Growing up a sailing family, I had a rather negative view of speed boats. speedboats and yachts have a traditional rivalry. To sailboat hobbyists, motor boats are a hazard and a menace. They kick up a lot of wake which causes sailboats to rock back and forth, spilling their wind. They go very fast, and occasionally collide with other boats. In short, speed boat racers are the ones who are ruining the lake for everyone. From the other side, people in motor boats see sailors as stuffy and stuck up. They are out there to have fun zooming across the lake, and they don’t see why everyone else can not do the same.
If it weren’t for a used boats sale, I never would have tried speed boats in the first place. I had actually wanted to get a sail boat for a few years, but I had not had enough money. After saving up a little bit of cash, I went off to a boat show to take a look around. Although I didn’t find any sailboats that I liked, I did find a speed boat vendor who was willing to take potential customers out on test drives. By coincidence, I know him pretty well. He had actually sold me my used car, and I knew he was an honest businessman. I felt that there was no harm in trying out speed boats, and that I actually might like what I found. We set up a meeting the very next day for me to try one of his offshore boats.
If you have never tried speed boats or jet skis, you have never lived! It is as simple as that. What looks like a calm lake actually feels very rough once you start skimming across it at high speeds. The boat planes, jumping up and down, as the wind whips through your hair and the spray flies into your face. The speed felt almost unreal, and I was instantly hooked.
Speed boats haven’t totally replaced my love of sailing, of course. I still like to go out on a sailboat now and then, if for no other reason than to reminisce about my childhood. Nonetheless, I have to say this: I have a need for speed. Once you fly across the lake at nearly the speed of sound, it seems pointless to drift across on the breeze. I’d rather have the thrills!
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