So...what do you do?

[Chuck Waygood]

Just discovered this thread that John started four years ago. An interesting number of life stories. As an old guy, I will skip much of it. College and law school on the GI bill, married and started a family of four, moving to NYC where making a living kept me out of boating for 25 years except for lusting at boat shows. Left the Big Apple for teaching in Florida, where boating began in earnest. A little time in the snowboard business and then an Oracle consulting business based in Dallas with my daughter. Sold that in 1997 and finally retired. Boating began at 12 years old with a 12 foot rowboat powered by a 7 1/2 horse Elgin outboard used to take people on rides at a lake in Pennsylvania for 25 cents each! Since then, a dozen or so others from 14' to 19' to 25' to 41' to the largest, a 48' Offshore yacht fish bought after the sale of our consulting business in 97. Before "downsizing" to our Albin 35 TE flybridge, that 48' covered a lot of territory in this man's dream cruises: three trips to the Bahamas, touching all the major islands from Long Island in the south, the Exumas, Cat Island, Eleuthera and the Abacos in the north, anchoring out all the way. On two occasions, before the government stopped it, we escorted racing sailboats in regattas to Cuba. But the trip of a lifetime was up the inter coastal to New York, out the Erie Canal and into Lake Ontario, back and forth between towns in Canada and the US in the 1000 islands area, on out the St Lawrence River to Montreal and Quebec City (beautiful cities and marinas), then back to Sorel and down the Chambly Canal and back into the US at Lake Champlain, down the Hudson and eventually back to Florida. I feel truly blessed to have had the experience.
For the many of you in the Chesapeake, our anchorages in your coves and rivers were some of the finest anywhere. Enjoy them every moment you can. God willing and the waters don' rise too far, I will get back there with my Albin, maybe even get to one of your rendezvous. For all of us that love the water, the cruising and fishing life, and our Albins, God bless and have a very good Christmas and a happy New Year. Fair winds and safe anchorages. Chuck

[tomcat]

Right back at you Chuck!! And your trip, well, that's our dream also.When coming down the Hudson from Champlain, you went right past our marina. Stop in for a "sodie" next time you're in the area!

I started boating at around 13 when my parents bought a used 16' Glastron with an 85 Merc. My older brother and I were using it 3-4 times a week skiing. We did most of our boating on the Potomac and Occaquan Rivers around the Washington area. This was in the early to mid '70's. I moved in 1978 to Vermont and the boat stayed with mom and dad in Virginia.

I got a job for "the summer" in 1978 doing construction with a small outfit. Doing mostly agricultural buildings, dairy barns, machinery buildings, milking parlors. We eventually expanded our horizons and got into some commercial stuff. Starting off with 5 crew members, that's including the two owners, and one crew, the addition of the commercial end brought into view another crew. So now we have the two crews with one doing mostly ag work, which is where I've been and foreman of, and a commercial crew, which my brother has been foreman of for the past 20 years. I never thought that this is what I would be doing at this time of my life and to be with the same company for 32 years is truly puzzling my mind!! The punishment that I have put my body through is now catching up to me!

I married my sweetheart that I fell in love with the day I met her when I started a job in a drug store in Virginia. She was behind the counter working when I was being shown around the store by the manager. I laid eyes on Brenda and said that's the girl that I would like to marry. We worked together for a while, we finished high school, we were on again and off again for a year or so. I then moved to Vermont and she stayed behind. I said to her that if we ever get married we would live in Vermont. Well a year later, in 1979, we married and she moved up with me.We've been happily married for 32 years and have two wonderful kids, our son, Jason, who will be 30 in February and lives in Portland ,OR. Our daughter, Nicole, is 28 and lives in Port ST. Lucie, FL.

We bought our first boat in 2000. It was a 20' Bayliner which we had for a couple of years. A long weekend in a cuddy with a portapotti , convinced my wife that we needed a shower of some sort. Traded the 20 in for a Stingray 240cs. That was going to be the biggest boat we would ever need...yea, right! Spending weekends on it, taking trips to Champlain and down the Hudson to NYC got us thinking that maybe a bigger boat was in the future. And so, that's when the 2006 40 NSC came into the picture. We had a lot work to do on it and still have a few more things to do, but boy do we love the space and comfort!

