When I was seven years old I learned how to drive a pontoon boat. I took no lessons, and received no help, using just the wisdom of my mom’s words from afar. The experience, scary and nerve-racking, provided me with a memory that will last forever.
My two cousins, Karlie and Kody, my Aunt Lynne and Grandma were visiting my mom and me at our cottage up north. They were up for a weekend to enjoy the sunlight summer brings on Higgins Lake. We all boarded my mom’s pontoon boat, putting lifejackets on everyone who was under the age of sixteen, and my grandma too, being that she had never learned how to swim. Water splashing, we took off full speed onto the lake, bright blue, and beautiful. I held on tight; I have always been afraid of going super fast on boats.
Our destination was this island in the middle of the lake; a gorgeous island that has tons of rocks surrounding it. When we finally reached the island my mom anchored the boat on a nice patch of sand. I decided to stay on the boat with my grandma. I’d already been to the island before, and just wanted to stay warm in the comfort of the sun. Everyone else wadded in the water to get closer to the shoreline.
A few minutes after they had left, my grandma noticed that we seemed to be getting further and further away from the island and the rest of our family. She was right. We were drifting because the anchor hadn’t been properly set into the sand. Yelling, I begged for my mom’s help. She was only about thirty feet away. Yet, uniquely and much to our dislike, Higgins Lake’s depth greatly varies in a matter of feet. This made it practically impossible for her to help us, even when she was standing in the water so close.
Hurriedly, my mom called out to me, “Taylor! Start the boat!” I ran to the steering wheel, and pushed the key into the ignition. My mom yelled out more directions until I was driving the boat slowly towards her. My grandma was as scared as ever; she shook like an earthquake from nervousness. The boat, crawling forward, finally reached my mom so the rest of my family could hop aboard. Praising me in my amazing accomplishment my mom drove the boat back to our dock. I was the hero of the day.
My two cousins, Karlie and Kody, my Aunt Lynne and Grandma were visiting my mom and me at our cottage up north. They were up for a weekend to enjoy the sunlight summer brings on Higgins Lake. We all boarded my mom’s pontoon boat, putting lifejackets on everyone who was under the age of sixteen, and my grandma too, being that she had never learned how to swim. Water splashing, we took off full speed onto the lake, bright blue, and beautiful. I held on tight; I have always been afraid of going super fast on boats.
Our destination was this island in the middle of the lake; a gorgeous island that has tons of rocks surrounding it. When we finally reached the island my mom anchored the boat on a nice patch of sand. I decided to stay on the boat with my grandma. I’d already been to the island before, and just wanted to stay warm in the comfort of the sun. Everyone else wadded in the water to get closer to the shoreline.
A few minutes after they had left, my grandma noticed that we seemed to be getting further and further away from the island and the rest of our family. She was right. We were drifting because the anchor hadn’t been properly set into the sand. Yelling, I begged for my mom’s help. She was only about thirty feet away. Yet, uniquely and much to our dislike, Higgins Lake’s depth greatly varies in a matter of feet. This made it practically impossible for her to help us, even when she was standing in the water so close.
Hurriedly, my mom called out to me, “Taylor! Start the boat!” I ran to the steering wheel, and pushed the key into the ignition. My mom yelled out more directions until I was driving the boat slowly towards her. My grandma was as scared as ever; she shook like an earthquake from nervousness. The boat, crawling forward, finally reached my mom so the rest of my family could hop aboard. Praising me in my amazing accomplishment my mom drove the boat back to our dock. I was the hero of the day.
