New Hampshire Union Leader reporter Dan Tuohy was aboard the M/S Mount Washington on the Belknap County Republican Committee "Lincoln Day" Cruise. His blog of that event follows.

9:50 p.m.

Former La. Gov. Buddy Roemer says America should drill more for oil. He cited the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico and said, "If a plane goes down, we don't quit flying, do we?"

Roemer said America must be energy independent as a matter of national security. He also called for deregulating the small business community.

Roemer said he may be at 2 or 3 percent in the polls, but said he's fewer than 20 points from the GOP frontrunner.

8:50 p.m.

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson gets biggest applause of the night so far when he says the U.S. Department of Education should be abolished.

He said the federal bureaucracy is blocking quality education and choice, like school vouchers.

Johnson, to about 400 Republicans on board the Mount Washington for the first-in-the-nation cruise, said America should pull troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and stop intervening in Libya.

Oh, and he also called for legalizing marijuana, an issue he has gotten a lot of press for.

7:35 p.m.

The Tea Party itself is a quintessential part of America, Republican Jon Huntsman said, wrapping up a Q & A on the M/S Mount Washington.

"The most powerful weapon we have is the vote," he said. "We're only as good as our individual citizens. We're only as good as your level of activism."

7:23 p.m.

I'll be back," Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman says. He's speaking to a woman and talking about motorcycles and Laconia Motorcycle Week.

As he walks away to the bow, she turns to a friend and says, "He's not hard on the eyes."

6:22 p.m.

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson said he hopes debate organizers let him participate in the first in the nation presidential debate on June 13.


"I'm putting all my chips on the table here," he said in an interview. "This is New Hampshire."


Johnson said he has made 10 trips to New Hampshire, and has been well-received.


He is aboard the M/S Mount Washington for a three-hour cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee. Former governors Buddy Roemer and Jon Huntsman are also on the Belknap County GOP cruise. Michigan congressman Thad McCotter, who was said to make the cruise, is not aboard.

6:13 p.m.

Sen Kelly Ayotte had this to say: "We have to get our country on a fiscally responsible path."

She said the president has not shown any leadership on the issue and, "That's why 2012 matters so much."

6 p.m.

LACONIA -- A three hour tour with four White House prospects.

The first-in-the-nation presidential cruise is about to depart the pier at Weirs Beach.

Aboard the M/S Mount Washington, the annual Lincoln Day fete of the Belknap County Republican Committee is hosting former governors Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson, and Buddy Roemer, as well as U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter.

The GOP attendees include House Speaker Bill O'Brien and RNC member Phyllis Woods of Dover.

"I think we have a plethora of candidates," Woods said upon boarding.

U.S. Sen Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, is on board greeting people, but she plans to hop off before the vessel departs.