What’s Your Perfect Lake?

Beautiful Lake Chatuge is nestled in the mountains of Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia, two hours north of Atlanta.

Last week Woody Boater featured the wonderful photography of Robert & Linda Miracle from Miracle Photography. As we were preparing the story, Robert sent us this spectacular image that he captured from Lake Chatuge during the ACBS Blue Ridge Chapter Show in 2009. When I asked Robert about the image, he commented… It was the perfect time of day to shoot photos, the light was just right… we were returning from the Friday night cookout down the lake, and I noticed a boat coming up behind us, I grabbed my camera and took a few shots. The fog was starting to rise out of the valleys, and the clouds behind the mountain were just starting to change color. The boat in the image (above) is “Love & Luck” a 1937 Chris-Craft 17′ Deluxe Runabout.

Viewing images like these of cool old boats on the lake and the surrounding landscape is stimulating, and often takes us back to our own memories of being on the lake, on that perfect summer evening that you wish would never end.

We all have memories of those special days on the lake, the sights, the sounds, that certain smell in the wind as you cruise across the water. For many of us, those memories are etched in our minds forever. Maybe from our childhood with Uncle Bob fishing at Lake Mosquito, or waterskiing at the lake during the family summer vacation wearing that big orange life jacket than never fit right…and didn`t look very cool in front of the girls…

Or trying to master a perfect 360 degree turn on that old plywood Flying Saucer to impress the girls on the beach.

So we had an idea. It’s the end of January, most of us are either buried in snow or freezing from wind chill and the last thing on your mind is firing up the old boat and going for a ride.

With the help of Miracle Photography, let’s do a story and show the folks at the Woody Boater community some classic images of summer at the lake to stimulate your memories and ask the question…

What’s Your Perfect Lake?…and why?

And kind of like our successful “Last Gasp Week” that was fun, either let us know what your perfect lake is by commenting, or better yet, send us some photos of your perfect lake with a short story and throughout the week we will publish them on Woody Boater.

Better yet, Matt suggested that the best “Perfect Lake” photos and story may lead to a live visit to your perfect lake from Woody Boater this summer and a follow up story.

Woody Boater will bring the hot dogs and beverages, you provide the lake, the camp fire and the boat ride.

Above is a beautiful Century Seamaid “Just 1 More” on Lake Hartwell 2010. Below is Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club President Terry Fiest out for a ride at the Charlotte Boat Show aboard his 21′ Chris-Craft Cobra “Hemi Under Glass”.

What if the winning story and photos come from New Zealand? I’m sure they have perfect lakes there… well that just means we get to go down under for a ride in Philip’s nice, freshly varnished Century Resorter. More on that later.

What if the winning story & photos come from Lake Como? Well we have been looking for an excuse to visit Lake Como to see some classic Riva’s and George Clooney’s lake house…

Thanks again to Miracle Photography for the awesome images, you will probably be seeing more of Robert & Linda this year if your planning to attend an antique & classic boat show in the south east. How does he get the shot with the boat in the moonlight…

Texx