Although the sun was shining when they left Auburn for Lake Ontario, by the time the children arrived at the Anchor Resort and Marina in Fair Haven, it was pouring.

So as the group of disabled children from the Cayuga County Community Mental Health Center and the Cayuga Home for Children sat and watched the rain, Fair Haven Area Chamber of Commerce president Chris Drogi wondered whether his plans for a fishing trip for the children would be ruined. Drogi and Capt. Werner Stenger had conceived the outing in January, and had worked hard to coordinate the trip, but it couldn't be rescheduled until 2007.

“Stenger had the weather satellite on, watching the storm front pass,” said Drogi. “At 10 (minutes) to 9 a.m. it was still coming down, but a couple minutes to 9 a.m. it passed. ‘Oh please Lord,' I said, just give us an hour or two.

“We were blessed.”

Moments later, the four boats, with a dozen children ages 5 to 17 from the two centers in Auburn, were out on the lake. The captains and the children set sail for a day's adventure

“For most of the kids, it was their first time fishing,” said Stenger of Popeye Charters. “The look on their faces was precious. As the day progressed, and they started catching fish, they started buddying up.”

For more than two hours, the four charter boats looped around the bay, catching memories and moments. If you can trust a fisherman not to exaggerate, everyone caught their fair share of fish as well.

“There were cheers from the other kids when the first fish was caught,” Stenger said. “When the second was caught, basically, it was a group hug for a picture.”

The children, with such conditions as autism, Down syndrome and mild mental retardation, quickly became dedicated fisherman. Even taking turns steering the boat. Stenger, who actually had control over his vessel, invited the children to take the wheel.

“One little boy sat behind the wheel of the boat and said, 'I'll probably cause an accident.' The second had a grin from ear to ear. He'll probably never have a chance to touch a wheel again,” said Patricia Babiarz, weekend respite supervisor of the Cayuga Home for Children.

“Another, with the rocking of the boat, had one hand on his pole and another steadying himself on the rail. He said, 'I just can't seem to understand why it keeps moving.' His knuckles were white from gripping, but he was not going to let loose of that pole.”

The trip for Drogi had started six months earlier. First, it was agreed that Stenger would be in charge of recruiting local charter captains willing to devote their time. Drogi would find agencies in the county interested in involving their children in the project. Once that was completed, the issue of insurance had to be tackled.

“There was the question, can we logistically make it work ... overcoming the insurance obstacle. It almost stopped the whole process,” Drogi said. Hours were spent delving into the chamber of commerce policy, which would not cover any boats longer than 26 feet in length. To solve the dilemma, an additional policy was issued to cover the one boat which was 29 feet long.

Next, fishing poles were obtained. The charter boats were only equipped with deep water poles, too large for the children to handle. So Drogi went to tackle shops in town and the problem was solved: Each child was gifted a rod and reel to keep.

A quick picnic of hot dogs and beans concluded the cruise. For dessert, cookies in the shape of sharks were provided by a baker in the village.

“When it was raining, you could feel the tension,” said Babiarz. “But once the boat got moving, it was absolutely marvelous. It turned into something that was beyond their wildest dreams. They'll take this with them for the rest of their lives.”