WE love being on the water and just kicking back and relaxing. To us, that's what it's all about.

And to all the coordinator's, moderator's and everyone who has something to do with this forum and keeping it running, I thank-you. It is a job well done. And some day, I hope to run into (not literally!) some of you folks out there. If you're ever make it up to the upper Hudson, look us up!

[whwells]

This posting by all the good members just came to my attention. So many fine people and great life experiences. Some of you know I have been trying to get "Nibbles" in place for the winter in Anacortes, Wa. for months.
When that has happened I will take sometime and give a little history for the group. May not be nearly as interesting as these readings, but life is good & fun. Pat, my wife, and I have had a good life. So more to follow after the boat gets in place - if every it seems at the moment.
whwells "Howard"
35TE SPORTFISHER/CONV.
2006 "NIBBLES"

[joe.baar]

Howard,
Please spell "Anacortes" again for me. Please, Howard. It makes me crazy. Sorry.

[Serenity]

I started boating in the early 60's aboard a 12 foot styrofoam Sunfish sail boat. My uncle used to smoke Kool's and Kool's had a promo if you sent in 20 or something cigarette packs and a $100.00 they sent you a sail boat. It was great sailing this 38 pound boat that had Kool's in big bold letters on the sail.
Nevertheless, I dropped out of college in 66 and joined the Navy. Spent 3 years crusing the Carribbean protecting the mainland from bad people and 5 months in the Med doing the same thing. Otherwise, on the 3 ships I was on, our home port was in Little Creek, Virginia between deploymemnts.
I was discharged in 70, and went to work for a company called Graybar Electric. I started driving a truck and progressed up the ladder to various positions of sales and management. I retired from Graybar in 02. I married my wife in 72 and we bought our first boat in 1974. We started with a 19' Sportcraft, 25" Carver, 28'-1974 Luhrs with a Perkins diesel ( only 2 were made, so I was told), 216 Cabo, 25' Maxum, 28 Penn Yan, a 26' Century WA w/2-225 four strokes and now Serenity.
When I bought Serenity, she was a 1998 boat with a 2009 315 Yanmar with 43 hours on her. I now have 115 on her, and she is not even broken in. I dock the boat about a mile from my house in East Islip. I can be in Great South Bay in 5 minutes, the Fire Island Inlet in 45 minutes and the sound in 5 hours. However, if I am following Resolution with Gery's bride at the helm, probably make the sound in 4 1/2 hours, perhaps sooner.
My wife and I are looking forward to the 2012 rendezvous.

[sweetwater]

Great to read about all the people behind the posts. I was born and raised right here on Long Island. Have been SCUBA diving and fishing since I can remember and refuse to spend my time away from the water. I became a Police officer in Nassau County in 1986 and never looked back. Its a great profession and you touch a lot of lives. Got married in 1990 and now have a beautiful daughter (15) and a fantastic son(11). I did not think it was possible, but they love the water and boating as much as I do. We Got our first boat, a 24 foot aquasport in 1997, then a 25 parker in 2001. Made Sergeant in 2003 and began training other police officers. We just picked up our 28 Albin this past spring.

[kjg1951]

I was a Marine Corp Brat with both my my mom and dad in the Marines... I was born in oceaniside Ca. but grew up in Middletown N.Y. I served in the Navy for 8 years as a Corpsman and went to school for Opticianry, which i am still working in here in New bern N.C. I have had many boats in my boating life the last being a 34 Catalina sail boat named the "MaryGee" she was just sold to a wonderful fellow from Brooklyn and now she is sailing the new york waters. We just bought the 28T Albin in July and am enjoying it alot. The fuel rate is alittle bit more that the sail boat but we sure get to where we are going alot faster. I look forward to retiring in a few years when we can really enjoy our new boat "The Blue Dolphin"