunset Cove 11:00 am Gates Open • 1:30 pm Plunge Enjoy food, fun, music, games and the new SNOW WORLD at Lake Lanier!

For complete event information and to register, go to: www.plungega.org

Plunge and Support the 26,703 Athletes of SOGA! More Info: lucy.faxon@specialolympicsga.org

December 2014

LAKESIDE 39

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December 2014

2014 Holiday Events From snow tubing to caroling, Santa visits to Edelweiss dropping, the Lake Lanier region and nearby mountains brim with holiday festivities. Here’s a sample: SnowWorld, Buford. Snow slides, speed slides, snow tubing, ice skating, fire pits, carnival rides and more, Lake Lanier Islands Resort, 7000 Lanier Islands Pkwy. Daily admission children $19.99, adults $34.99; season passes and family admission also available. www.snowworldga.com, 770-9458787.

Lanier Islands Christmas Light Tour, Buford. Former Magical Nights of Lights with drive through tour, Holiday Village, skating, bon fire, amusement rides, Santa visits, live nativity, through Dec. 31, Lake Lanier Islands Resort, 7000 Lanier Islands Pkwy. $20-$50. www.snowworldga.com, 770-945-8787.

Festival of Trees, Helen. View beautifully decorated trees and wreaths in lodge at Unicoi State Park, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. through Dec. 12; trees/wreaths go to highest bidders 2 p.m.

Dec. 13, 1788 Hwy. 356. $5 parking. (706) 878-2201, Ext. 305.

Old Fashioned Christmas, Dahlonega.

Tree lighting, Santa visits, outdoor movie, music, sleigh bell tour, trolley rides, parade, live nativity and more through Dec. 21. See www.dahlonega.org for schedule.

Oakwood Christmas Celebration. Choir performances, free hot chocolate, marshmallow toasting, ornament making, pictures with Santa, 5-9 p.m. Dec. 5; Santa arrives by fire engine 6 p.m. Bring canned or non-perishable food item for pantry. www.cityofoakwood.net.

Buford Holiday Parade & Festival.

Santa arrives in parade on Main Street Downtown 11 a.m., festival and performances 12:30- 5 p.m. Dec. 6. www.visitbuford.com.

Christmas at the Gorge, Tallulah Falls.

Santa visits, snacks, crafts, 1-3:30 p.m. Dec. 6, Tallulah Gorge State Park, 338 Jane Hurt Yarn Dr. $5 parking. www.gastateparks.org, 706-754-7981.

Holiday Festival/Christmas Tree Lighting, Flowery Branch. Holiday market, parade, hayrides, refreshments, live music, Santa visits, tree lighting, 2-6 p.m. Dec. 6, 5517 Main St. www.flowerybranchga.org.

Christmas Parade, Helen. Festivities in Alpine-themed village include parade, Santa visits, holiday market, and more; parade 2-3 p.m. Dec. 6, Downtown Helen. www.helenga.org.

Christmas in the Mountains, Cleveland.

Old fashioned Christmas with carols, hot cocoa and cookies, kids’ activities, crafts, food booths and more, 3-8 p.m. Dec. 6, Downtown Cleveland. www.whitecountychamber.org.

Christmas on Green Street, Gainesville.

Traditional celebration by Hall County Historical Society features decorated historic houses open to visitors, docents in Victorian costumes, caroling, carriage rides, kiddie train rides, Santa visit, antique car parade and more, 4:45-7:15 p.m. Dec. 7, Historic Green St. www.hallcountyhistoricalsociety.org.

Christmas in Cumming. Arts & Craft Festival 4-10 p.m. Dec. 12, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Dec. 13; hayrides 7-10 p.m. Dec. 12; photos

with Santa, 6-9 p.m. Dec. 12, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.

Dec. 13, Cumming Fairgrounds, 235 Castleberry Rd. www.cummingfair.net.

Pancakes with Santa, Gainesville/Flowery Branch. Breakfast, crafts, photos with Santa, 10 a.m.-noon Dec. 13, North Hall Community Center, 4175 Nopone Rd., and Mulberry Creek Community Center, 4491 J.M. Turk Rd. $6 for one child (includes two adults), $2 additional child in same family.770-535-8280.

Christmas Tree Lighting, Blairsville.

Lighting of 35-foot blue spruce, caroling, hayrides, Santa visits, three bonfires, hot chocolate, cider and cookies. Bring unwrapped gift for child age 12 or under, Dec. 13, Vogel State Park, 405 Vogel State Park Rd. www.gastateparks.org, 706-745-2628.

Dropping of the Edelweiss/New Year’s Party, Helen. Music, food, party hats & favors, dancing, champagne toast, 8 p.m. Dec. 31, Helen Festhalle, 1074 Edelweiss Strasse. $15 person, $25 couple, $7.50 kids 6-12, free to kids 5 and younger. www.helenga.org.

First Day Hike, Blairsville. four mile hike on Bear Hair Trail led by Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, 9-11 a.m. Jan. 1, Vogel State Park, 405 Vogel State Park Rd. $5 parking. www.gastateparks.org, 706-745-2628.

First Day Hike, Tallulah Falls. Moderate 3.5 mile guided hike along gorge rim and through the woods for ages 8 and older, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 1, Tallulah Gorge State Park, 338 Jane Hurt Yard Dr. $5, plus $5 parking. www.gastateparks.org, 706-754-7981.

Polar Bear Swim, Gainesville. Participants jump into Lake Lanier solo or in groups; costume, splash, youngest/oldest jumper contests, noon Jan. 1, Lake Lanier Olympic Venue,

PHOTO COURTESY DAHLONEGA-LUMPKIN COUNTY CHAMBER & VISITORS BUREAU

Downtown Dahlonega is decorated for a month of holiday festivities in an Old Fashioned Christmas.

3105 Clarks Bridge Rd. $25 individuals, $50 family of 4. www.lckc.org.

First Day Hike, Lake Lanier. Guided hike will explore backcountry where new trail is planned with two-mile cross country adventure on old road beds, hills, ridges and valleys, 2 p.m. Jan. 1, Don Carter State Park, 5000 N. Browning Bridge Rd. Limited to 15 participants. Call to register. $5, plus $5 parking. 678-450-7726, www.gastateparks.org.

First Day Hike, Winder. .5 mile hike on Bird Berry Trail along Marbury Creek, ADA accessible, 2 p.m. Jan. 1, Fort Yargo State Park, 210 S. Broad St. $5. www.gastateparks.org, 770-867-3489.

- Compiled by Jane Harrison

Outdoor Activity Calendar Full Moon Suspension Bridge Hike, Tallulah Falls. Mile and a half night hike to suspension bridge over falls, 5:45-7:45 p.m.

Grounded Pursuits Dec. 5, 6:15-8:15 p.m. Dec. 6, Tallulah Gorge State Park, 338 Jane Hurt Yarn Dr. Wrenched Bicycle Shop Rides, Gainesville. 25, 40 and 60 mile rides, 9:30 Register in advance. $5 plus $5 parking. a.m. Saturdays, 328 N. Bradford St. www.gastateparks.org, 706-754-7981. www.wrenchedbicycles.com.

Santa Sprint 5K/Fun Run, Gainesville.

Sunday Kroger Rides, Gainesville. Base 8/9 a.m. Dec. 6, Frances Meadows Athletic pace road bike rides averaging 40-60 miles Field, 1545 Community Way. $25. www.acroll out at 1:15 p.m. Sundays from Kroger tive.com. parking lot on Thompson Bridge Rd. or from Jingle Bear Jog 5K, Buford. 8 a.m. Dec. other locations. Contact: velocraig@hot6, Twin Rivers Elementary School, 2300 mail.com.

Braselton Hwy. rob@fundracers.com, 678985-3921.

ISI Cycling, Gainesville. Group road cycling for all speeds and levels in North Hall Santa Shuffle 5K, Buford. 8:30 a.m. Dec. area, mountain biking at Chicopee Woods, 6, Historic Downtown Buford, 396 E. Main see www.isicycling.com.

St. $25, $30 race day. www.active.com, www.fivestarntp.com.

Trail Crew Work, Gainesville. Work to improve nature center trails, tools and train Braselton 2K/8K Run for Reading. ing provided; bring water, lunch and gloves, 8:30/9 a.m. Dec. 6, Braselton Park, Harri10 a.m-3 p.m. Dec. 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 24, 31, son/Frances St. $18/$25.

Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee www.runnersfit.com.

Dr. Call to register. www.elachee.org, 770 Jingle Jog 5K, Cumming. 8:30 a.m. Dec. 535-1976.

6, Cumming Town Center, 2086 Marketplace Blvd. $25, $30 race day. www.active.com.

Hardman Farm Guided Tours, Sautee Nacoochee. Tours of Hardman House and First Visit Tour, Helen. Learn more about 145-year-old former governor’s farm across the park with van tour to covered bridge, from Nacoochee Indian Mound, 9 a.m., 11 Dukes Creek, cottages, 10-11:30 a.m. Dec. a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. Dec. 5-7, 12-14, 19-20, 6, Smithgall Woods State Park, 61 Tsalaki corner Ga. Highway 17/75. $8 adults, $7 sen- Trl. $5 parking. www.gastateparks.org, 706iors older than 62, $5 children 6-17, $3 chil- 878-3087. dren younger than 6. Register in advance.

Using a Hand Held GPS Unit, Helen.

678-878-1077.

Learn to load maps and waypoints, create See Lake Lanier Olympic Venue Calendar for canoe/kayak and rowing activities.

tracks, routes and trip planning; basic knowledge of GPS necessary prior to course, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 6, Smithgall Woods State Park, 61 Tsalaki Trl. $30 plus $5 parking. www.gastateparks.org, 706-878-3087.

