Captain Larry

Over the last year we hit a lot of milestones like not having the boat sink when she was in the water and finding out that the engines actually worked but this past weekend was, I think, the best one of all. Our father was able to make the trip up to Wiarton.

We had been waiting for a good stretch of weather so that we might be able to head out on the bay as well. Tom drove him up from Fonthill (a 4 hour trip) on Thursday afternoon and they stayed in a local hotel. He is such a good son … probably the favourite. Friday morning they came to the boat and, after a group effort, we were able to get Poppa on board.

It was a mostly sunny day but the wind was pretty strong so I wasn’t feeling very optimistic about being able to head out. Although my father seemed happy enough to just be on the boat at the marina I really wanted to take him for a short trip.

So we waited to see if the winds would calm down.

… and we waited…

… and waited ….

… and waited ….

Luckily after lunch the winds lessened to the point where I felt comfortable enough to take her out.

Donald is driving the boat in this photo.

Since the swim platform still has to be repaired we kept the speed to around 5 knots. I asked my father if he was interested in driving. I didn’t think an almost 92 year old man could move that fast.

It was still windy out on the open water and he did a great job of keeping the boat going straight while fighting the winds. If anyone was wondering if he enjoyed himself the last photo leaves no doubt.

To say it was a great day out on the boat is a bit of an understatement. Next year we will take him out for a longer trip.

A special thanks to Heather for being ready at the wall and Cam at the dock when we brought her in.