Yes Sirree Bobs… WE MADE IT!!!
And I don’t mean just made it… I mean we SURVIVED IT.
Because this wasn’t just any winter… This one had ATTITUDE.
Snow that came down all soft and pretty like a postcard…
Then turned into that crusty, frozen, slip-and-break-your-neck layer on top!
You step on it thinking you’re fine…
CRUNCH…
Next thing you know you’re halfway through it wondering if you just tore something important!
And don’t even get me started on the docks…
Boats buried… lines frozen… decks iced over like a hockey rink.
Some of that stuff is STILL hanging around in the shadows like it doesn’t know winter is over!
And you already know…
But now…
Now something’s happening.
You can feel it.
Springtime on the Upper Chesapeake Bay doesn’t just show up… It sneaks in.
One day it’s brutal…
Next day the sun hits different.
You catch that smell in the air… a mix of bay air, mud, fuel, and possibility.
And then you see it…
Shrink wrap getting sliced open.
Covers coming off.
Guys standing around boats scratching their heads like…
“Now where did I leave off last fall?”
That right there…
That’s when boating season REALLY starts.
Now let’s be honest…
We’re ready.
But are our BOATS ready???
Ohhhh that’s a whole situation.
Spring commissioning season is undefeated:
- Batteries? Dead.
- Bilge? Doing something suspicious.
- Electronics? Acting like they’ve never met you before.
- And somehow… you got three extra ropes, one flip-flop, and a mystery screwdriver on board.
But this is the time…
- Change the fluids
- Check the lines
- Fire up the engines
- Test everything BEFORE you leave the dock
Because when that day comes… And you turn that key…And she fires right up…VROOOOOM!!!
That’s not just an engine… That’s the start of YOUR season.
Now speaking of boats and presidents…
We’ve been diving into this whole Boating Presidents vs NBHPs (Non-Boating Human Presidents) situation…
And let me tell you…
This one’s a head scratcher.
Jimmy Carter? Naval Academy guy. Certified Boating Human.
But then…
As President…he goes and decommissions the USS Sequoia — the Presidential Yacht!
That’s like having a boat… and deciding you don’t want it anymore!
Now Donald J. Trump?
Ohhh he was DEEP in boating.
We’re talking offshore racing, marinas, and the Trump Princess — a mega yacht with TWO Well crafts hanging off the back like it’s nothing!
But lately?
Haven’t seen him on the water…which puts him dangerously close to NBHP status!
But here’s the move… Bring back the USS Sequoia!!
Make it presidential again.
Because let’s be honest…
A country like this? Needs a boating president.
Now if you really want to see boating season come alive…Go to the Bay Bridge Boat Show.
That’s when it hits you.
You walk in…
See all those boats lined up under the bridge…
That sun bouncing off the water…
People climbing in and out of cabins like kids in a candy store…
And suddenly…
You’re doing math you shouldn’t be doing!
“Maybe I COULD upgrade…”
That show right there… That’s the official kickoff.
And speaking of BIG things happening…
You better get ready for SAIL 250 coming to Baltimore.
Tall ships… Navy ships… Blue Angels overhead…
Get ready for history to pull up to the dock.
You stand there watching those ships come in…
Sails up…
Flags flying…
And you realize…
We’re part of something WAY bigger than just a weekend on the water.
So here we are.
Spring, right on the edge of something great.
Get to the marina.
Check your boat.
Call your people.
Because before you know it…
We’re not talking about it anymore…We’re OUT THERE.
Make the plans.
Take the trip.
Bring everybody.
Because one day… You’re gonna wish you had just one more ride.
Life’s too short… Buy the boat.
