Where did you grow up?

Wifey B: My thread on your first boating experience generated this love child thread. First, I so love reading all of what you have written on that other thread and it makes me think that most here grew up near the coast and probably less populated areas. Just don't know without asking. So where?

For me, near Dallas. For hubby, Charlotte, NC. Both inland. Only water around us was lakes. Both where houses are packed close. I didn't know anyone who fished except in ponds. More hunters in my area hunted people down and shot them than animals. Hubby knew some who fished on the lake. His country cousins hunted and did other outdoor activities. The extent of my outdoor activities was pretty much just a walk to the park to get away. Hubby did play some sports outdoors and some in, and he boated outdoors, but no hunting or big game fishing or camping or hiking.

I'm guessing we're among a relative minority of those growing up in landlocked big cities to be here.

BandB said:

I'm guessing we're among a relative minority of those growing up in landlocked big cities to be here.

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Quite the opposite for me. Lived 4 miles from the swamps and 30 miles from the Gulf. Any free time was spent on the water. My Uncles had a house boat on the levee and my best friend's family had a camp on Vermilion Bay. Summertime was spent more on water than land! Couldn't go back and have a better up-bringing; besides most of what we did back then would not allowed by most protective parents today.

I like to think that I haven't grown up and my wife, kids and friends tend to agree.

However, I spent my early years sailing and putting around on LI Sound and on Penobscot Bay, mostly the latter.

Greetings,
Agree with Mr. dw. Haven't grown up yet. Been around though...

Working on it!
Suburbs east of Vancouver BC, now Gulf Islands.

Spent my early life in Copiague, NY
South Shore of Long Island

"Growing up" has yet to happen

Spent every weekend, and most all summers on the Chesapeake Bay from the age of 5. Worked at local marinas in High school etc... Then lived in the area for years as an adult until work relocations pulled me away.

Kansass. Never had really set foot on a boat -other than the art deco Admiral in St. Louis- until my wife and I and a couple of other friends (also from Kansass and with little to no boating experience) took a GB 32 from Puget Sound to SE Alaska and back in 1990. The rest is Herstory!
Tator

Wifey B: Growing up was a bad choice of words. I never intend to grow up. It's vastly overrated.

I grew up along the shores of Puget Sound in Washington State. Just a couple miles South of the Narrows Bridge.

My first boating experience was learning to sail a 9' rowing dinghy called a Minto. It was a very popular dinghy for folks to use with their large boats at the time. Rowed really well and sailed great. They would set up race courses to sail the Mintos around the fishing fleet in Gig Harbor.

Lived in this area almost all of my life sailing and boating. I've often felt that I would be uncomfortable living more than a few miles from salt water.

I was reared (didn't grow up) in Lake Geneva WI and learned how to sail on X class. Moved to GA in late 70's. Wandered for a few years and ended up in Eastern NC mid 80's. Been here since while travelling for work until retiring one year ago today.

Born & raised in the Kootenays, which is an area in southeastern British Columbia surrounding the largest lake in BC, and just west of the Rockies. Great fishing; (rainbow trout up to 40 pounds) and skiing (huge amounts of feather light powder).

I didn't see much salt water until I moved to Australia 35 years ago. I fell in love with the place (and a girl). It was a whole new world to explore.

I still love getting back to the Kootenays to rejuvenate every now & then. There's no place like home.

New York, NY (Manhattan) opposite Pier 45 on the North River, then home of the Norwegian-American line. The Olsofjord was their flagship at that time.
Just south of Pier 45 was where the Christopher St. Ferry had been, torn down in the early 50's, it was therefore the only "open" area on the Hudson for a mile in either direction.

Talked to many tug crews and clamored over a few "Burn-it" barges.

Tator said:

Kansass. Never had really set foot on a boat -other than the art deco Admiral in St. Louis- until my wife and I and a couple of other friends (also from Kansass and with little to no boating experience) took a GB 32 from Puget Sound to SE Alaska and back in 1990. The rest is Herstory!
Tator

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Wifey B: So far you're the only other one, other than us, not on a major body of water.