Dingo CX, Alto. Georgia Cyclocross Season Finale with USA Cycling sanctioned races in all categories begins at 10 a.m., with free kids’ races at noon Dec. 6-7, Hayes auto dealership, 3656 Ga. 365. $25-$30. www.georgiacx.com.

Lanier Running Club, Gainesville. Club meeting, 7 p.m. Dec. 8, Re-cess Southern Gastro Pub, 118 Bradford St., NW. www.lanierrunningclub.org.

Brown Bag Lunch Series, Gainesville.

Learn about “Amphibians of North Georgia” in first of season’s lunch/lecture series, 12:302 p.m. Dec. 11, Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Dr. $10 donation appreciated. www.elachee.org, 770-535-1976.

Reindeer Run 5K/10K, Dawsonville. 8:30 a.m. Dec. 13, Dawsonville City Hall, 415 Hwy. 53. $25 by Dec. 11, $30 after. www.active.com, www.fivestarntp.com.

Holiday Hustle 5K, Gainesville. 9 a.m.

Dec. 13, Allen Creek Soccer Complex, 2400 Allen Creek Rd. $25. www.active.com.

It’s a RUNderful Life 6K/3K, Dahlonega.

9 a.m. Dec. 13, 28 North Grove St. $35/$25. www.active.com.

Don Carter State Park Work Day, Gainesville. Volunteers help with various projects, wear work clothes and gloves, 9 a.m.-

noon Dec. 13, 5000 N. Browning Bridge Rd. 678-450-7726.

Hooty Hustle 5K, Gainesville. 10 a.m.

Dec. 13, New Holland Knowledge Academy, 170 Barn St. $30. www.runnersfit.com.

Jingle Jog 5K/Elf Run, Suwanee. Individual and team races, 8 a.m. Dec. 20, Lambert High School, 805 Nichols Rd. $115-$25. www.active.com, www.jinglejog.com.

Five Star 5K/10K Championships, Cumming. Open only to 2014 Five Star NTP age group winners, 8:30 a.m. Dec. 20, North Forsyth Middle School, 3845 Coal Mountain Rd. $30. www.active.com, www.fivestarntp.com.

Brasstown Bald Buster 5K, Hiawassee.

11 a.m. Dec. 21. Race begins at foot of Brasstown Bald; park at Visitors Center, Hwy 180, and shuttle down to start. $25 early, $30 late. www.active.com, www.georgiarunner.com.

ETCC Embrace 5K, Gainesville. 9:30 a.m. Jan. 1, Candler Field, 528 Prior St. $25

by Dec. 15, $30 after. www.runnersfit.com.

Chilly Willy 5K, Oakwood. 8:30 a.m.

Jan. 3, Steak ‘N’ Shake, 3525 Thurmond Tanner Pkwy. $25 by Dec. 5, $30 after. www.fivestarntp.com, www.active.com.

- Compiled by Jane Harrison MORE INFO: Additions/corrections lakesidenews@mindspring.com

December 2014

LAKESIDE 41

• Litigation Continued from Page 14 The remainder was secreted behind closed doors; with some meetings only between the eight executive committee members.

The reason for the secrecy: to avoid having their research on water-sharing being tweaked into evidence in a lawsuit.

Three days after ACFS adjourned, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Florida’s request to consider its complaint that Georgia

was hoarding water, causing environmental and economic harm downstream in the Apalachicola region. Within a month, the court appointed a special master to oversee proceedings and make recommendations.

It’s possible that any settlement of the conflict may rest in federal hands, despite ACFS work on a scientific plan to equitably divvy up the water and form a tri-

state institution to handle water policy. ACFS Chairman Jim McClatchey said the suit’s progression in the Supreme Court does not derail ACFS plans or its resolve. “I don’t think it has any affect at all ... (Litigation) is a whole separate process that’s going to take years,” he said. He echoed ACFS core belief that the states can settle water differences without court intervention.

SWMP, he responded they encompass “every issue you can imagine.”

Prior to the final day of the October meeting, only the executive committee had access to the SWMP draft. Its content was to be presented to board members the next day. The agenda for the last day included: “Learn about what is in the draft SWMP and remaining issues. Provide input” and “Discuss the status, milestones and approach to consensus on the plan.”

McClatchey said he was hope-

ful the SWMP would be ready the first quarter of 2015.

Less than a month after the ACFS meeting, Florida’s lawsuit advanced in Supreme Court, where a special master was appointed to oversee proceedings and offer a recommendation. McClatchey said the court’s moves do not affect ACFS resolve. He predicted litigation would take years. In the meantime, ACFS will continue to work on options to present to state and federal governments, he said.

• ACFS Continued from Page 14 sociation, said committee members had not had time to review scientific data Georgia Tech presented a day prior to the public meeting. Instead of voting on a completed SWMP, the board voted to continue working on it. By the organization’s charter, all 50-plus ACFS members must vote “yes” in order to approve any action.

“Work remains to be done” and discussions had in executive session, McClatchey said.

Asked to reveal the “sticking points” remaining in the

But, it’s not an easy process.

Completion of the group’s main work – a Sustainable Water Management Plan (SWMP) – has been delayed at least six months.

Board members have asked for additional research from university graduate students on the plan to handle drought management, water consumption, and other issues that have plagued the states for decades. Exhaustive research is imperative in designing a SWMP that every board member can live with. Votes at meetings are preceded by the question: “Is there anybody here who can’t live with that motion?” If one member cannot accept a motion, it goes back to the drawing board. McClatchey said consensus has not been reached on the SWMP. It may come up for a vote in early 2015, he said.

Although state officials will not comment on their familiarity with ACFS efforts, McClatchey said environmental department representatives from each state are aware of them and formerly attended ACFS meetings. ACFS ceased communications with state governments after Florida filed suit against Georgia in October

2013. The organization’s executive committee has secreted SWMP content from the public and the full governing board.

Representatives from Georgia and Florida governors’ offices and legal agencies also declined to comment about whether they have considered ACFS efforts to settle water disputes out of court.

University researchers at the ACFS October meeting urged members get word out to the public that the private, non-profit group is working toward resolution. Laurie Fowler, head of a university contingent researching the SWMP, recommended members submit editorials to area publications describing “why it’s in everybody’s interests to work across boundaries and why litigation doesn’t make sense to find a permanent solution” to the water wars.

McClatchey said the group has not pursued a letter-writing campaign, but is “working real hard” to come up with a plan to submit to the state and federal officials.

“It will then be up to the governments and congress (whether) to work with our plan” to make peace between the states.

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December 2014

commissioners to discuss Corps parks lease Corps seeking comments, Forsyth It was conducted by the The Forsyth Commission

By Jane Harrison county’s Geographic Information voted to do the required accessiThe Forsyth County Board of input on community docks Commissioners is expected to dis- bility study of the parks at its Au- Services Department.

By Pamela A. Keene Now through December 15, the Corps of Engineers is accepting comments about a proposed revision to the community docks policy at Lake Lanier. The original policy set a deadline of December 1, 2014, as the expiration date for undeveloped communities to obtain an approved Local Issuing Authority (LIA) final plat.

“These permittees were given until December 1, 2014, to obtain an approved LIA final plat,” said E. Patrick Robbins, Public Affairs Officer in the Corps Mobile District Office.

“However, since the economy didn’t recover as anticipated,

several of these developments are just now getting to a point of being able to move forward.”

The Corps is proposing to change the SMP to allow these permittees to have until the expiration of their current permit to obtain the LIA. As part of the process of revising the policy, the Corps is accepting public comment until 4:30 p.m. ET on Monday, December 15.

Comments may be emailed to docks.lanier@usace.army. mil, with the “2014 SMP Update” in the subject line, or mailed to Lake Sidney Lanier, Shoreline Management, C/O 2014 SMP Update, P.O. Box 567, Buford, GA 30515.

Corps updates status of dock permit requests The Lake Lanier Project Management Office of the Corps of Engineers announced the availability of the remaining dock permits by normal procedures on September 16, 2014.

As of November 17, 12 site visits have been completed.

Between taking visitors that walked in the morning of September 16 and taking phone requests a list was compiled and there were initially 160 requests received the first day with 144 requests taken in the first hour of operation.

For those who have their names on the request list and are waiting for the Corps Office to contact you, please be patient. The rangers have been working through the list and are calling the requestors as well as working their other duties for Shoreline Management. Those on the list are being contacted in the order that they signed up for the list.

The Corps is attempting to coordinate 10 requests at a time. Each group of 10 requests can take the four area rangers two to three weeks to accomplish. Due to the numbers of requestors, we anticipate that the process of working through the full list and the process may take up to a year to complete.

Also note that just because you have been put on the list does not guarantee that you re-

Ernest Noe US Army Corps of Engineers

MORE INFO: 770-945-9531 www.sam.usace.army.mil/ Missions/CivilWorks/Recreation/ LakeSidneyLanier.aspx

ceive a permit. Some sites will be denied and for some that at at the bottom the list there may not be permits available to accommodate your requests.

The Corps has received requests to put this list online so that the public will be able to monitor the progress however the only information that was documented was names and phone numbers. Due to privacy concerns this information can’t be posted for public view.

As a result of the Lake Lanier Shoreline Management Plan, Lake Lanier has a cap on permits at 10,615. At this time there are about 10,550 permits issued.

Additional information about Lake Lanier Shoreline Management can be found at: http://www.sam.usace.army.mil or call the Corps’ office at 770945-9531.

cuss potential plans for five Lake Lanier parks at a work session in January.

