I am the new owner of my very first boat. We live close to a large lake and have been thinking about getting a boat for years. We thought it would be a great way to spend time together as a family and have fun during the long Hotlanta summer. My wife’s uncle is an avid boater and found out about a good used boat that was available, so we checked it out and decided to take the plunge… bad choice of words.
The boat is 24 foot Sea Ray. If you know anything about boating, you know that a 24 foot boat is a lot to handle for someone whose boating experience consists primarily of captaining a paddle boat with a chocolate lab as his first mate. It’s sort of like learning to drive with a ’78 Ford LTD.
We just got it last week and I have only been out a couple times. Both times, I had an experienced boater on board to keep an eye on me. It’s a good thing because if it were not for the advanced technical help (“Watch out for the dock… turn the other way… put it in gear… keep the bottom side wet”), I would have been in trouble.
I love taking the boat out, but I am still pretty terrified. Did you know those things don’t have brakes? Not only that, but the “road” is constantly moving below you. It’s not bad in the open water, but near the docks (when everyone in the marina is watching) I feel like I’m trying to parallel park a Hummer in front of an EPA office.
So far I have managed to dock and undock without hitting anything, but I have yet to go out on my own or on the weekend when the boats moving in and out of the marina look like fire ants running around a mound. I know I am safe while tied up to the dock and am content to putter around on occasion, but boats were not designed to remain attached to docks were they?
You guessed it, here is the metaphor. Where is your boat safely tied up? Sure I can keep away from embarrassment and stay safe if I keep it in the marina, but then I would miss out on the 40,000 acres of lake just outside my protected cove. Some of you need to get over your fear of looking like a fool and untie the boat. You may bump the dock or look like a dork for little while, but very little learning or growth comes without risk.
