Trust Your Wife (Crew)

Years ago I rented a 17′ aluminum boat out of Seward for a day of fishing with friends and the the company that rents the boat launches you with a little trailer and tractor.  It was an older boat with a level wooden floor such that you could not see the top side of the hull down into the bilge.  I did have enough common sense to stay closer to shore but while floating around trying to catch some silvers my wife said.

Honey, there is sure lot’s of water in the boat.

Dear, it is an older boat and all older boats leak some, nothing to worry about I say smugly, after all I was the captain and had a couple years of recreational boating under my belt.

Couple minutes later.

Honey, are you sure, seems like a lot of water.

Dear, really… don’t worry…. wait a minute, that is quite a bit of water – at which point I reached down and stuck my finger through the plug hole that was…. yep you guessed it … missing a plug.

Fired up the engine and told everyone to sit tight we have to get to shore right now – gave some gas – too much and there was so much water that the bow raised up and we were almost pooped over the stern.  I backed off and ran slow just barely driving the bow into the shore as the stern sunk below the water.  We were able to find the plug, bale out the boat and resume our adventure but the one lesson is for me to encourage your crew to challenge your assumptions and always take a moment to confirm or address their concern.

As I have been spending the winter planning our adventure this summer the biggest hurdle in my mind is how to make it as safe as possible with the reality that I have 5 children on board, my older sons although young are quite capable boaters with over a years worth of days on the water but with my triplets only 1.5 years old I have really been running through my mind all the different ways that I can make this trip as safe and pleasurable as possible.

Cheers,

Joe from the Sundog Crew.