The county is preparing potential leases of the parks from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and has completed accessibility studies of Rocky Point, Bethel (4th peninsula), Six Mile, Chestatee Bay Point and Wildcat Creek.

gust meeting.

The commission viewed study results at their work session Nov. 12, but took no action.

The studies included maps of the parks’ vicinities, traffic routes to the parks, potential access areas from the nearest rights of way, and property information such as deeds and plats.

The project is ongoing, said Forsyth spokesperson Jodi B. Gardner. The accessibility evaluation is a first step toward forming master plans for the parks.

The master plans and environmental assessments must be submitted to the Corps by 2016. The Corps may grant extensions. The county’s lease would be 25 years.

Sea sick for Christmas but for good reason Enjoying the holidays with family and loved ones is something very special that we all look forward to. Sometimes that fellowship is not possible when you are on a ship or deployed in the military and it certainly can become a difficult separation to endure. This story is about one such Christmas in the mid 1990s while assigned aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk on patrol in the Caribbean Sea. The plan was to take a patrol break in Puerto Rico for the holiday and the crew was very excited about the opportunity to make phone calls back home, receive mail, and celebrate the best they possibly could, given the circumstance.

Underway at sea can be a lonely and foreboding place, no geographical reference to anything except the continuous never ending line of the distant horizon, with the exception of a few passing ships and maybe a far-off sight of land if visibility is good.

Winter is ordinarily brutal with severe weather systems pounding the Atlantic Ocean, making the voyages even more unbearable with the constant powerful rocking and heaving.

On this occasion two adverse weather fronts would soon merge to an even larger storm and wreak havoc on not only the northeast United States but the Island of Bermuda as well. Trying to outpace the approaching heavy seas and high winds, we proceeded at a moderate speed, on a southeast heading, bound for our long an-

sea sickness and lots of it. White water from the tremendous waves Steve was boarding over side of the Johnson flight deck, our bow sometimes disappearing through the dark Boating blue water. It was difficult to hang Safety on and move about the cutter making it dangerous at best.

Keeping focus on the task at hand required extreme fortitude and training. Lives depended on it MORE INFO: and search and rescue operations stevejohnson@navteach.com demanded all protocols be folticipated destination, San Juan. lowed, regardless of sea condiEven the best of plans can tions and visibility. change in a fraction of time, our Arrival on-scene – not a motropical port of call for the holiment too soon – provided shelter days, altered radically. and much needed medical attenMayday, Mayday, Mayday, tion to the injured passengers, a those famous words blaring over family with one young boy. Their the radio desperately calling for goal was to celebrate the holiday immediate assistance and rescue. in Bermuda. The wild, unpreA demasted sailing vessel floundictable ocean wouldn’t allow dering without power or sails, that to happen. taking on bitter cold sea water Unable to tow the disabled from the ever growing waves and sailing vessel the hawser line was swells. Racing to the navigation disconnected and she sank below chart to plot the reported position, the surface rapidly. Even through I soon discovered the direct all this adversity it was a remarkcourse to the stricken vessel was able time to remember and celeheading direct into the path of the brate life. Not only for the family swift moving Atlantic gale force that was rescued from the unfortempest. giving sea that Christmas Day, The situation dire for the sail- but for the officers and crew of boat, three souls on board, all the Mohawk as well – sea sick having physical conditions, some and all. severe, and possibly hypothermia.

Please remember the sacrifices Estimated time of arrival to the of our military, law enforcement, distress position on the chart indi- and rescue professionals that cated plus seven hours. The situa- work this special day and other tion was full of gut wrenching, holidays, without the companionextreme, intense motion. ship of family and loved ones.

What happened next, after we Steve Johnson, US Coast came about and turned to the Guard (ret). is with CPO JohnNorthwest is to be expected … son, Inc.

KEEP SAFE ON THE LAKE THIS WINTER!

December 2014

LAKESIDE 43

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December 2014

Lake Lanier Marinas Info AQUALAND MARINA Hours of operation: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m., Sun. Phone: 770-967-6811 Website: www.aqualandmarina.com Location: 6800 Lights Ferry Rd., Flowery Branch Types of slips available: Houseboats, covered cruisers, & all types of open slips plus covered & open dry slips, totaling 1,725 wet docks and 460 dry docks Store: Yes Store/Dock hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m., Sun. Types of fuel: Non-ethanol, 90 octane Price of fuel: (as of 11/21/14) $4.84 On-site eatery: Dockside Grill Take-out menu: Sandwiches Restaurant description: Casual Menu: Famous “Docker Burger,” sandwiches, salads & seafood grilled & fried.

Phone: 770-363-2318 Security: 24/7, gated Additional amenities: Self service work yard with deep draft well & marine travel lift, houseboat launching ramp, pump-out station, bathhouses with showers, laundry facilities, wet slips with private gated parking. Sales of new boats by Coast to Coast Yacht Sales, brokerage services by Marine Max, rental boats & cabins by Lanier Aqua Rentals.

AQUAMARINA LAZY DAYS Hours of operation: Office/Dock, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days a week Phone: 770-945-1991 Website: www.ILoveMyMarina.com Location: 6700 Lanier Islands Pkwy, Buford Types of slips available: Concrete Wet Slips from 50 125 foot covered & 100 foot open slips; 554 covered dry stack spaces up to 36 feet Types of fuel: 90 Non-ethanol marine fuel treated with ValvTect; diesel Price of fuel: (as of 11/21/14) $4.99 non-ethanol; $4.39 diesel Security: 24/7 surveillance monitoring Full Service Department: Barefoot Boating, 770-8205949 Boat Club: Carefree Boat Club, 770-361-5501 Additional Amenities: Free pump out for customers, trailer storage, dock carts, ice available, boat detailing service; Dry Stack - smartphone app to control launch/retrieval of boat, Pre-Fueling service, wash racks; Wet Slips - gated/private parking, golf cart valet service, inslip pump out, weekend newspaper delivery BALD RIDGE MARINA Hours of operation: Office, Mon-Fri, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., marina has 24/7 access.

Phone: 770-887-5309 Website: www.baldridgemarina.com Location: 1850 Bald Ridge Marina Rd., Cumming Types of slips available: Covered & uncovered.

Store: Sandwich shop; some boating supplies Store hours: Seasonal Types of fuel: 90 Non-ethanol; diesel Price of fuel: (as of 11/21/14) $4.54; $4.19 diesel (Dock open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon., Thurs., Fri.; 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat./Sun.; Closed Tues./Wed.) On-site eatery: Lenny’s Sub Shop

Eatery hours: Seasonal Menu: Sub sandwiches, salads and more; Party Packs (deli sandwich, chips and deluxe cookie) Restaurant description: Casual Phone: 770-888-6473 Security: 24/7 security, gated Additional amenities: Full-service department, parts department, boat body work, yacht repair & Marine Max Stovall sales dock. Boating supplies/commissary/dry goods/retail clothing items.

GAINESVILLE MARINA Hours of operation: Office, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days week Phone: 770-536-2171 Website: www.gainesvillemarina.com Location: 2145 Dawsonville Hwy., Gainesville Types of slips available: 600 slips, dry stack covered up to 25', wet covered & uncovered up to 80'.

Types of fuel: 90 recreational, non-ethanol Price of fuel: (as of 11/21/14) $4.59 ((Dock open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days a week; pay at pump until dark) On-site eatery: Skogies Menu: Barbecue, seafood and American fare.

Phone: 678-450-1310 Security: 7 days a week Additional amenities: Parts department, land service shop, recreational room, bath house, pumpout stations.

Sales of new, used and brokerage boats, South Bay and Berkshire Pontoon Boats, Four Winns Deck/Sport Boats/Cruisers and Yamaha Outboard.

HABERSHAM MARINA Hours of operation: Office/Store/Dock, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days a week Phone: 770-887-5432 Website: www.habershammarina.com Location: 2200 Habersham Marina Rd., Cumming Types of slips available: 650 slips for dry storage up to 27’ Store: Yes Types of fuel: 90 Recreational fuel, non-ethanol Price of fuel: (as of 11/21/14) $4.38 Security: Yes Additional amenities: Repair services, detailing and bottom cleaning. Also bathroom and shower facilities are available.

HIDEAWAY BAY MARINA Hours of operation: Office - 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 7 days a week; Marina: 24/7 Phone: 770-967-5500 Website: www.hideawaybaymarina.com Location: 6334 Mitchell St., Flowery Branch Types of slips available: Wet (510) Dry (150) Showroom: Atlanta Marine Store/Gas Dock hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 7 days a week Types of Fuel: 90 octane, non-ethanol Price of fuel: (as of 11/21/14) $4.28 On-site eatery: Fish Tales Security: 24/7 manned security Additional amenities: Restaurant-Seasonal, complete boat/motor repair, new bathhouse w/ locked showers and AC, laundry, pump out, trailer storage.

HOLIDAY MARINA Hours of operation:Office/Store/Dock, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days a week Phone: 770-945-7201 Website: www.holidaylakelanier.com Location: 6900 Holiday Rd., Buford Types of slips available: 22-100' Uncovered including 80, 90, and 100' Breakwater Slips; 26-85' Covered Slips totalling 1238 Slips Store: Yes; Convenience items and basic boating supplies.

Types of fuel: Premium, unleaded & diesel, non-ethanol Price of fuel: (as of 11/21/14): $4.99 premium; $4.59 unleaded; $3.89 diesel (5 percent discount with Westrec advantage membership) On-site eatery: Mallory’s Castaways Menu: Fish, chicken and burger baskets Phone: 678 765-0424 Security: 24/7 Additional amenities: Boat rentals, repair service, pumpout station, boat sales, TowBoat US LANIER HARBOR MARINA Lanier Harbor Marina has permanently closed effective 2/4/14.

