Summertime Boating Adventures

Every summer my cousin, Patrick, invites my whole family to his lake house in Portland to stay for an extended weekend of boating, fishing and barbeques. It’s something we all look forward to each August when the weather is warm and the daylight lasts well into the night. And every summer we always return from our visit with stories of adventure, laughter and family togetherness.

Last summer, in particular, delivered one of the craziest stories from that anticipated trip to-date. Patrick, my father, my aunt, my younger sister and I had voyaged out onto the water for an afternoon of margaritas and fishing when, all of the sudden, the boat motor began to shutter and then it stalled out, leaving us stranded hours from home. Fortunately, Patrick has always been the responsible and prepared one of the family. Within seconds he pulled out a backup supply of Evinrude XD 100 Oil to get things oiled up and running again. We were back on shore in no time and arrived just in time for my mom’s famous Sloppy Joes.