Life with my parents has never been dull, and apparently some things don’t change with age. I grew up thinking vacations were spent on a 27″ cabin cruiser tied to some cliff in Ontario. Staying in a hotel was something entirely foreign to me until at least my teens, and even then it only happened once every few years and was always tied in with some meeting Dad had to attend for school.
When Dad retired, ten or thirteen years ago now (I’m bad with dates), they sold the old wooden boat (the “Nicole”. Gotta love that!) and bought a fiberglass Searay monstrosity. Thankfully I had already moved away, so I’ve never had to deckhand on the narrow, badly designed beast. Alas, that left Mum as sole deckhand having to navigate the narrow sides of this monste… but I digress.
A couple weeks ago, Mum and Dad (M&D) took off on a little jaunt to Richard’s Landing, Ontario (a frequent weekend destination for them). About two hours into the three hour tour (yes, I just said that), Dad noticed he was having to throttle up more and more to keep the same speed. This, of course, happened in Lake George just about the same place our old boat sank when I was seven.
By the time they made it through the rapids not far from their destination, they were at full throttle and barely making headway, but they somehow managed to avoid the rocks. The engine finally died all together just yards from the marina, and they coasted the last several feet. Apparently Dad, all 5’6″ and 70 years of him, lept the last few.
Apparently something had broken, and water was being pumped into the bilge rather than out of it, slowly sinking the boat. So they called the local boat fix-it guy who came down to the dock with his little toolbox and fixed the problem after several trips back and forth the 30+ miles to get parts. Dad, of course, made fast friends, and the man (and his dog) ended up hanging with M&D on the docks, drinking into the late evening. That’s my Dad… making friends with everyone.
Now a lot of people would be wary of taking off in a boat that had all but landed at the bottom of the river three days before. Not M&D. They waved goodbye and started their merry way back upriver. Now the trip back takes them through the shipping channel. This means they’re in hundreds of feet of water with 1,000 foot freighters sharing the waterway. It can be quite dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, or are incapacitated somehow. You see where this is going?
An hour or so from home, the engine died. Kaput. Nada. The current in the channel is fierce, but luckily no freighters in sight to drag them into their wake. Finally Dad finally resorted to calling in a Mayday to the local Coast Guard (ah the memories). They tell M&D that they’ll be along as soon as they can get there, and to sit tight. So my parents drift until they’re outside the boundaries of the shipping channel, and throw out an anchor to await rescue. An hour and a half later said rescue appears to tow them to the nearest marina.
Now I’m just guessing here, but knowing my parents as I do, they likely passed the time having an afternon drink and some snacks.
Sounds to me like a perfect time to have a drink and some snacks. Your parents sound like mine (minus the boat) – they’d see it as an unexpected break and enjoy the view along with some wine (or beer if the day was particularly sunny) and some nibbles.
@Alex As I said to Harry earlier: Here’s to being as full of life when we’re their age. Cheers. ;)
We just watched the Bucket List Friday night. Had a Bucket List Party. And the conversation got around to *How you would like to die* The consensous was that no one wanted to be sitting around wasting away bored out of their minds.
Good for your parents for living a life of adventure and fun! And heck yeah! Drinks and snacks for everyone…no twiddling of thumbs allowed!
@Wendi I haven’t seen the movie yet, but it’s on my list. The previews always make me think of M&D though. I bet they’d love it. :)
I need to see the Bucket List, too; so many references to it. Someone I care deeply about and I tried to make out own up but it’s not as easy it seems as if we were older – maybe just need to see the movie.
I love they named the boat after you. And I love that photo!
I have a lost in the giant lake story – we were towed back and given refunds as they were near closing and hadn’t given us enough gas for the round-trip on the boat. My favorite part was when we stopped someone with us from diving overboard (she’d been on swim-team and maybe was a lifeguard once). We knew we were so far out there she would’ve had hypothermia or something – we just all stuck together and made it back – not so much in the style your folks probably did. I miss those days – vacations will come to me soon. Thank you for this; well written!
@”Danny” I love that they named the boat after me too. ;) Lot easier than the name of their first boat (Chacaltaya) and far less boring than the new boat (Summer Dream). Actually, I could be wrong on the Summer Dream thing, but it’s something equally as boring and unimaginative. ;)
Thought of you because I just put on my Camelot LP. (Original Broadway cast is the only way to go). C’est moi! C’est moi! ‘Tis I!
Ah, my boating adventure story consists of running out of gas eight times one summer on a lake. Nothing as heart stopping as your parents wondering if they’d be rescued!
@DeafMom I don’t really recommend heart stopping (I’ve had enough of that on a boat to last a lifetime already), so running out of gas is just adventerous enough to be made into a bit of spontaneous fun. Hopefully you were able to make the most of it? :)
LOL OMG, the Lion wants us to retire to a boat. Right now, my biggest trip with him was in our 25′ cruiser from Ottawa to Montreal and back. I was good except for one rough excusion just outside of the Old Port at Montreal when he decided he HAD TO PEE and left me at the helm, having never navigated a boat in my life before. And now you tell me this story?! Ya, the Lion would be sipping on espresso or drinking wine; I would be curled up in the fetal position. *smile*
@Urban Panther Boating is THE best thing in the world, and your Lion’s on the right track. Of course he has to lose a bit of dignity to really be good, and just pee over the side. He’s captain after all. It’s like being King! Mark the territory. ;)
Oddly enough, when I discovered your blog the other day, my first thought at seeing your picture was that you look like a boater. You’re half way there!
@Nicole – okay a boater, yes, but not a boat babe. Please tell me I don’t look like a boat babe! They are full of plastic! :)
@Urban Panther Oh gods no! Never a boat babe. They’re seldom “real” boaters anyway. ;) No, I use the term boater with the utmost respect and, dare I say, pride.
@Nicole – alrighty then *smile* Yes, I am a boater. I love being on the water, and when the Lion and I get stressed we hop and the boat and go anchor off somewhere. Fortunately, the boat is only 3 minutes away.