| As a kid I enjoyed the water, and skiing, in a variety | | | | Only because I slipped quietly along with no engine |
| of boats ranging from a small one-person runabout | | | | noise or fumes to forewarn of my presence. |
| powered by a lawnmower engine, to an 18-foot twin | | | | Recently a group of scuba friends and I rented a |
| 40-horse engine ski boat, to a navy double-ended | | | | 42-foot sailing yacht for a 10-day trip to the |
| whaler that slept six people. | | | | Bahamas, and that event holds a special place in my |
| My family played on the Delaware River, and made | | | | memory bank. |
| trips to the Chesapeake Bay, fishing, skiing, and | | | | Leaving Fort Lauderdale we sailed to the north end |
| pleasure cruising during my childhood years. Those are | | | | of Grand Bahamas Island. That leg of our excursion |
| memories I'll always cherish. | | | | took about eight hours, and I remember it now as if |
| Two things about those powered boats I didn't care | | | | I still sailed along. Once the wind filled the sails utter |
| for. | | | | silence surrounded us all the way to the islands. The |
| - They were noisy (those 40-horse outboard engines | | | | experience was so different for me that I sat most |
| were the loudest), and I still remember the ringing in | | | | of that trip amazed at how relaxing and pleasant |
| my ears at the end of those boating days. | | | | sailing is. Occasionally the sails would slap lazily |
| - We constantly breathed exhaust fumes (not as bad | | | | attempting to lull me to sleep. |
| when moving forward at high speeds) that at times | | | | At Bahamas customs we bought a fishing license for |
| choked me. | | | | the boat, and spent the next eight days diving, |
| Today I restrict most of my boating activities to | | | | snorkeling, and fishing around Grand Bahamas, Isaac's |
| kayaking and canoeing on streams and lakes. | | | | Island, and Bimini. On our way into Bimini we had the |
| I get great pleasure from gliding along quietly | | | | opportunity to stop and snorkel a while with a pod of |
| watching the wildlife. Engine noise wouldn't let me | | | | Dolphin (an experience to cherish for life). |
| even see the deer with newborn fawns in springtime | | | | Now every time I think about pulling out the remote |
| that a silent kayak permits. I've had some amazing | | | | control sail boat that 10-day sailing trip comes rushing |
| experiences on the creek. | | | | back to my mind, and I relive in wonder how quiet |
| As the current of the stream carried me along I saw | | | | and peaceful that special type of boating is. |
| deer, but also wild turkey, beaver, and the bald eagle | | | | Controlling the RC sailing yacht fills me with the |
| (perched in a tree watching me as I watched him). | | | | memory of silent cruising, brings back the peaceful |
| Once a bass jumped up, flew across my bow, and | | | | feelings, and satisfies my yearnings...until my next |
| dropped back into the water on the other side of | | | | chance to head for that blue water joy. |
| my kayak. | | | | |