Laura blushed. "And I should warn you that if you use the head, make sure you're not sitting when you flush cause you never know what will jump up and bite you in the butt." Laura turned and glared daggers at Bob. "Uh, uh. You aren't going to fool me with that. I might not have spent any time on a boat, but my uncle tried that trick on me when he took me for a ride in his motor home. I know you've got special tanks on board for that!" Bob looked at Todd and the two men just laughed.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

An hour later, after a few cold soft drinks and snacks, Bob asked Laura if she wanted to drive. She looked at him suspiciously. "Drive? Do you REALLY drive a boat?" "I'm sorry for poking fun at you, Laura. It's just that this is my business and my life. I'm always surprised when I meet people who haven't spent half their lives on the water. You're right of course. The proper term is pilot, but few people use those words any more. It's either taking the conn, or drive cause they think it's just a big car." "Oh! Cool! Just like on Star Trek!" Laura mocked a salute, "Aye, Captain! Does that mean I have the Bridge as well?" Bob just shook his head, looked to Todd for support but on seeing Todd's T-shirt decided to forego any mockery of the show. Kelly and Todd were content to sit back and enjoy the peace and serenity only open water can provide. They sat side-by-side holding hands, their eyelids lazily drooping.

With a smile of pleasure on her face, Laura guided the boat through the river for the next hour, waving happily at other boaters. Bob had stood by her the entire time explaining all the technology on control panel in front of her, the radar, depth finder, and the VHF. "VHF?" Laura asked. "Yep, actually it's a multi-band transceiver." "God, Chris must have thought I was a real stereotypical blonde this morning. I called his radio a VHS!" As they entered a wider section of the waterway, a group of PWC drivers appeared and started cutting in front of the 24-foot boat and jumping across its wake. It tried Bob's patience. "Some of these idiots have more money than brains," he said taking back the controls. "If one of them takes a spill near or in front of us, I won't be able to stop in time to avoid sucking him under our props or running over him." Bob waited until the entire "wolf pack" was either behind or beside the boat and he shoved the throttle forward, swamping them and causing most of the Sea-Doo riders to take an unscheduled dip.

"Wow! That was neat!" Laura said. "I didn't know this boat had so much power in it." "Yeah, but I shouldn't have to use it," Bob said. "The rules of the water are quite clear about this. Smaller craft always have to give way to larger craft. You sure as hell don't play games with something this big and heavy when all you've got between your legs is an artificial set of balls." Laura fetched a drink for Bob and they talked for a while longer as they watched water-skiers race along behind small powerful outboards, and sailboarders riding the wider water. Finally Laura moved back and sat with Kelly and Todd. The smell of the air changed as they turned out into the ocean, cooler and with the tang of salt. The water changed as well from the muddy brown of the river to green and then a clear azure. "And of course this is our number one source of revenue," Bob said to them as he pointed to the crowded beaches, "The holiday seekers and the snowbirds from the North and Canada! This area is called the 'First Coast' because it's the part of Florida they see first and a lot of them put down roots here, then take day-trips to see the real touristy places in the South."

The white sandy beaches were wide and gently sloped, with moderate waves that broke on the barrier islands 500 to 1000 yards off shore. The boat followed the outside of the sand banks, which slowly grew in size to become a chain of large islands. "Hey Todd, how come you aren't taking any pictures?" asked Bob. "It's been done," said Todd. "Lots of pro photographers have been here and snapped off thousands of pictures to draw the tourists in. It would be like reinventing the wheel." "Well," said Bob, "we sort of reinvent our boats every year." "That's because you can," said Todd. "Technology changes quickly and you learn and can make improvements. Nature is different and change is so gradual that only mankind changes the scenery and usually not for the better." They sailed by the first of the islands. "This is Fort George," said Bob. "They've excavated continuous human settlements for the last 6,000 years. Kind of makes you wonder who did land here first."

They passed by a few more islands complete with rolling dunes and choking overgrowth, riddled with rivers and salt marshes. The boat traffic was increasing as groups of kayakers and pleasure boaters wove in and out of the wide waterways and fish-rich waters. "Eighty percent of our shrimp harvest comes from here, but there's a one mile no-commercial fishing zone around these islands making it a paradise for anglers and nature-lovers." Bob pointed to a bridge from the mainland to the next island, "That bridge has a mile long gallery to fish from. They catch 10- pounders there regularly." The island sported a town at its north end and a large round building that stood out from the ocean. "That's our Sea-horse Ranch, where guests can descend to the ocean floor and watch the seahorses and other ocean life in their natural habitat."

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