PORT ROYALE MARINA Hours of operation: Office, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days a week Phone: 770-887-5715 Website: www.bestinboating.com/port_royale Location: 8800 Port Royale Dr., Gainesville Types of slips available: Uncovered, 20' to 80'; covered, 24' to 80' totaling 514 slips & dry stack storage (470) for up to 39'.

Store/Dock hours: : 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days a week Store: Service Store & Ship Store Types of fuel: 90-octane Price of fuel: (as of 11/21/14) $4.49 On-site eatery: Pelican Pete's Bar and Grill Security: Gated, 24/7 Additional amenities: Climate controlled bath house with showers, 24/7 self-service pump out, rental boats, Courtesy dock for dry stack, two ship stores, full-service center, largest floating gas dock in Ga., 16 gas pumps.

SUNRISE COVE MARINA Hours of operation: Office/Store/Dock, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Wed.-Mon.; Closed on Tuesday Phone: 770-536-8599 Website: www.sunrisecovermarina.com Location: 5725 Flat Creek Rd., Gainesville Types of slips available: Uncovered-20-70'; Covered24-50'; to include an exclusive 44' Sailboat Breakwater Dock. Total Wet Slips 688 and nine (9) Dry Storage Spaces (boats on trailer).

Store: Yes Types of fuel: 90 recreational, non-ethanol Price of fuel: (as of 11/21/14) $4.95 with 5 percent off with Westrec Advantage Membership Security: 24/7 Additional amenities: Club House, bath house, laundry facility and pump-out open 24/7.

December 2014

LAKESIDE 45

Lakeside’s Dining Guide Lakeview Dining Big Creek Tavern – lunch, dinner seven days a week; breakfast at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays. Open year around. Featuring the “Best” Angus Beef, a step up from old-fashioned American food. Billiards, video games, beer, wine, liquor. Mon. Thurss, 11:30 a.m. to midnight, Fri. and Sat. from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sun. from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. 8050 Big Creek Rd., Buford. B3, 678-482-1662.

Bullfrogs Bar & Grille – Located at Legacy Lodge & Conference Center at Lake Lanier Islands Resort. Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Dine poolside or indoors. Selections include salads, sandwiches, entrees, desserts and a variety of drink options from full-service bar. Guests may arrive by boat or car. Buford. B-3, 770-9458787.

Dockside Grill – Offering full lake views of Lanier in a casual outdoor café setting. Featuring the famous Docker burger, sandwiches including grouper, tuna and mahi. Seasonal hours.

Aqualand Marina, Flowery Branch. C-3, 770363-2318.

Dockside Sandwich Company – Offering sandwiches, lahvosh, salads, chips and snacks.

Baldridge Marina, Cumming. Seasonal. 770889-2185.

Fish Tales Lakeside Grille – Casual lakeside dining featuring grouper fingers, signature salads and much more. Full service indoor and outdoor bar with live music. Thur.-Sun. for lunch & dinner in December. Hideaway Bay Marina. C3, 770-967-3775.

Lenny’s sub shop at Bald Ridge Marina subs and salads. Party packs perfect for lake outings. Seasonal. A-3, Cumming, 770-8886473. www.lennys.com Mallory’s Castaways – Holiday Marina. Offering fish, chicken and burger baskets; hand-cut potato chips with special toppings; casual dining. Full bar service, tropical and frozen drinks.

Live entertainment and karaoke on the weekends. Seasonal. Call for hours. C-3 678 7650424. Seasonal.

Pelican Pete’s – Picturesque dining right on the water at Port Royale in an open-air thatched-roof building. Selection of sandwiches, burgers, fish and more. Call for hours. B-2, 770-887-5715 ext 5.

Skogies – Made from scratch seafood, BBQ and American fare with a great view served in a laid back pet friendly environment. We serve the best breakfast on Lake Lanier! Menu items include eggs benedict served five ways, Omelettes, shrimp & grits, cathead biscuits & gravy, breakfast sandwiches & more. Call from your boat & they will pick you up. Hours: Wed & Thurs, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Gainesville Marina. C1 678 450-1310; www.skogies.net.

Sunset Cove Beach Club – An open-air eatery on a quiet stretch of beach near LanierWorld at Lanier Islands Resort. Open for lunch and dinner daily April-October. View the lake during the day or dine under the stars in the glow of firelight from the fireplace. Come by car or by boat.

Also at Sunset Cove, Dog and Draft features 12 beers on draft, plus hot dogs, brats and sausage in pretzel buns. Fire and Ice kiosk offers smoked barbecue and burgers. On the Boardwalk, Sunset Cantina serves Tex-Mex food featuring tacos, quesadillas, and burritos; a fusion of food truck food fare and culinary concoctions with our own special flair! By water, Sunset Cove is between buoys 7SC and 5SC. www.lanierislands.com.

Buford. B-3, 770-945-8787.

Windows Restaurant – Located at Legacy Lodge & Conference Center at Lake Lanier Islands Resort and overlooks Lake Lanier. Pro-

vides breakfast buffet and menu options daily, and special dining events every Saturday night throughout the season. Guests may arrive by boat or car. Buford. B-3, www.lanierislands.com, 770-945-8787.

American Antebellum – Southern contemporary cuisine including fried catfish with pimento dumplings, grilled wild salmon, thyme roasted pork chop, ribeye with buttermilk mashed potatoes and more. Weekend brunch features biscuits and gravy, ham steak and eggs, buttermilk pancakes, shrimp and grits, and more. Downtown Flowery Branch, C-3, 770-965-8100. www.antebellumrestaurant.com.

Braise – Open for lunch and dinner, Tues.-Sun. Also features fried green tomatoes, BBQ shrimp, oyster po’boys, braised short ribs and pot roast.

Dessert for two features apple cobbler and brownie a la mode. Comfort food redefined. Live weekly entertainment downstairs at Coo-Coo’s Nest with an extended bar menu and drink specials. Located at 1920 Freedom Pkwy., just off Ga. Hwy. 400. A-3, Cumming, 678-456-8932.

Branch House Tavern - The ultimate sports restaurant in Hall County offers a selection of hamburgers, wings, hearty salads, southwestern grill fare, and a huge selection of appetizers and desserts. Big screen sports action on 50 HD TVs, and live entertainment. Also featuring a full bar and dancing all night long. 678-828-8345, 5466 McEver Rd. C-3 Flowery Branch, GA. 30542.

Take Out Available Coastal Breeze Seafood Grill – Offering seafood, steaks, ribs, oysters on the half shell, salads, burgers and more. Lunch and dinner, full bar. Sun.-Thur 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-midnight. 5390 Lanier Island Parkway. C-3, www.coastalbreezega.com, 770-945-9181.

Collegiate – Old-fashioned hamburgers, hot dogs and milk shakes served in 1940s setting.

Gainesville. C-2, 678-989-2280.

Foster House – Lunch and dinner served family-style featuring casual dining at lunch and fine dining in evening. Lunch served 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri. Dinner served 5-8:30 p.m., Thurs.; 5-9:30 p.m., Fri./Sat. Cumming. A-3, 770-887-9905.

Norman’s Landing – Specializing in fresh seafood, hand-cut steaks, Canadian baby-back ribs with Kansas City barbecue sauce. Cumming. Casual. A-3, 770-886-0100.

Silver Bay Seafood – Specializing in seafood dishes like fried grouper, snapper, baby shrimp, oysters, scallops, broiled swordfish, mahi, and much more. Located at 2415 Browns Bridge Rd., Gainesville, C-2. 678 450-4900.

Two Dog Café – Classic small town diner with an emphasis on fresh food and fast service for lunch and dinner. Located at 317 Spring St. Gainesville. C-2, 770-287-8384.

Wild Wing Café – Offers casual dining, live music, special Monday Trivia Night and 2 Fer Tuesday nights (buy a dozen, get a dozen wings free). Located at 311 Jesse Jewell Pkwy., Gainesville. C-2, 770-536-9177.

Yahoola Creek Grill – Features Southern-inspired, made-from-scratch cooking from our outdoor deck, cozy dining room and loft. Full beer and wine list. Open for lunch and dinner, Wed.Sat. Open for brunch and supper on Sunday.

Closed Mon./Tues. Located on S. Chestatee Street, Dahlonega. 706-482-2200; www.yahoolacreekgrill.com.

Continental/Fine Dining Adam’s – American Mediterranean cuisine including Rack of Lamb, Calf’s Liver Anglaise, Mediterranean Chicken Penne, Oysters Rocke-

feller and Seafood Pastilla Rolls. Full bar. Dinner Mon.-Sat., 5-10:30 p.m. Located at 15 East Main St., Buford. B-3, 678 754-0379.

Aqua Terra Bistro – European fusion cuisine served daily. Open for lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri.; noon-2:30 p.m., Sat.; dinner hours are 5-10 p.m., Mon.-Sun. Located on Buford’s historic Main Street. No reservations. B-3, 770-271-3000.

Blue Bicycle – a bistro touting “great food in a place not to feel rushed.” Open for lunch Thurs./Fri.; open for dinner Tues.-Sat. Reservations are suggested. Located at 671 Lumpkin Campground Road, behind the Outlet Mall on GA. Hwy. 400. Dawsonville, B-1. 706-2652153.

Corkscrew Café – Fine dining featuring varied menu choices, open lunch and dinner. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Tues.-Thurs.; 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri./Sat.; noon-9 p.m., Sun. Reservations suggested. Located on 51 West Main St., Dahlonega. 706-867-8551.

