I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Discover Boating. I received collateral to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank me for participating.

Family Boating Fun memories - my boys, 1990 on a lake in Eastern, WA on our beloved Bayliner Capri #discoverboating #sponsored

Family Boating Fun memories – my boys, 1990 on a lake in Eastern, WA on our beloved Bayliner Capri

I’m a Discover Boating Ambassador and I couldn’t be prouder! Discover Boating is a nonprofit program whose aim is to get people on the water! Their website is packed with information on how to boat safely, to familiarize yourself with the rules of the waterways, and more! There include cost comparison tools that help you decide if your family has room in your budget to purchase a boat, plus they’ll help you find the best places to go boating and links to educational courses.

Family Boating = Happy Memories

But why am I so happy to help spread their message? It’s because we owned a boat for about 25 years and in that time, many great family memories were made. Boating gave us a chance to get out and explore our state as a family and to spend time on the water.

Do you have to be rich to own a boat? We certainly weren’t. It was my husband’s dream to have a fishing boat so the year we got married we purchased a 16’ Bayliner. We loved that thing. We trailered it to lakes as well as Puget Sound on many occasions. We knee boarded and intertubed as well as fished and just relaxed. As the kids were born, they came along; eventually purchasing life jackets in every size from infant to adult size!

It turns out we’re not the only family that believes there are benefits for kids to be out on the water. In a Discover Boating 2012 survey, 91% of those asked agreed that getting kids outdoors and spending quality time with the family while disconnecting from technology is a good thing. But is boating accessible? The National Marine Manufacturers Association reports that 90% of Americans live within an hour’s drive of a navigable body of water.

While we reluctantly sold our boat a few years ago and boy have we missed it on many occasions. We will replace it some day when we retire, but until they we do still plan to go boating. Our dream has always been to rent a houseboat and this summer just may be the summer we do it.

Good Run – A Boating Story

Boating with Dad/Grandpa Photo Contest

Do you have pictures of fun times on the water with Dad and/or Grandpa? Submit your best boating photos the Discover Boating June Facebook Photo Contest! One photo wins a Visa gift card! Enter here: www.facebook.com/discoverboating

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