I have been messing around in boats since the age of four, and was a competent sailor by the age of 12, which was the year I also built my first hydroplane. During the pandemic I finally realized one of my long-time ambitions to get qualified and licensed by the US Coast Guard as a Sea Captain. In recent years I have migrated from sailboats to a vintage 1971 Grand Banks 32. She is a very safe boat, able to take on just about anything the wind and sea can muster (short of a hurricane), and she is very fuel efficient, but she is also very slow, which has limited our range of travel somewhat. We have made it as far as Vinalhaven, but I cancelled my plans for the fall of 2022 to take her to Eastport for the winter. It would have taken at least four days to make the 200+ mile trip. I do love taking friends and family on cruises up and down the Kennebec River.