Luna’s – Continental cuisine, romantic atmosphere. Gainesville. C-2, 770-531-0848.

Oar House in Dahlonega – Specialties: handcut steaks, seafood dishes and homemade desserts, “everything homemade from the bread to the pickles.” Located Hwy 52E, 4 miles east of Dahlonega. D-1. Reservations suggested. 706864-9983.

Poor Richard’s – Specializing in Prime Rib, steaks, ribs and fresh seafood. Casual dining, dinner only. Full-service bar. Gainesville. C-1, 770-532-0499.

Scott’s Downtown – Upscale casual ambience with specialty sandwiches for lunch and gourmet entrees for dinner. Gainesville. C-2. 770-5361111.

Barbecue/Country/Home Cooking Johnny’s BBQ – Real Pit BBQ pork, chicken & ribs. Brunswick stew. Minutes from Clark’s Bridge rowing venue. Gainesville. Casual. D-1, 770-536-2100.

Old McDonald’s BBQ – Real Pit BBQ, Brunswick stew, ribs. Minutes from Lake Lanier.

Casual. Tues. - Thurs., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Buford. B-3, 770-945-8608.

Deli Common Grounds Coffee Shoppe – Light breakfast, lunch and dinner and desserts followed by fresh roasted coffee. Flowery Branch.

C-3, 770-967-4080.

Italian Dominick’s Italian Restaurant – Features cuisine from the north of Italy, with veal, chicken and seafood dishes. Favorites include chicken saltimbocca and garlic bread appetizer. Halfprice bottles of wine on Monday nights, halfprice appetizers from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and endless pasta and salad on Wednesdays. Dominick’s is open Monday thru Sunday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for lunch and dinner from 5-9:30 p.m. Located at the corner of Buford Hwy. and Hamilton Mill Rd in the Buford Village Shopping Center., Buford. B-3, 770-614-0019.

Gianni’s Italian Bistro – serves pizza, subs and pasta. Located at LanierWorld at Lanier Islands Resort. Open daily May-October. www.lanierislands. com. Buford. B-3, 770-945-8787.

Piazza – Features traditional Italian dishes, homemade raviolis, pizza, chicken, veal and seafood specialities. Open 7 days a week: 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun.-Thurs.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri./Sat. Located on 24 East Main St., Dahlonega. B-1. 706-867-9881.

Vinny’s New York Pizza & Italian Grill – New York-style pizzeria known for generous portions and reasonable pricing. Specialties include Philly Chicken and Cheese sub, New York Pizza, Chicken Caesar Salad, Sausage & Pepper plate, baked pasta and Lasagna. Desserts include Cannoli, Tiramisu, Italian Funnel Cakes or cheesecake. Wine and beer available. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat., noon-10 p.m.; Sun, 5-10 p.m. Located at 4977 Lanier Island Pkwy, Buford. C-4, 678-482-9966.

Mexican La Cazuela – An Atlanta area landmark that’s expanded to two locations around Lanier. Features fajitas, selection of combination platters and more. Cumming, 678-947-0718, Buford, 770-614-6871.

Oriental Little Tokyo – Japanese dining - hibachi grill, sushi. Dine in, take out. Open Tues.-Fri., 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., noon-10 p.m.; Closed Mon. Buford. B-4, 770-945-3350.

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December 2014

Antiques Show Antiques, Collectibles, Home Decor & More!

NEXT SHOW

DECEMBER 5, 6, 7 NOTE: Show is held the 1st weekend of December, not the 3rd.

Friday: 9-5, Saturday: 9-6, Sunday 10-5

ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES, HOME DECOR Admission: $3.00 Good all weekend, Children free Directions: GA 400 N to Exit 13, go west, next right on GA 9 (Atlanta Highway)

1321 Atlanta Hwy. • Cumming, GA 30040

770-889-3400

www.lakewoodantiques.com

ADVERTISE IN THE UPCOMING JANUARY ATLANTA BOAT SHOW EDITION

Deadline: December 15 Call Today 770-287-1444 3292 Thompson Bridge Road #250 • Gainesville, GA 30506 Email: lakesidenews@mindspring.com

December 2014

LAKESIDE 47

Lakeside’s Recreation Guide

CORPS OF ENGINEERS CAMPGROUNDS & DAY USE PARKS

Campsites w/ Hookups Campsites w/o Hookups Showers Dump Station Laundry Restrooms Picnic Tables Picnic Shelter Boat Ramp Swim Area User Fee No Pets

Provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The Corps of Engineers welcomes you to beautiful Lake Sidney Lanier. Located just 35 miles northeast of Atlanta, the lake offers some of the finest camping opportunities in the South. The Corps operates 7 campgrounds at Lake Lanier. Camping enthusiasts may enjoy the luxuries of fully developed areas with water and electrical hookups or “rough it” at designated primitive areas. Most campgrounds have park attendants on duty to assist our visitors. Camping in undesignated areas such as on the lake’s shoreline and islands is prohibited.

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CAMPGROUNDS 13 VAN PUGH SOUTH 17 OLD FEDERAL 45 DUCKETT MILL 50 BOLDING MILL 53 TOTO CREEK 77 BALD RIDGE 81 SAWNEE

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Exit 17

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DAY USE PARKS 1 LOWER POOL EAST 2 LOWER OVERLOOK 3 UPPER OVERLOOK 4 BUFORD DAM PARK 12 BURTON MILL 15 VAN PUGH NORTH 18 OLD FEDERAL DAY USE 19 BALUS CREEK 20 MOUNTAIN VIEW 30 BELTON BRIDGE 31 LULA 36 LITTLE RIVER 38 WAHOO CREEK 39 THOMPSON BRIDGE 41 SARDIS CREEK 42 SIMPSON 43 ROBINSON 45 DUCKETT MILL 46 LITTLE HALL 50 BOLDING MILL 53 TOTO CREEK 54 NIX BRIDGE 55 THOMPSON CREEK 59 KEITH’S BRIDGE 60 LONG HOLLOW 64 VANN’S TAVERN 67 TWO MILE 70 SIX MILE 76 TIDWELL 80 LITTLE RIDGE 82 WEST BANK 83 WEST BANK O’LOOK 84 LOWER POOL WEST 93 EAST BANK 94 LANIER PARK

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X

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Day Use Parks The Corps operates 35 day use parks at Lake Lanier. Facilities range from parks with boat ramps to those with designated swimming areas, picnic tables, shelters and playgrounds.

All day use parks close daily at 10 p.m.

Boat launching is allowed at all hours unless otherwise posted. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited in all parks.

Picnic Shelters Picnic shelters are available at several Corps’ parks around the lake. They can be reserved for a fee. Call the Lake Lanier Management Office at 770-9459531.

Day Use Fees Day use fees are charged at some park areas which have boat ramps or beach areas.

Fees (per day): Boat launching $3/$4 Vehicles $3/$4 Pedestrian/bicycle $1 Annual pass $30 Rules, Regulations and More Guidelines are not intended as restraints to the enjoyment of park visitors, but as aids for orderly operation, visitor safety and for the protection of the environment and public property.

Complete rules and regulations are posted at the entrances to all campgrounds and copies are available at entry stations. To view annual opening and closing dates and rates for campgrounds and picnic shelters, visit www.sam.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civ ilWorks/Recreation/LakeSidneyLanier/ recreation/Schedules

STATE, COUNTY & CITY PARKS 7 SHOAL CREEK 11 BIG CREEK 14 CHESTNUT RIDGE 33 CLARK’S BRIDGE 79 MARY ALICE PARK 86 FLOWERY BRANCH PARK 52 LUMPKIN COUNTY PARK 56 WAR HILL 71 CHARLESTON 74 SHADY GROVE 75 YOUNG DEER 87 LANIER POINT 88 LONGWOOD PARK 89 HOLLY PARK 90 LAUREL PARK 91 RIVER FORKS 96 LAKE LANIER ISLANDS 99 DON CARTER STATE PARK

770-945-8787 770-945-8787 770-945-8787 770-535-8280 770-781-2010 770-967-6371 706-864-3622 706-344-3600 770-781-2215 770-205-6849 770-781-2215 770-535-8280 770-531-2680 770-531-2680 770-535-8280 770-531-3952 770-945-8787 404-656-3530

T MORE INFO: Water release schedules - 770 945-1466 Lake information - 770 945-1467 Corps of Engineers - 770 945-9531 http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/Missions/ CivilWorks/Recreation/LakeSidneyLanier.aspx

48 LAKESIDE

December 2014

• Lawsuit Continued from Page 2 nearly to the country’s founding.

Lancaster took a little more than two years to issue a 113 page report recommending that Virginia be allowed to build a water intake structure on the Potomac River, which is entirely in Maryland, without any regulation from Maryland. The court overruled Maryland’s objections to Lancaster’s report and affirmed Virginia’s sovereign rights under an 1877 legal document. The decision did not address potential future rifts over Virginia’s withdrawal of water to sate growth in the state’s D.C. suburbs and Maryland’s likely ire over

• Shore Lines Continued from page 35 water being sapped from a river inside its state lines. Water withdrawal and its importance to future economic development are the crux of the Florida-Georgia dispute.

Lancaster, a 1955 Harvard Law School graduate, has practiced at Maine’s largest law firm, Pierce Atwood, since 1959, according to the Washington Post.

His resume states his case experience ranges from “personal injury to complex commercial matters on the civil side to murder, white collar crime and tax evasion on the criminal side. He also handles admiralty and other complex mat-

ters.” His first appointment as special master came in the late 1980s to oversee proceedings in a dispute between New York and Nevada over nuclear waste storage.

