The Hunter’s Wife Gets To Drive The Fishing Boat
Those who read my blog are very familiar with the fact that I never get to drive the boat. Whether it’s the fishing boat or the pontoon you will not see me in the driver’s seat. My husband loves to be the driver and seems to always ignore my begging and whining. It isn’t that he doesn’t trust my driving because I’m usually the driver around town. I think it’s the manly man thing. It’s a boat and guys drive boats.
After the first couple of days of fishing, I hadn’t given much thought about driving. We were catching a lot of fish and that was keeping me occupied. Our fishing goal was to find the crappie. To find crappie we were hitting brush piles near the shore. Now, to do this with ease you need to have a trolley motor that you guide with your foot that makes your boat move slowly along the shore. Ours was having a bit of a problem and Mark was tired of messing with it. He was getting quite a few bites and needed to fish.
Mark: Jody, get in the drivers seat.
Jody: Me? (Pause) Why? (Pause) What did you say?
Mark: I need you to drive the boat and when I say go back, go back, when I say go forward you need to go forward. Slower, a bit faster, etc. Hurry up sit down.
Jody’s thoughts as she starts to sweat and slowly make her way to the driver’s seat: WT?! Is this like driving a car? How do I make it go faster, slower, turn, stop, grrr. Could he have at least taken the time to show me how to drive in open water? Now is not the time to have your wife learn how to drive the boat while your husband is in serious fishing mode. Is this a test? If something breaks it will be my fault. Where the hell is his helmet cause if he flies out of this boat I am going to be in big trouble.
Jody: We can fish somewhere else if you’d like - I’m really not in the mood to drive.
Mark: Would you sit down. You’re fine. Drive.
Jody: Fine but after all this pressure I’m driving in open water.
While Mark fished and gave instructions, I made my way back and forth along the shoreline without incident. Mark said a few “STOP STOP STOP GO BACK” “GO FORWARD” “NO GO BACK” and I said a few “FOR THE LOVE OF DEER MAKE UP YOUR MIND”.
This is serious fishing mode:
This is a girl who gets to drive a boat:
May 20th, 2008 at 7:45 am
You ought to try driving while they snagging for spoonbill on a river - talk about pressure! You have to go really slow and keep the boat slightly against the current and be ready to instantly stop and put the boat in reverse and back up and if you do the wrong thing the hook might not set right and they might loose the fish and there is all sorts of hollering and carrying on and “why did you do that” and “didn’t you know” and…. yea, I know all about learning to drive the boat when the teacher is in intense fishing mode, it isn’t very fun. But, now you are “the driver” congratulations!
May 20th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Oh, tha’ts funny. You finally get to drive and it’s while you’re under pressure. Sounds like everything turned out all right though, so that’s good.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:35 am
The pressure was seriously on.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
You go Girl!!
May 20th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
That’s awesome! I love the picture! That is a very serious fishing face. No nonsense, there, no siree. And a nice crappie, to boot!
May 20th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Hahaha… that is exactly what would happen with us. Ask me drive… no directions on how to do it!
May 20th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
That’s so funny. I hope you graduate to the open waters soon.
May 20th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
My wife would tell you that Mark was just being a man… doesn’t take the time to show you anything, just expects you to hop over there and do it right.
There are then two ways for it to turn out. Somehow you do it right, and you are then moved up a notch on the outdoor woman scale, or you do it wrong and you get to hear about it for the rest of your life as well as never getting to drive again.
Thank goodness it sounds like you passed your man’s test!
May 20th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
I’m so proud of you…you did good!
May 20th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Nicely done! I can’t wait to read about your continuing adventures driving the boat.
May 20th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Hey congrats on finally getting to drive the boat! Very cool. The picture of Mark’s fishing mode face is hilarious.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Beautiful!!! In every way. Great story!
May 21st, 2008 at 7:34 am
Oh my I know that feeling, only at my house I am towing hubby in a broken pickup with my town truck and a tow line…I always do it wrong…lololol
May 21st, 2008 at 7:16 pm
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