Today my brother and his two kids arrived at Beacon Shores to enjoy a few days with us. My niece, who is 13, loves to drive the watercraft and over the winter got her Minnesota Watercraft Operator’s Permit. This little piece of paper, which she had to study hard to get, legally gives her permission to drive the boats. In addition, it gives her permission to drive the personal watercraft if she is being supervised by an adult either with her on the boat or watching from shore. I’m always amazed that we don’t make adults do this too, since driving a boat is a whole different animal from driving a car.

I took my life in to her hands today and let her take me for a ride on it. I was a little hesitant about doing this, especially as she accelerated away from dock and I almost tumbled off the back. It turns out that there isn’t much to hold on to when you are the passenger and I wasn’t expected to be thrown around as much as I was. It wasn’t my niece’s fault either. She did a good job of driving — it is just tough being a passenger. As much as I enjoyed the ride, I have to admit that I like it better when I’m driving. I’m sure she likes it better when she is driving too.

–Pete