Ode to a Zager ZAD80CE

The folks over at Zager Guitars are having a contest to win a beautiful custom guitar.  Here's a song I wrote about the ZAD80CE for my contest entry.  I hope ya'll enjoy it and thanks to the Zagers for this awesome opportunity!

Boating Experience

My boating class went really well! I learned lots of things like how to tie the bowline, the clove hitch, and the cleat hitch. We also went on boat rides, which were really fun, especially when we went fast.

On Monday, we assembled at the main building, introduced ourselves, and met our instructor Captain Don. We went to the classroom. We got our textbooks and Captain Don gave us a 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' trivia quiz, for us to pick our boats. Then, we went in three groups to our boats. My group got the 'Sea Boss' with Captain Dave. We practiced docking at the Shrimpers docks, and I got to drive a few times and practiced docking.

On Tuesday, we studied a little bit out of the books. Then, we got to our boats. This time, we got the 'Yankee Doodle,' my favorite boat in the Chapman fleet. We practiced anchoring at Hell's Gate, a little spot of water that's good for anchoring. We got back ashore and had our lunch. After lunch, we went to the pool and watched one of the adult classes practice lifeboat boarding drills.

On Wednesday, we studied some more out of the books, and studied some knots. Next, we got our PFDs,(Personal Floatation Devices), and got on the 'Liberty.' We practiced steering the boat. Afterward, we went to the pool and had lots of fun.

On Thursday, we went to our boats and piloted them to the public dock at downtown Stuart, and went to Hoffman's Ice Cream. I got a vanilla chocolate mix, with mini M&Ms, Skittles, Gummy Bears, and Cinnamon Toast Crunches. Then, we went back and had lunch and studied. After that, we went to the pool. 

On Friday, we went on the big boats. We got 'No Tee Time,' which was very slow. Then, we figured out how flares work and what different types there were. Then, we got a test. After everyone was done, Captain Don told us who won. I passed the test! We got so excited that we went to the pool.

Thank you Captain Don and all the nice folks at the Chapman School of Seamanship for all the help you gave me! 

Boating Lessons With My Friend

Next week I am going to a boating summer camp at the Chapman School of Seamanship with a friend named Vincent. I hope to have a great time and have fun learning things like all of the correct knots on a boat line. Tomorrow is the first day, so it should be really fun and I hope it goes well. I have everything I need for it, a pair of deck shoes, some lunch, a bathing suit, and a bag with all of my boating items in it. Next week's post will be all about the experience.

Guitar Contest and Summer Camps

 I am working on writing a song to try to win a guitar from Zager Guitars. They are giving away a free guitar to one lucky winner. You have to submit a video telling them about yourself, why you should win the guitar, and which one you want. The contest goes through the end of June. Next week I was going to go to an aviation summer camp at Sailfish Aviation, but unfortunately it was canceled. I also got some new deck shoes for the Chapman School of Seamanship's summer boating class coming up in two weeks.

The Way of the Peaceful Warrior

This week I read a book called The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior. It's a great auto-biography written by Dan Millman. It's a useful book if you're having trouble concentrating, or staying happy and satisfied.  Dan Millman was a gymnast training for the Olympics. He sustained a serious injury in a motorcycle accident but continued in his gymnastics with the spiritual guidance of a man named Socrates, who taught him the way of the peaceful warrior and the way of happiness. This is an inspirational book and it taught me some good lessons about how to be happy and satisfied with what I have.