Little Viking

My son Jesse experienced the thrill and exhilaration of riding on a waverunner five years ago on a family vacation to Lake George. He was too young to ride by himself, and the waverunner operator had his setup in a large cove on the lake and kept the waverunners within certain boundaries. Even though he sat behind me, I could feel his enjoyment as he held onto me while we got 'major air' each time we jumped a wave. I guess it's natural for a young boy to want some independence and feel the power of the machine he is riding through his grip. The smile on his face will last forever in my memory.



Partly because of the inherent propensity for these powerful machines to go really fast and equally because people who operate them can be very careless, laws are now in place requiring PWC operators to be 16 years old and pass a safety course. Similar laws are in place for someone 13 years old to operate a boat with less than 10 hp. I'm positive that the insurance industry had a hand in these laws being passed. But I am pleased that these laws exist, for the benefit of not just my son.



Now 14 years old, Jesse still has a love affair with waverunners. But he has two more years to go until he is old enough to operate one by himself. This past winter he took the boating safety class, and got a 96 on the test. As a reward I bought him his own boat and outboard so that he can have his independence and can gain valuable boating experience. We all can remember our first bicycle, usually having training wheels. the exuberance that we felt once our parent or older sibling let go of the bike and off we went 'on our own'. Our first boat is very similar in this manner, as it gave us independence and an expansive world for us to explore. Jesse's first weekend with his boat was very much like my very own experience many years earlier.



We both came down to the marina Friday afternoon; me to witness the hauling and launching of Vintage Viking after its extensive refit over the winter, and Jesse with the hope of enjoying is first 'launching'. Once we got Vintage Viking into her slip (see additional post on the launch), Jesse was antsy to get his own boat launched. The launch of 'Little Vike' was much easier than its bigger brethren. Jesse and I slid his little boat over he edge of the bulkhead and into the lagoon with comprises the majority of the marina's water.

After several minutes of testing the engine to make sure that it ran, I got out and Jesse jumped into the boat. As any parent would do, I gave him boundaries and limits of where he can go. In a blink of an eye he was tooling up and down the lagoon, it looked like he had been boating for years. But this belief was soon chased away. I noticed Jesse rowing the boat back to the dock. He shouted that the "engine just quit!" As I smiled, I asked him the immortal question; "Do you have gas in the tank?" A puzzled look and a glance of pity.

He learned that valued lesson of all non-sailboters. Every boat, even small ones, run on fuel. And it doesn't get in the tank by itself. Oh, what a proud moment.