It was a bright sunny but chilly late October morning back in 1988 and we wanted to get one more ride on the boat we had just bought. This was my first boat that I owned but my experience goes back to 1958 with my dads boat. Things were closing up around here since it was late October so we drive 30 miles to a good ramp and get out of the car, put the ropes on the cleats and fenders on the sides. I hop back in my Blazer and start to back down the ramp and hear a strange noise that sounded like the rumble strips you hear on the highway, but keep in mind I am on a ramp in reverse creeping back no on the highway. I check my outside mirrors and no problem then I look at the inside mirror just in time to see the bow of the bow going up in the air
. Long story, short, my son who was 10 at the time, being anxious to get going and more than willing to help reversed the ratchet on the winch. Now to make matters worse I HIT THE BRAKES! There goes the boat on to the ramp
.
I hop out of my Blazer and first thing I do is look around to see if anybody's looking. Thank heavens there were very few people there like there would have been in July or August. So I get my wife to slowly back up while I crank the winch and get the boat back on the trailer. Luckily no serious damage and we managed to enjoy our last outing of the year.
2008 I found that same boat acrossed town from where live. My son saw it for sale on Craigslist so I had to go check it out and sure enough it was my old one