Lake Reflections: Unexpected Boating Benefits

Up until a few years ago, the length and breadth of my boating experience consisted of canoeing, an occasional bowrider rental (for water skiing), cruising around the ocean on massive floating cities and riding along for sunset pontoon expeditions courtesy of our boat-owning friends.

I absolutely love the water. It’s where I’m most alive—a feeling I think is hardwired into anyone born by the sea. So that made the idea of having a boat seem an obvious choice when we moved to Smith Mountain Lake. But a perhaps less conventional piece of our rationale pie was the additional square footage it could add to our daily existence. Our home is a tiny, under-1,000-square-foot cottage, and space for entertaining is very limited. Heck, space for everyday regular life-ing is very limited! But instead of building an addition, we wondered, “What if we had a living room on ‘toons?”

Second consideration: before we moved to North Shore, we owned a Jeep Wrangler. It was our “fun” vehicle that we’d frequently take out on Jeep Club rides and four-wheeling adventures all over Virginia. Around these parts, though, lack of off-roading trails kept the Jeep in the driveway, and our need for adventure unsatiated.

So, why not trade the open air of the mountains for the open air of the water, and gain a floating three-seasons room in the bargain? Sounded like two birds/one stone to me!

But owning a boat felt like way too big a leap for our experience level. We didn’t actually know how frequently we’d use it at first. Plus, when my husband is ready for leisure time, his bingo card (understandably) doesn’t include uncovering, cleaning, trailering, launching, getting into a potential argument with his opinionated first mate while trying to accomplish each of the above steps, etc…. As fate would have it, right around when we moved, the inaugural boat club here at the lake had just opened. It felt like the perfect opportunity to try boating on for size, so we happily jumped in with both feet! That was more than three years ago.

Now, offshore is where we find breathing space when we need to escape the confines of our small home. Most of the time, it’s for a relaxing diversion, but some days, the boat is our office on the water. Mealtime cruises are a common occurrence. Weekend brunch on a boat just hits different, doesn’t it? We bring our friends along and linger over rich conversation as the waves lull anxiety down to an almost imperceptible level. Somehow, the lack of four walls seems to loosen the tether to our everyday selves and awaken our inner vacation mode.

Out on the water we give ourselves permission to enjoy things we don’t often make time for on land. Things like reading, napping, swimming, cross-word-puzzling, daydreaming, singing along to a favorite warm-weather soundtrack, just *being*… Sun-soaking takes the place of doom-scrolling and all awareness of time disappears. It’s analog magic. I barely remember what life was like before we had a floating living room, but I do know that I’ve become a better version of myself since we’ve had it.

Kristin Dunker

COLUMNIST

Kristin Dunker is editor of The Current, a bi-weekly e-magazine for Smith Mountain Lake and Southwestern Virginia. It highlights our community’s people, businesses, clubs and organizations, and encourages readers to create a life they love.