Beyond the Helm

“there is nothing – absolutely nothing.…… half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats” ratty from “the wind in the willows” by kenneth grahame to say that boating has been my passion is a bit of an understatement…… it’s more like an obsession. i was fortunate to grow up on the water; if i wasn’t in school, my family was traveling extensively by water either on our own boats or by charter. from as early as i can remember, i’ve always been completely captivated with boats in general, the beauty, design, functionality, etc. i absolutely love the lifestyle and can’t imagine not being on the water or being on boats. as a kid, i was kind of a dock rat on the lake we lived on. i would peruse the marinas in my 9.9 horse powered jon boat. wandering around the coves where boaters would be congregated showing off their yachts, i was less interested in what they were doing onboard, but more enthralled in the lines of the boats themselves. then, i would spend the day sneaking around