Hard as you will find it to believe, not everyone loves the sensation of speed on the water. The mother of my two kids, for example, kind of hated everything about it. To be fair, I took her on some pretty rough rides. Her reaction was not unreasonable.
Now 32 years old, my son, Alex, enjoyed wakeboarding and jetboats and such. Yet he never had the chance to run much above 50 mph.
But during the 2019 Outerlimits Factory Fun in Bristol, R.I., Anna got an adult portion of speed on the water. Thanks to Canadian Dave Scotto and his SL 52 Outerlimits V-bottom with Mercury Racing 1650 engines,. Anna enjoyed her first 100-plus-plus-mph boat ride.
Now her fiancé, her then-boyfriend, David Rowe, enjoyed it less. At least if his post-ride skin pallor was anything to go by.
A couple of years later, they met me at the Lake Champlain Poker Run in Vermont. Devin Wozencraft hosted all three of us on his 30-foot Skater catamaran for the Friday lunch run.
We haven’t been together on a boat since. Though we ran 70 to 80 mph that day, I’m not sure my future son-in-law would jump at the chance to take another fast boat ride. But I know my daughter would.
A few years before both of those rides, they experienced something better. Anna and Dave volunteered at Shore Dreams for Kids at the New Jersey Shore as guests of family friends Bob “the Bob Father” Christie and his wife, Madelyn. Though they never got off the docks that day, Anna and Dave experienced firsthand the beauty and generosity of the Garden State go-fast boating community. They still talk about it—much more than the two fast boat rides they took as a couple—when we get together.
Anna Rose turns 28 years old today, hence this short trip down memory lane. If I close my eyes, I can see her smile after her adventure in Bristol. She was beaming.
Happy Birthday, Anna Rose. You have always been my warrior-child. To celebrate your 18th birthday you sparred with your boxing coach, then a professional fighter. You have always pushed yourself. You are tough and tenacious.
You have faced every challenge—pleasant or otherwise—with courage and poise. Your bravery and compassion inspire me, every day.
I love you.