When I was a kid growing up on the waters and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, I had a yacht. It was a 12-foot aluminum Prince Craft skiff with a 7.5 hp Mercury outboard. She had mahogany-ply seats and a few pieces of trim that to me glowed like the USS Sequoia. And as far as I was concerned, that skiff was the biggest vessel on the water. By the time I was eight, I spent as many summer days as I could on the Bay, armed with a crab net and chicken necks, a few cold sodas, and a sandwich.

I have lost track of how many times I���ve visited the Viking Yachts factory in New Gretna, New Jersey. I���ve been through a number of boatbuilders, but I especially like my visits to Viking. Maybe it���s the homemade lunch from the cafeteria���the chicken caccciatora is one of my favorites���or the fact that Viking���s management basically grants open access to their operation. They simply want you to see how they���re building boats and how they are different than other builders.

One of the many things I enjoy about this job is meeting some of the people behind the boats I test and evaluate. A question I like to ask, especially to the independent builders, is, "How did you get into this business?" More than once the response from a giddy rookie was that they were looking to buy a boat for themselves, couldn't find one that they liked, so they started a company. Then, before they know it,they are in the boat building business.

Editors Note–Although BOAT DIGEST is focused on power boating on the Great Lakes, a good sailing tale and survival yarn is tough to beat no matter where you boat or what type of boat you own. I especially enjoy this one since it's written by my dad. (Hey, a little nepotism never hurt anyone.) He spun the tale many times over dinner and a few beers and was even able to find a funny side to the entire debacle.