I took my daughter fishing for the first time yesterday. Growing up, my own parents would regularly bring me out on the water, and those long summer days feature in some of my best childhood memories. I’ve always wanted to do the same for my children, but I didn’t have the chance until recently, when we moved to a bayside suburb in Melbourne. My family originally moved for my wife’s new job, but I couldn’t be happier! Our balcony overlooks the ocean, our backyard gets a beautiful sea breeze, and I even own a boat.
It’s a custom fishing boat that was built mostly by a professional company, with small modifications completed by myself using quality marine fabrication parts. Melbourne has a number of fishing enthusiast groups who were excited to provide me with information on the local marine scene when we first moved here. Now, I feel pretty comfortable going out on the water by myself, and I’ve even made a few lifelong friends.
Having watched us work on the boat for months, my daughter couldn’t wait to sail on it herself. She’s still a child, so I gave her a lifejacket and demonstrated how to safely launch the boat using the method that the local boat catch installation specialist taught me earlier in the year. She’d never seen the boat on the water before, and was curious as to how it could float despite being made of aluminium and stainless steel. You should have seen the look on her face when I explained buoyancy to her!
After my little teacher moment (proud Dad here, sorry), I led her around the fuel tanks and pressure pipes, and got her to sit on the edge of the boat. I warned her to hold tightly onto the handrails so she didn’t fall. Either way, I made sure to drive slowly so she wasn’t scared. Thankfully, she loved the boat and the water. It was a great day.