The Florida-Georgia assignment appears to be Lancaster’s first in the Deep South. “We look forward to pursuing relief for Florida, now that the Supreme Court has appointed a special master,” said Gerald Whitney Ray, spokesperson for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens and Gov. Nathan Deal declined comment.

Carpe Deum Hair Salon, owned by Amie Black, moved onto Main Street in 2002 from a location on Hog Mountain Road. She said that it was a very good move for her business. “I love the charm of Main Street,” she said. “It’s very laid back and we’re all here for each other. It’s really like a little family and we’re all here to help each other.”

Growlers owner Alan Davenport, left, and Antebellum's Nicholas St. Clair teamed up for a recent beer pairing dinner.

PHOTO BY PAMELA A. KEENE

Lakeside’s Safety Page A GUIDE TO BOATING AND SWIMMING SAFETY RESOURCES PRESENTED BY LAKESIDE ON LANIER BOATING

SWIMMING

Boater Education Courses with Certification Exam

Swim Lessons/ Aquatics Programs

On-Line Courses • www.boat-ed.com and http://www.boaterexam.com/usa/georgia include study guide and Georgia Certification Exam with unlimited exam attempts; cost is $29.50 payable upon exam passage. Temporary certificate printed upon passage; permanent card mailed.

• http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/Georgia.asp offers free course, exam and print your own certificate; mailed certificate $5.

• Other certification courses offered at www.boatcourse.com, www.boatingbasicsonline.com, and www.pwcsafetyschool.com.

Frances Meadows Aquatics and Community Center • Location: 1545 Community Way, Gainesville.

• Information/registration: (770) 533-5850, www.gainesville.org/swim-lessons www.gainesville.org/online-registration.

• Lessons: Swimming and water safety program for all ages and levels, age 6 months to masters, basic aquatics safety to skill proficiency for competitive swimmers.

• Splash Aquatic Club: Competitive swimming groups for Rookie (age 4) through Masters (age 18 and older to improve fitness, develop better technique, or train for competition.

Gainesville/Hall residents $30-$60, non residents $40-$80.

Other Boater Education Opportunities (Certification exam not included) • Professional Tutoring: On-line or in person tutoring designed to prepare individuals for exams required for certification and licensure for maritime jobs by instructor Steve Johnson, retired US Coast Guard, experienced ship navigator, deck officer, and USCG license instructor for Sea School. www.navteach.com, stevejohnson@navteach.com, (770) 312-0989.

• Advanced Boating Classes in piloting, marine communications, and other boating skills offered periodically by the Atlanta Sail and Power Squadron. www.atlantasboatingclub.com.

Vessel Safety Checks • U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary certified vessel examiners perform safety inspections on recreational boats, personal watercraft and paddle sport vessels. Free.

When/Where: All inspections 9 a.m.-noon unless otherwise noted: Nov. 3 10 a.m. State Patrol Post.

Info: http://a0700209.uscgaux.info, drv2600@gmail.com.

• Atlanta Sail and Power Squadron offers vessel safety check-ups by appointment. http://atlantasboatingclub.com/vessel-safety-check/vessel-safety-check-signup.

Sailing Classes • Windsong Sailing Academy: Basic and advanced sailing training and certifications including engine maintenance, marine electrical systems, coastal and celestial navigation as well as marine meteorology offered by Windsong Sailing Academy through the DeKalb County Parks and Recreation Service. Public and private week evening and weekend classes available. Fees vary. www.WindsongSail.com. (770) 967-1515.

Cumming Aquatic Center • Location: 201 Aquatic Circle, Cumming • Information/registration: (770) 781-1781 www.cummingaquaticcenter.com (register online) • Lessons: Swimming and water safety program ranges from toddler-age in Parent Child Aquatics Program to teens and adults in Learn to Swim and Adult Aquatics Program. Private or semiprivate lessons available. Fees and schedules vary. Competitive swimming and diving programs, Masters Swim Team also available. Lifeguard certification offered.

Brenau University • Location: Brenau Fitness Center, 500 Washington St., SE, Gainesville • Information/registration: www.brenautigers.com, Blaire Bachman, (770) 534-6279, bbachman@brenau.edu.

• Lessons: Custom private swim lessons for all ages and abilities. Four 30-min. lessons $100; advanced level-four one-hour lessons $150. Brenau Masters Swim Team offers practice and competitive program for swimmers of all levels, high school age and older. $60/month.

University of North Georgia Gainesville Campus • Location: 3820 Mundy Mill Rd., Oakwood • Information/registration: https://aceweb.ung.edu/ShowSchedule.awp?~~GROUP~REC~ Recreation+&+Safety, (678) 717-3605 • Swim lessons: For ages 3 (must be potty trained) and older range from introduction to water skills to swimming and skill proficiency. Check website for dates.

Georgia Mountain YMCA • Location: 2455 Howard Rd., Gainesville • Information/registration: http://www.hallcountyymca.org/programs/youth/swim-sportsplay/swim-lessons/ 770-297-9622.

• Swim lessons: For all ages and levels, parent-child swim, Masters Swim Program, water fitness, water safety, life guard certification. Fees and times vary.

NOTE: Please contact Lakeside on Lanier News to list additional boating and water safety classes. lakesidenews@mindspring.com.

December 2014

LAKESIDE 49

Suggestions for choosing a lake agent when buying or selling There can be a lot of pitfalls in buying and selling lake property.

By choosing the right agent, you can avoid these potential problems and ensure a smoother sale.

Here are 10 questions you should ask when interviewing an agent to represent you in a lake property Knight transaction.

1. How many Lake Lanier homes have you sold in the past year? Ask for a list of the properties they’ve sold, and see if there are sales that are comparable to your home. It doesn’t matter how many homes they’ve listed. Part of a Realtor’s job is to provide you with a realistic list price for your home. They are not doing you any favors by overpricing your home just so they can get the publicity. You want to seek results, not promises. It also doesn’t matter how many homes they sold in years past. The way lake homes are sold today is exponentially different from the way they were sold 10 years ago. Experience is great, but make sure your experienced agent has embraced the new technologies and information sources that drive today’s market.

2. What lake-specific advertising do you do? There are publications and web sites, both local and national, that target lake buyers. Does your agent invest in that type of advertising? If not, they

are missing a lot of potential buyers.

3. What web sites will my lake property be listed on? It’s probably not a surprise that 94 percent of home searches start on the internet, and that number increases every year. A lake expert should have a strong web presence to reach the broadest audience. Some agents post on the FMLS, some on the GAMLS, and some on both. You will definitely want to be included in both of the listing services that serve the metro-Atlanta area.

Does the potential agent have a web site that targets lake buyers?

Does the agent post listings on a national site to reach other states?

There are quite a few out-of-state buyers who invest in property on Lanier. Does the agent post on an international site of any kind?

This is especially important for higher-priced homes. Four out of five of the highest priced homes ever sold in the U.S. were sold to international buyers. Sites like proxiopro.com are often used by international buyers, and not everyone invests in this type of exposure.

4. Does this agent know the rules for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? When a potential buyer asks if they can upgrade a property’s dock, would this agent be able to answer that question?

Do they know the current status of dock permits on Lanier? Do they know what protected areas

are? How wide can the paths be?

Can you cut down small trees on Corps property? (No! You can be fined for it. Those rules have changed.) Could they tell potential buyers how to plan for droughts? Do they know local companies that can help with dock issues, riprap, paths? These are the issues that worry buyers.

An experienced lake agent can help with those concerns.

5. Ask if the agent knows whether a dock automatically conveys with the house. This is a very important question, and most non-lake agents don’t know the answer. (A dock is personal property and does not automatically convey with the house.) To convey the dock, there is a very specific way it should be transacted, especially if the buyer is getting a mortgage. Does the agent you’re interviewing know how to do that?

6. Can the agent help you stage your house for lake buyers? In lake homes, the view is supremely important. There are staging techniques that help showcase the view and direct the buyer’s eye to the home’s most valuable asset, the lake. Sometimes, the difference between making or losing the sale is as simple as arranging the furniture to showcase the view.

7. Does the agent know about comparable properties that can be used in an appraisal? Most appraisers welcome good agent-

Crazy Chicken nets fifth World Championship

By Pamela A. Keene Once again, Dee Early and the Crazy Chicken offshore race team netted the big prize – the World Championship – in a closely contested race series in Key West. If you’re counting, that makes a grand total of five World Championships for the Lake Lanier-based racer who by day is Harbormaster at Lanier Islands.

The team and its hot-pink 30-foot extreme P4-22 super performance boat are sponsored by InTone by InControl Medical for the second year.

Crazy Chicken took the World Championship in 2013 as well, staging a comeback that made other competitors take notice, especially with the win this year.

“This year was a real close one be we snuck another one out,” said Early, who with his

throttleman Tony Silviera of Baltimore went into this year’s championships completing seven of the nine-race qualifying series. “Part way through the season we blew a motor and had to rebuild it, missing two races. But we still had enough points to qualify for Worlds.”

Even with missing two races this season, Crazy Chicken finished second in national points leading into the Worlds. The

event in Key West brings together the top three point finishers in every class for a three-race series to determine the current year’s World Champs. “We are so proud of the team and what we’ve accomplished this year,” Early said. “Right now the boat is with Tony in Baltimore, but we plan to bring her to Lanier to show her off before the start of the 2015 season.”

Crazy Chicken (and crew) gathers for a team photo, celebrating the team’s fifth World Championship.

provided comps when they’re doing a lake appraisal. They can read the listings to see the home’s features, but it’s often harder to find out about the lake situation.