I grew up in Saginaw, MI and lived there for my first 19 years. We boated on Saginaw Bay, starting with a rowboat at age 5.

First four years Hakalau, Hawaii next 10 yrs. Aguirre, Puerto Rico, since then Thibodaux Louisiana. I worked in export sales of sugar machinery and for 35 yrs.traveled a lot, mainly Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

A few places on the Chesapeake Bay. Annapolis, Patuxent River, Potomac River. Such is the path of the spawn of a Navy Pilot.

Southwest Florida
Punta Gorda to be exact
Planning on returning on a boat in 6 years when I retire
No Boat but I have a name picked out....Sua Sponte

Fraserburgh, Scotland, I'm wearing the cap. Great Grandfathers boat somewhere in the backgound.

First 7 or 8 years in Juneau Alaska. Mom painted (oil and water) the fish boats in Harris Harbor and I walked the docks. Never did fall in and don't remember a PFD. In those days PFD's were for sinking ships. Every other float finger had an outhouse (two holer) and I loved to look down in the water .. Sea Anenomes, crabs and hundreds of starfish. To me then it was like looking out of the deep sea divers helmet. Ever since being in Alaska on the docks (floats actually) with the fishboats makes me feel at home.

My mom always let me run free. We went to Seattle every summer to see grandma on the steamships and the other mothers were apalled at mom's letting me go anywhere but I never got into trouble. When the visability droped to zero I wondered how the captain knew where we were. Still wonder about that. Must have been like a never ending predicted log race.

Water, water, everywhere and plenty of Guinness to drink! :lol:

I was born, raised, and still live in Memphis, TN. We spent some time on the TN river, but I mainly grew up fishing in lakes on our farm. Still do now with my boys.

Was raised in South Texas about 30 minutes from the coast. Parents had a little beach house and my mom and sisters and I spent the entire summer there every year up to high school. Sailing, crabbing, seining for bait, fishing off the pier, reading.

My dad commuted back and forth to work and at 14 I started working with him during the summer. We would get up before daylight and make the drive into work, work all day then drive back in the evening. My dad would sometimes stop for a beer and some pickled pigs feet for the drive back to the bay house. This was the 70s so I don't think the beer was a huge deal, and pickled pigs feet was an actual snack.


Good times...

florida with 4 years in australia.

Colorado for the first 8 and Biloxi Mississippi for the rest

I grew up in western Washington state. Until my dad died when I was 10 we lived in Olympia and had waterfront property and boats. We also had a weekend cabin on Hood Canal. When my dad died we moved inland (to Centralia) 22 miles from salt water. Spent the rest of my youth there except for one year during high school when we moved back to Olympia. I got back into boating that year sailing small boats on the sound. Now I live on the other coast (Maine). I am now inland about 200 yards, but I do live on an island.

We moved around a lot when I was young. Mostly small towns in east Texas. The first time I hit the beach in Galveston when I was a toddler made me a water boy. Every where we went I wanted to see water. Lakes, ponds, streams whatever. Skinny dippin' with classmates in stock ponds all during jr high. We moved to Baytown when I was a freshman in high school and I thought I was in hog heaven. Water everywhere, maybe not the cleanest in the '70s but much better now. Bought my first boat when I was 18 and have had some kinda boat ever since.

Kevin

Born and raised on an island, Long Island, that is...yes, Brooklyn and Queens are on Long Island.

North shore of Mass, Wakefield and Rockport.

Houston, 1950 to 1968, then off to Texas A&M. Grandparents had a camp on Highland Bayou near Galveston, spent most weekends and school breaks there. First boat was a wood skiff sunk in a neighbors slip. I refloated it and he gave it to me. Uncle gave me a 5 horse Elgin, turn motor 180 degrees for reverse then back and you're off. Backside of the motor had a spark plug with no rubber cover, so when in reverse you had to pay attention or get a nasty shock that really hurt. Those days were the best, 10 years old and captain of the ship.