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Thanks Joe and thank you all for helping out a new member to this wonderful group.

I first got interested in the Boston Whaler when I lived in Port Townsend, WA in the early 1980’s. I used to go out on this jetty to fish at night in the freezing cold with my tackle and a bottle of Jim Beam. Caught a lot of Black Bass doing this. Port Townsend stuck out into Puget Sound near the Starits of Juan de Fuca. The fastest straits in the world. I almost lost it once being out there in a 10’ boat. Anorther time with a 26’ with a 6 cylinder inboard. The tide going out and I am full power with that 6 cylinder trying to go forward but instead going backward. The Coast Guard got me out of that one. When the tide goes out especially if it is a real low tide, all of the water in Puget Sound all the way down to Tacoma tries to get to the ocean through the Straits of Juan de Fuca. A 110 mile channel. The Coast Guard in Port Townsend had 2 boats. A 96’ cutter and a 17 foot Boston Whaler with a 100 hp motor. One day during a bad storm I heard there were some boats in trouble in the straits. I went out on my jetty in the blowing wind and watched the Coast Guard with their 17’ Whaler fly across the water and pull in 30 and 40‘ boats. Once they dropped one boat off they were off again flying across the water to get another one. I saw this 17’ Whaler do things I never thought a 17’ boat could do. That sold me on the Whaler. I could not afford one but I sure sent for Whaler brochures and saw the boat cut in half and 3 people diving off the side of a 13 footer at the same time. Back then I said one day I am going to own one. Well it took me about 35 years but now I have one and am too broken up to take it through the paces. I will be strictly freshwater from here on out. I spent the last 13 years in the country of Panama fishing salt water. Wow what a trip. I sure could have used the Whaler down there. Now I hope to catch fish the size of the bait I used down there. I have had a lot of boats before the Whaler but never felt the way I do about this boat. Just something about a Whaler I guess. Hey, I am glad to be a part of this group.