Terror on the High Seas

Boating is pretty much a given if you are going to be a Gerhard. My dad grew up on boats, Dave and I grew up on boats, our various and sundry spouses are now boat people, so it only stands to reason that our children will be boat people too. We have a not-insignificant fleet to choose from! So while we were at the cottage we decided that a little boating was in order. Nothing fancy, just a ride around the lake in Ed (the boat). Ed is an aluminum fishing boat. Stable, comfortable (albeit loud) and generally all around safe. Tyrannosaurus Rex (the canoe) can be a bit tippy, Pegasus (the dingy) is stable but small, David's kayak is a one person dealie (Matthew isn't really ready for that yet), and Shadowfax (the sailboat) is at Northern Harbour 45 minutes away. So for the quick jaunt of an evening, Ed is the way to go.

So we got all ready to do just that. This is Matthew in advance of the trip, complete with all the necessities including a bus and a chair. (the smile BTW is classic Grandpa Osborne, his namesake)


With all the appropriate gear, we are ready to go. We get to the boat and Matthew responds with what can only be described as abject terror. Total meltdown. Crying - sobbing really - clinging to mom and dad, and when we put him down he bee-lines back to the cottage. Of all the responses, this is the most unexpected, particularly give his heritage. However, the Bus adventure of several weeks ago, and the tractor incident before that, should have twigged us that Matthew isn't all that good with big, loud and new. Oh, he likes it fine from afar: he points at big trucks going by and is simply beside himself with glee and excitement. But they can just stay afar thank you very much.

So Kristine and I went through a significant conditioning regiment over the week that we were there, culminating in a significant boat ride where Matthew was generally fine the whole way. He wasn't happy about it and was a bit clingy, but he didn't freak out. We have hopes for him yet.