The Boat that was hit by a Car

When my family moved down to the shore my father got this wood boat. We named it the Rita B. It was a little old, had some dry rot and generally needed some work. So my brother and I fixed it up as best as we could. (I have learned from all of this that I am not a sea farin' man) We went out fishin from time to time. Since we lived on the Barnegat Bay there are a lot of blue crabs and clams out there and clams became my favorite. I would fill up a container of horseradish sauce, grab a dull knife and take the boat out near the inlet, take my shoes off, jump over the side and toe around for clams. Once found, you split them open, dig em out, dip em in horseradish, and you got lunch. You can't get any fresher than that! They were good.

One day my friend Mike was over and we went out fishin' on the Rita B. Not very good fishin in the bay so we decided to head out into the ocean for blue fish. Unfortunately, on the way out in the inlet we got slammed by a really big wave. The boat, not being the strongest craft, cracked in 2 places. The beam cracked in two and the transom split. We were taking on water, I mean a lot of water. If we stopped the boat would surely sink. So we turned around and headed back at the best speed possible. We got back to the dock, but the boat sank right out from under us. I can't tell you how much of a pain in the neck it is to raise a sunken cabin cruiser. That was the end of the Rita B. Upon raising she went to the boat junkyard.

About a year later I bought a small 17 foot ski boat with a 150 HP Mercruser Inboard/Outboard. I had a lot of fun with that boat zipping around the bay. But like so many boats it became a money pit, always needing something, felt like I spent as much time fixing it as I did skiing.

I sold it and swore never to buy a boat again.

Oh, and once while it was in the driveway a car hit it. Can you believe that? I wonder how many boats have been hit by a car.

Overall I really enjoyed it down at the shore especially the quiet summer evenings gently rocking on water and all the parties up and down the Barnegat Bay and the Toms River. What a childhood.