Teens hitch ride on an ice sheet, float down the Merrimack

Mar. 8—WEST NEWBURY — Two musicians looking for a way to let off some steam after a long night of rehearsing put smiles on many people's faces over the weekend after they were spotted in wetsuits drifting along the Merrimack River on a large chunk of ice.

Not only were Beau Colvin of West Newbury and Nick Bresh of Amesbury on the sheet of ice, but they were sitting on lounge chairs and trying to start a fire to keep warm. Sadly, the fire never made it past its infancy and concerned they might alarm folks, they abandoned the idea.

The two St. John's Prep students hacked out a large sheet of ice near Colvin's home around 8:30 a.m. and spent the next four hours or so slowly floating toward Newburyport. Well before reaching the mouth of the Merrimack, the two abandoned their semi-seaworthy ride and headed toward shore.

Colvin, 17, and Bresh, 16, form one half of local rock band Dune Dogs. And when they made the decision to go floating down the Merrimack, the other two members had a distinct reaction.

"They told us we were crazy, they didn't want any part of that," said Colvin, who added that the idea came after hearing someone had a done it years ago.

The two teens, who spend lots of time surfing, wore wetsuits and brought along a paddleboard and paddle in case things got hairy.

"We had an escape plan," Colvin said.

But as Bresh pointed out, they didn't have much in the way of supplies.

"We had nothing but a can of beans," Bresh said.