The Buffalo News, July 2002
Excalibur excursions share the fun of fishing
by Will Elliott

Rob Ray of the Buffalo Sabres helps kidney transplant patient Nicole Blum cast her line.

Excalibur excursions share the fun of fishing.w Two Buffalo Sabres and the Excalibur Leisure Skills boat helped five impaired kids enjoy a slice of life as they took a fishing trip around Buffalo Harbor recently.

Rob Ray and Eric Boulton accompanied kids and Crow's Nest Fishing Club volunteers to ensure two boys and three girls had a great Saturday morning of fishing around the harbor's northern breakwater structures. They did. In the spirit of a playing a hockey game, Ray helped three girls: sisters Margaret Blum, 16, and Nicole Blum, 8, and Jessica Frysz. All are kidney transplant patients and Cheektowaga residents. Boulton helped Henry King, 14, but Kevin Kasper, 19, of Lewiston, needed no help in casting and catching fish. Kasper, who has a brittle bone disease and requires the use of a wheelchair, got all kinds of moral support and companionship from Morgan, his 7 year old German shepherd that curled up under Kasper's chair Throughout the trip, Kevin’s father Lee also helped him fish.

July 12 was Crow's Nest's special day for both morning and afternoon runs of handicapped and impaired persons. Volunteers set up tents next to the main Small Boat Harbor launch ramp, near the Excalibur docking site.

Not only did Crow's Nest volunteers Paul Ziegler and Bill "Bubba" Wirth help on the boat, others followed in a photo boat, shooting video footage and still photography of each kid's catch. Fun prevailed throughout this fishing trip a rousing cheer went up each time a fish came on board.

All fish were released as soon as pictures could be taken all but the round gobies. Ray had a good skein going with his girl anglers. Frysz caught the first fish, a 12 inch, smallmouth bass. Shortly after that, Margaret Blum got a similar smallie.

Henry King of Buffalo was stuck with just, one round goby, a small, exotic nuisance fish. Gobies often destroy live bait (minnows, crayfish and nightcrawlers) sent down to catch walleye, bass and yellow perch. Things looked glum for the Boulton team. Nicole Blum, also, was working on a shutout.

Then Captain Ed Purvis, who has piloted Excalibur fishing excursions since 1989, moved out and began drifting off the North Gap Lighthouse. Everyone began catching fish.

Kevin started with a sheepshead, another less than desirable catch, but he quickly added two smallmouths to make his totals respectable. It took Nicole only a few minutes to find bottom and hook into one of the biggest smallies of the day. Boulton got a round of applause when his guy, Henry King, brought in two quick bass to keep up with Kevin. Before, noon, every kid had caught and released at least two bass, with the boys logging the more bizarre catches round gobies and sheepsheads.The five kids then headed to shore, for a picnic lunch and another crew of volunteers and anglers headed out for an afternoon run.

Margaret Benges, Crow's Nest coordinator for that club's Excalibur outings, got many shots from the photo boat and said on the way to shore, "We would like to see as many kids as possible get out on these trips each year." Her club, has organized a special Excalibur event for seven seasons.

Without volunteers like Margaret and so many others, we couldn't put these trips together each season," said, Jim Catalano, executive director of Excalibur Leisure Skills.

Excalibur's season, for more than 15 years, has been set at May 15 until Oct. 15. "But equipment failures and simply normal wear and tear has narrowed our season in recent years," Catalano said. This vessel, a 30 foot Alura, received a complete hull coating a few years ago, but after 14 years of service, the boat often has to be pulled from service for repair or replacements.

”This year we didn't get started until the week of July 4. Not only do startups begin later, shutdowns often occur earlier in the season,” he said. On average, Excalibur now is good for eight to 10 weeks of trips, serving about 2,200 to 2,800 persons. "When we were at full capacity, this boat could accommodate about 4,200 people each year."

Current capacity is 15 passengers, and three crew members. With space taken up for wheelchair access and several aides help anglers, most trips allow no more than five lines in the water at any given time. That line for "Jaws" applies here: "You need a bigger boat."

"A wider hull with more deck space would give room for anglers and aides, plus more transom area to reduce line tangles," he said. Also, volunteers such as Norman Kehl, who now spends most of his time on maintenance and repair, would be free to help anglers.

"A new boat would be pricey ($125,000 to $235,000), but we need a vessel with built-in, wheelchair access to save space and add on time," Catalano said. Excalibur has received a $10,000 matching grant from the Baird Foundation, but additional funding has to come in to continue its services.

To ensure that kids like Henry Margaret, Jessica, Kevin and Nicole have access to this unique fishing opportunity, Excalibur needs both funds and willing volunteers to continue sharing the fun of fishing with thousands each warm water season.

To find out how you can help, call 83l-3188.