The first time I went boating was when I was ten years old. My family and I went to a lake in central Florida for our annual summer vacation. We had been there before but this year we decided to take a day trip to another lake near our house.
I remember my dad telling us that it would be fun to go out on the water. I was excited to go and I knew that my dad was going to teach me how to drive a boat. He told us that we would need a life jacket, a pair of gloves and a bucket. Then he explained how to start the motor and put it in neutral. He told us not to touch the controls until he said so.
We started out by putting the boat in neutral and then moving it into the water. When we were ready to move away from the dock, my dad turned the boat on and gave the throttle full speed ahead. As we got closer to the center of the lake, I saw a huge wave coming towards us. I tried to brace myself against the side of the boat but it was too late. The wave hit the boat and knocked me off balance.
I landed right in the water. It felt like I had fallen off a building. I could feel the cold water getting up my nose and into my mouth. I thought I was going to drown. I couldn’t see anything because my head was under water. I started to panic. I tried to swim to the surface but I couldn’t get any air. I was panicking so hard that I couldn’t even think straight.
I didn’t know what to do. I was only ten years old but I knew I had to do something fast or I was going to die. I thought about how much fun it would be to go fishing or swimming with my friends. I thought about how much my mom and dad would miss me if I died. I had to get back on the boat and get to shore.
I thought about how much fun it was going to be to go boating with my friends again. I was glad that I didn’t have to worry about drowning anymore. I thought about how much better I was going to be at driving the boat when I grew up.
I was scared but I knew that I had to do something. I had to make sure that my parents didn’t worry about me. I had to make sure they had a great vacation. I had to make sure I didn’t miss out on anything. I had to do something.
I thought about all the things that I was going to do with my friends if I wasn’t dead. I had to get back onto the boat. I had to get to shore. I had to keep my parents safe.
I was scared and I wanted to cry. I was worried and I wanted to run away. I was alone and I didn’t want to be. I wanted to stay with my friends and my parents. I wanted to go boating again. I wanted to go boaring with my friends.
I was scared to death but I had to get back on that boat. I had to get back to shore. I had to make sure my parents were safe. I had to make sure everything was okay.
I swam as fast as I could and I was able to get back onto the boat before the wave came. I was relieved to find that I hadn’t drowned. I was glad that I had gotten back on the boat. I was happy that I hadn’t missed out on anything.
I was so happy that I was able to swim back to the boat and get back on. I was so happy that I was going to be able to go boating with my family again. I was so happy that my parents were going to have a great vacation.
My parents took us out on the lake again the next day. I learned how to drive the boat and how to control the boat. I learned how to steer the boat and how to change gears. I learned how to turn the boat around and how to stop the boat. I learned how the boat worked and how to use the controls.
I learned how to jump into the water and swim to shore. I learned how to get out of the water and get back on the boat. I learned how important it was to wear a life jacket. I learned how important it is to wear a helmet and goggles.
I learned that it was okay to be scared. I learned that it was okay to cry. I learned that it was important to be safe and that I should never ever let anything bad happen to my parents. I learned that it was best to always be prepared. I learned that I should always be careful.
I learned that my parents loved me and that they would always be there for me. I learned that I was loved by them and that I would always be safe.
