So I know I’m stealing a title from that Elia Kazan 1954 spectacular starring Marlon Brando, but the title seems fitting. This column probably doesn’t have much bearing on politics, society, or just general sarcasm, but it’s kind of interesting to me.
Having lived on or near the water most of my life, I have longed to have a way to take advantage of the many navigable rivers and bays I’ve been around. When Jackie and I moved into the house we now live in, formerly Casa de Luck, on Dana Lane, we loved it for the view we had of the Appomattox River. It seems only fitting that my love of the water would get an extra little surge given the proximity of such a great body of water.
For most of the past 10-years, getting onto the water has been a sort of pipe dream. Sure, I had tried my hand at fishing now and again, but it didn’t have the kind of appeal I was really hoping for. And, given that we were bringing up two young men at the time (and still with college tuition woes), plunking down some much needed money on a boat seemed a little extravagant.
So I was patient. I waited, and watched the river, and heard the drone of the personal water craft zipping up toward Petersburg, and the occasional fishing boat sliding by in the early morning hours. But the longing to be on the water remained a constant. How to get there was the question.
About three years ago, my neighbor, who happened to have a small bass boat that had been languishing in his driveway for six years, offered to trade the boat for my wife’s pop-up camper. I thought it was a good deal at the time, but the pop-up camper was not mine and I felt the trouble I would encounter from making such a deal was not worth it. I passed, explaining that the camper belonged to Jackie.
But things sometimes change, and we upgraded from the camper to a pull behind trailer. That meant we now had an extra pop-up camper. I went back to my neighbor, who was happy to make the trade. It took me about a year to get the gumption to get the boat repaired. It needed a completely rebuilt transom, new decking, new carpeting, new batteries, new seats, new bilge pump, new water pump, and new aerator for the live well, and a few other things here and there like wiring and lights and what have you.
Net result: it was ready for the water last November. But did I have time to put it on the river? No such luck. I had several football games to cover on Saturdays, and Sundays generally revolve around church and church duties. So the boat, now ready to go, sat in the driveway for another five months.
All of that changed last Saturday. My son, Andrew, who has been dying to take the boat out since I first parked it in our yard, was in town and we attended the Water Safety Training class at Prince George County. When it was over, we had time to get back home, hook the trailer to the truck, fuel up, and put the boat in the water at a friend’s private boat ramp. Needless to say, it was a Keystone Cops sort of adventure with the two of us trying to get the boat in the water, off the trailer, and tied to the pier. I had only limited experience with that, and Andrew had exactly none.
We did, however, remember to put the bilge plug in, so we weren’t in imminent danger of sinking. We only had a few minutes to take the boat for a spin. I drove up the river for a short distance, and then he took over. Down the river we went. If you’re not familiar with Appomattox River, especially near the area where it joins Swift Creek, there are a bunch of islands, and the current cuts in and out between and among them. Not knowing the exact lay of the water, we just putted around a bit, and came back up stream from just below the Old Brick House.
We called it a day, and another Keystone Cops routine ensued as we tried to load the boat back on the trailer. I had some experience with loading boats in the past, but Andrew had the wheel and throttle. It was an interesting time, but we did manage to get the boat close enough to the winch strap to haul it up. First chance I had, I stopped by Dance’s Sporting Goods and purchased a James River Basin navigational chart. If you’re going on the Appomattox River, don’t leave home without it.
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