A good lake agent can provide comps with similar views, water depth, and path to the subject property being appraised. This is very important because a bad appraisal can absolutely kill a sale, and it often does. A home with shallow water and no view is NOT a good comp for a deep water dock with a great view. A home in Murrayville is not a good comp to a Cumming lake home.

This is where an experienced agent can really help in getting a valid, realistic appraisal.

8. Does the agent have local contractors who can work on the home? Once a home goes under contract, the buyer will have a professional inspection done. Inspectors always find things wrong with houses, even new construction. Some inspectors state the problems in such a way that it scares the buyers to death. It makes a big difference if you have a local contractor who can give you a quick estimate of the fix and minimize the fears of the buyer. Many times the “problem” is not really an issue, just the normal aging of any house. It helps to have a contractor who knows local codes and can check out these types of issues. Agents from other parts of the state will not have these local contacts and will have to rely on the advice of the professionals in their home towns. These folks charge extra to drive to the lake, and that raises the price of any job. Plus, they probably don’t know local codes, so you’re paying for them to come up to speed or risking a job done incorrectly.

9. Does the agent know the area? Because people find properties as they drive around (by lake or land) on the weekends, a lot of showing requests happen on short notice.

If you choose an agent who lives in Atlanta, it’s unlikely that they will be able to run up to the lake at the last minute to show a property. The buyer is going to keep calling until they find someone willing to accommodate them which means they move on to the next property. That is most likely to be a local agent, so it’s important to choose someone who lives near the lake.

Plus, they are more likely to be able to discuss the local events, stores, schools, restaurants,

groups, commercial growth, and other factors that might help sell your lake home. Lake agents don’t just sell homes, they sell a lifestyle. You can’t sell it if you don’t live it.

10. What factors go into pricing a lake home? Whether you’re buying or selling a home, understanding pricing is key.

Some cities are hotter than others.

Some features, like view and water depth, are extremely important to buyers; therefore, they have a huge influence into the pricing. Ask how the price affects people searching on the internet.

For example, a price point of $529,000 is not a good choice.

Web users usually search in $25k or 50k intervals, so that takes this search into a range that ends in $550,000 or maybe even $575,000. That means this house will be compared to nicer homes and may not look as good. Further, a jumbo loan starts at a price point of $520,000, so this internet search would pull in buyers who are looking in the jumbo range which probably goes even higher.

By dropping it just $4,000 to $525,000, you will get a lot more search hits and will not be compared to those more expensive homes.

Also, conventional marketing wisdom has always stated that you end your price in nines so it looks lower. For example, instead of $400,000, choose $399,999. In real estate, all web searches are done by price ranges. If you choose $399,999, people who start their searches at $400,000 will not see your house. Above all, you want to be included in as many searches as possible. The more people who see your house, the more likely you will find the right buyer. So, it makes more sense to choose a price point of $400,000 in this case. It’s these small choices that get the job done.

In summary, it really does matter which real estate agent you choose. In this area, there are a lot of experienced agents who specialize in lake property. For sellers to get top dollar and buyers to get the best possible deal, it will pay you to choose an agent who understands the issues involved in buying and selling lake property.

Bev Knight is the lead agent for The Good Life Group, Keller Williams Lanier Partners, who specialize in property on Lake Lanier. Contact Bev: bevknig@bellsouth.net or visit housesonlanier.net.

50 LAKESIDE

December 2014

The Las Vegas Strip comes alive with the Christmas spirit during the holidays Combining spectacular orchestrated water hydraulics, multi-colored lights and fabulous Christmas music into a breathtaking aquatic show in front of the Bellagio Hotel that anyone can enjoy from the Las Vegas Strip is enough on its own to visit the Sin City! This fabulous gambling mecca, however, comes alive during the holiday season in a multitude of ways.

Inside the Bellagio, the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens located just off the lobby is an eclectic and ever-changing presentation of fabulous colors in a dramatic holiday theme. The flowers and plants are vibrant, and each is well-lighted to bring out the best ambience for public enjoyment.

With more than 1,000 venues, shopping in Vegas is, well, almost unbelievable! Each store has beautifully designed windows to celebrate the season and entice you to spend money. Some of the best include the Fashion Show Mall with nearly 250 stores and restaurants, the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian, Boulevard Mall or Le Boulevard at Paris and the highend Via Bellagio. Also less expensive places like Town Square Shopping Center, Las Vegas Out-

Bill Vanderford Travel Editor

MORE INFO: 770-289-1543 JFish51@aol.com www.georgiafishing.com let Center and Boulevard Mall are available.

The holiday season is always a great time to visit Las Vegas as the Strip is alive with the Christmas spirit and every casino tries to out perform their competition with huge Christmas trees and imaginative lighting. It can be quite crowded and very cold, and many shows book up fast. Nevertheless, if you make plans as early as possible Christmas in Vegas can be a memorable experience!

For plenty of info, go to the Las Vegas Official Tourism website: www.lasvegastourism.com.

Bill Vanderford has won numerous awards for his writing and photography, and has been inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Guide.

ALL PHOTOS BY BILL VANDERFORD

Las Vegas as seen from the Belagio Hotel, above. The Venetian decked out for Christmas, right.

The Atrium at Caesars Palace.

Getting decorations ready - a polar bear and a large hanging ornament.

Tree in a hotel atrium

A street scene In Vegas.

For more photos, visit www.lakesidenews.com/vanderfords-travel-column

December 2014

LAKESIDE 51

52 LAKESIDE

December 2014

EXIT 17 EXIT 16

General U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ........770 945-9531 Water Release Schedules................770 945-1466 Recreation/Water level Info .............770 945-1467 DNR, Law Enforcement Division .....800 241-4113 Lake Lanier Association Inc. ...........770 503-7757 Boating Safety Courses US Coast Guard Aux. Flotilla 29 ......770 891-6362 Atlanta Sail & Power Squadron .......770 734-6412 Marinas 1. Aqualand...................................770 967-6811 2. Bald Ridge ................................770 887-5309 3. Gainesville ................................770 536-2171 4. Habersham ...............................770 887-5432 5. Holiday .....................................770 945-7201 6. Port Royale...............................770 887-5715 7. Lanier Harbor...............CLOSED AS OF 2/4/14 8. Aquamarina Lazy Days .............770-628-1019 9. Hideaway Bay ...........................770 967-5500 10. Sunrise Cove ............................770 536-8599

December 2014

LAKESIDE 53

REPRESENTING BUYERS AND SELLERS IN ALL 5 LAKE LANIER COUNTIES CALL US TO BUY OR SELL ON LAKE LANIER!

www.georgiahomegroup.com SUSAN MOSS 770-654-6661 Cell • 770-718-5217 Office susan@georgiahomegroup.com

770 536-1250

00

00

$450,0

$425,0

Classic Hemingway cottage so close to water's edge and located on spectacular point lot w/double slip, 32x32 dock & party sun deck! Unobstructed big water views, vaulted wood beamed ceiling, brick floors, fireplace, gourmet kitchen with brick pizza oven, oversized screened porch overlooking lake side, sleeps 6 or more, extensive stone work featuring summer kitchen, fire pit and patio. Very private retreat adjoins COE point property. FMLS#5218814

,000

$1,250

NORMAN MOOLENAAR 770-539-1994 Cell • 770-718-5226 Office nmoolenaar@nortonnorthga.com

North Hall Lake Beauty! Recently renovated this 4/5BR 4BA floor plan boasts timeless style and livability. Master suite includes deluxe bath and private covered porch. Formal living and dining rooms along with a fireside den and adjacent sunroom completes the package. Full terrace level includes 2BR 2BA second kitchen, living/dining combo. Accessible by a private drive and covered parking. Golf cart path leads to a S/S covered dock. All this on 2 beautiful lake acres.

POINT LOT PROPERTY WITH PANORAMIC VIEWS!

00

$899,0

00

$450,0

Spectacular lake lot with incredible big sunset views.

Easy close walk to your oversized double slip covered dock. Grand great room with vaulted ceilings, stone fireplace and hardwood floors. Updated kitchen, stainless appliances. Two master suites (one on main). Terrace level rec room with full bath. Covered screen porch with shaded big water views. Drought proof water at dock. This is a great lake experience! Mt Vernon & North Hall Schools.

Absolutely breathtaking gated custom European lake estate. Unparalleled setting offers stunning lake views & an easy stroll to the dbl slp cov boat dock w/party deck.

This 6BR/5.5BA offers a luxurious main floor master suite w/2 FPs and a formal sitting room. The grand two story great rm boasts a wall of windows w/stunning lake views.

Outdoor lakeside gazebo completes this palatial lake estate.

00

$330,0

00

$300,0 First time on market. One of Lanier's finest point lot properties, with panoramic views, on South Lake! Privately tucked away and heavily surrounded by deep water & approx. 256 ft of shoreline. This estate property with party deck dock undoubtably boasts an unmeasureable amount of charm, character, uniqueness & quaintness. Main ranch home & detached guest house, together, offer 5 BRs & 4 BAs. Main home features 2 mstr suites; spacious living areas showcasing sweeping water views; built-ins thru-out; heart of pine floors & partially finished basement.

00

$450,0 A true Lake Lanier cabin with covered single slip dock in deep water & scenic water views! This spacious home offers vaulted

North Hall Lake Beauty! 4 sided brick with big water views.

great room with stacked stone fireplace, open kitchen with

Double slip covered Martin dock w/hoist. Updated kitchen,

island, dining room, 3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms, game room, screened porch, oversized 2 car garage with stand up attic storage, professional landscaping and easy path to single slip dock.

