The weather forecast for the weekend in our area was for bright sunny skies, no chance of rain, light westerly breezes and temperatures peaking in the low eighties. Ideal weather for the middle of summer and perfect conditions for being out on the water. The only problem was, I did not have a boat but my parents did and because of my dad’s work commitments for the weekend they would not be able to use it.

The boat set on a trailer outside of their apartment and had been purchased for fishing on the many waterways and bays in our area. It was sixteen to eighteen feet in length with an outboard motor and basically a run about made for recreational boating. The boat was open but had a removable canvas top that could be used for shade and would comfortably accommodate up to six adults.

I suggested to my wife that we inquire about borrowing the boat and spending the day out on the water. All we needed other than a yes, you can use the boat, was to put together some food and drinks for the day. The yes was easy to acquire especially after our guarantee to return the boat with a full tank of gasoline. We left my parents to change into more appropriate clothing for spending the day on the water. As we did not plan to do any swimming this consisted of shorts, a loose fitting shirt, and soft soled shoes for each of us. Then after picking up food and drinks we returned for the boat and headed off to a public boat ramp about twenty miles away.

We arrived at the boat ramp, and launched the boat into the water without incident. The ramp was on a creek that opened into a larger of the small bays in the area. At its widest point, it is almost eight miles across the bay. There is typically very little boating on the bay itself with most of the boats going into the many rivers and larger creeks that empty into the bay, after fish and crabs. After launching the boat and then parking the car and trailer, I joined my wife on the boat and we headed down the creek and into the bay.

Initially after entering the bay we cruised across the open water at a moderate speed, enjoying the air and occasional salt water spray as it struck our face and hair.