At 16 days old, I was on a boat. From the earliest memories on, most of my fondest and strangest memories take place on the family boat. From my 9th birthday, to family trips to marinas all over the state, my favorite stories involve boating. I give boating full credit for my family being as close as it is, but with some of my stories, you have to wonder how. I suppose bonding over everything from days at the beach to harrowing sinkings has made us stronger than we ever could without our trusty, floating piece of entertainment. I want to make one thing very clear; every memory I ever have on a boat is a treasured one, and one that I hope to keep with me forever. I can't thank my parents enough for exposing me to so many wonders, because it's made me who I am today.
The Shelly K -
The first vessel to bare the monicer "Shelly K." The name came from my sister and I, "Shelly," which was my sisters name before she decided at the ripe old age of 5 that she was too mature for that nickname, and "K" for me, Kevin. I am not sure how I got the short end of the stick with only one letter, but that's life, right? The boat was a 23 foot Formula Thunderbird with an 8 cylinder 350 engine (which, if I remember right, my dad built, and I remember a time where it caught on fire in the driveway). Anywho, it had a small little cuddy cabin with a port-a-potty.
The fist Shelly K was possibly the sturdiest of the boats I can remember. My first memories of boating are on this boat. I remember fishing from the Skyway, and getting stuck at Picnic Island. My dad and I were bonding when I was really young, and he was trying to teach me to fish, when the boat wouldn't start. We had a police officer take us in. I remember it because the officer was so nice, and apparently I was scared (it was my first time I was stuck on a boat) that the officer hand-coughed my dad as a joke and let me work the siren (which was awesome!).
No comments:
Post a Comment