View...View...and More View! Situated so close to water’s edge, this 3BR/2BA cozy “turn key” cottage offers, up close, awesome water views; deep water access; cov dock w/party deck, boat lift & electricity; detached 2 car garage; wrap around deck; vaulted gr rm w/skylight & home furnishings. Enjoy a genuine “lake themed’ cottage w/all the simple luxuries, necessities & many conveniences of a “priceless” Lake Lanier property. In Forsyth County close to GA. 400. FMLS#5208091

hardwood floors, tile and carpet. Unbelievable landscaping, retaining walls, and free-standing deck overlooking lake. Four season sunroom, full apt in basement. A must see at this new reduced price!

54 LAKESIDE

December 2014

Getting in the last hello when a solicitor phones Phillip is taking a break for the holidays and enjoying some eggnog in front of a toasty fire.

We hope you enjoy one of his “Best of” columns.

I’ve been working at home a lot lately. It’s quiet here, with very few of the interruptions one encounters in a busy office. People are always coming around imploring you to stop goofing off at work. Working at work can be so demanding sometimes.

Anyway, I figured that I’d be more focused and efficient without having someone standing over me while I’m surfing the net in a vain quest to find a better job. Or, at least I though that was the case.

Then I got solicited.

Everyone has a story about how annoying it is to get a call from someone trying to get you to buy something you don’t want.

Or worse, someone calling to remind you to send a check to pay for the last worthless piece of junk you bought.

But far and away, the biggest problem with solicitors is their uncanny ability to call just when you’re falling asleep in front of the television while your remote is on auto-pilot unconsciously

Phillip Sartain Break from the Lake

flipping through 367 channels of cow dung.

As I found out yesterday, it’s just as annoying for them to call during that narrow window where I’m actually trying to do some real work. The jarring ring of the landline shattered the tenuous hold I had on my attention span.

Even worse, it set off the manic Telephone Search and Rescue Protocol to locate the cordless phone.

Once I found the offending appliance, I snatched it up and breathlessly shouted, “HELLO,” like it was a call from the White House begging me to accept a nomination to the Supreme Court which, in my opinion, would be a suitable and genuine “change of scenery” job opportunity.

Of course, my anticipation of

being elevated to that exalted position was premature, and instead of the President casually addressing me by my private nick-name, there was dead silence.

That led to a flickering hope that maybe the Secret Service was simply going through the “vetting” process and was surreptitiously checking on my whereabouts.

“HELLO,” I shouted again, just in case they were scanning me for voice recognition before acknowledging that they were on the other end. Nothing.

In the background, I heard a muffled movement followed by the sound of someone eating from a bag of cheese puffs. Suddenly, there was a very pointed “HELLO” suggesting that I had impertinently failed to respond to a “911 call back.”

Crestfallen with disappointment, I tried to say hello again, but before I could, I was preempted by yet another “HELLO” from someone who was obviously using a tin can and string for their means of communication with the outside world.

“HELLO, is this Phillip or Lydia Sartain?” the caller in-

SHIPWRIGHT’S

quired in an obviously well practiced zombie monotone. Insulted both that they didn’t recognize my deep melodious baritone voice as male, or conversely, that they thought that I was married to a woman who sounds like a Marine Drill Instructor, I paused to consider my rejoinder.

Just as I about to respond, I heard still another more urgent zombie “HELLO,” and it led me to wonder whether this solicitor was stationed on Mars, thus accounting for the built in time delay.

Befuddled, I tried again, “HELLO.” Again, I got the same stupid question, “May I speak to Phillip

or Lydia?”

“They’re not here,” I answered.

“Do you have any idea when they’ll be home?”

“No, I haven’t seen them since the Secret Service called.”

There was pause, and before he could say more, I cut him off with a question, “What’s the weather like on Mars and do you like working there?”

He hung up before I could ask him if there were any openings.

Phillip Bond Sartain is a Gainesville, GA lawyer and freelance writer.

MORE INFO: Email: attypbs@mindspring.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM LAKESIDE

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December 2014

LAKESIDE 55

CLASSIFIEDS facturer, the best prices. Repairs also done.

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LAKE LANIER GEAR “unsalted” SHORT SLEEVE LAKE MAP T-SHIRTS $19.99 LONG SLEEVE LAKE MAP T-SHIRTS $24.99 CREW SWEATSHIRTS LAKE MAP $29.99 HOODIES LAKE MAP $34.99 Available colors: Navy/Pink/Sport Gray/Charcoal

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2004 Colgate 26’ sailboat: $32,900 Bristol condition. New bottom paint.

Lsoaded options, unique boat design. Great daysailor, performance boat. Info and photos at: http://tinyurl.com/ColgateForSale 770-967-1515.

DOCKS Used boat docks. Call 678 450-4212 or check out our news page on our web site at www.amaysingdocks.com.

PROPELLERS Boat propellers, buy direct, from manu-

PROPERTY $635K. 4 br., 2-1/2 bath. Over 3000sq. ft.

South end of lake. 2.92 acres. Stainless appliances, new hvac, new flooring, single slip dock. Gentle slope. Must see. Call 678549-3495 for appointment.

SERVICES MODock Electrical Service, Shoreline Use Permit “Exhibit C” Electrical Certification and electrical repairs. Georgia licensed electrician. Just ask for Mo. modockelectrical@gmail.com, 706-482-8167.

LIST YOUR CLASSIFIED AD Lakeside on Lanier Classifieds Only $15 per Month!

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• Complete tree service & removal • Landscape installation • Grading • Hauling • Lot clearing • Concrete removal • Lake view enhancement (tree trimming) • Timber or allan block retaining walls • Pathway clearing & maintenance • Timber or block pathway steps • Mulching (red, brown, cypress) • Fill dirt, topsoil, screened topsoil available Licensed & Insured • References Available

Call for your free estimate today • 678-414-9187

56 LAKESIDE

December 2014

Vice President/Partner

770 540-7752 www.patsybailey.com pbailey@nortonnorthga.com

Patsy Bailey Lake Lanier Specialist 770 532-0022

Invites You to Preview S ome of Lake Lanier’s Premier Properties View! Deep Water! South Lake!

Charming Custom Rustic Craftsman Design

Call Patsy.

3 $599,900

4 BR, 3.5 BA Immaculate, Red Oak Flooring, Lots of Windows, Close to Water!

View of Chestatee Bay, 2 Slip Dock

Beautiful Custom Built Brick Home High Quality Finishes View, Deep Water Dock Permit

Deep Water SS Enclosed Dock Large Spacious Home

Call Patsy.

3 $749,000

Call Patsy. 3 $539,000

Exclusive Cherokee Forrest Estate

Stunning Year ‘Round Views

Custom Home on Lake Lanier

Call Patsy.

3 $648,000

Serenity Abounds in this Private Gated, Fenced Retreat! 5 BR, 4 BA, Recently Remodeled & Updated. Gentle Slope, close to Water, paved Drive to Dbl Slip Dock, with Sun Deck

434 Green Street Gainesville, GA 30501

Pointe South Magnificent Premier Estate

Summer Crest at Four Seasons

Executive Mansion

This Magnificent Lake Front all Brick MASTERPIECE features 5 BR, 5.5 BA, LR, DR, enormous Kitchen with island, wonderful Master Suite, Library, Family room, covered Deck, Screened Porch, 5 FP’s, sitting at water’s edge, lush professional gardens, stone wall accents, incredible VIEWS of Lake & Mountains of Northeast Georgia plus so much more!

Martha’s Vineyard Nantucket Inspired Design on Lake Lanier! Situated on a point lot with 600’ of shoreline, amazing panoramic sunset VIEWS & very deep water..custom design by noted Atlanta architectural firm Spitzmiller & Morris, this home showcases 5 BR, 5 BA, 4-half BA’s, DR, LR, Family Rm, Media Rm, Library, Rec Rm, Screened Porch, Veranda, Porte Cochere, separate Guest Quarters, 3 car large garage and wide parking area, dble slip dock..Most Beautiful Views of Miles of the Lake and Mountains!

6 BR, 8 BA. Spacious, Light and Airy With Highest Quality Custom Amenities. Panoramic Views, Year Round Deep Water 2 Slip Dock, 5 Car Garage, Professionally Landscaped to Waters Edge.

THE BEST South Lake Location.

Call Patsy. 3 $3,250,000

Call Patsy. 3 REDUCED TO $1,975,000

Call Patsy. 3 $1,585,000

Great Buy on South Lake

Lots w/Lake Views, Docks Easy slope, beautiful lake views, has unlivable old house on property.

SS dock.

3 $249,000

LOTS/ACREAGE SOLD

• Lake front deep water lot with dock and VIEW! Lakeview Dr, Buford. $279,900 • Lake front deep water lot wide open VIEW, dock, off Cochran Rd. $249,000 • Lake front deep water lot, dock, off Cochran RD $199,000 • 1 acre lake front lot off Garrett Road in Buford. Enclosed boat house, deep water always. $299,000

SOLD

Grassed to water Priced to sell!

Call Patsy.

3 $299,900

Great building site with lake views, has garage/ shed on property. SS dock, deep water.

3 $199,000

• 28.759 acres in Flowery Branch, OWNER FINANCING, 2 creeks, beautiful land. $350,000 • Commercial lot fronting on Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville. $199,900

SOLD • SOLD • SOLD • SOLD • SOLD Walnut River

South Lanier

Deep Water

!

D L SO

3 $499,900

3 $699,000

3 $545,000

Holly Hill on Lanier

Fox Tail Cove

3 $1,745,000

3 $599,000

33 YEARS EXPERIENCE • $300 MILLION CAREER SALES CALL PATSY TODAY - PUT THIS EXPERIENCE AND SUCCESS TO WORK FOR YOU! WWW.LAKELANIERPROPERTY.COM