Two weeks ago, "Bob The Boat Guy" did some work on our 18' Sea Doo so we decided to take it out for a late afternoon run and have dinner at one of the restaurants where you can dock and eat overlooking the lake. What a way to spend an afternoon. We thought.
Unfortunately, Bob neglected to put the boat in the water to TEST his work before he called to say that will be $405.00, thank you very much. The engines still didn't want to catch and we had trouble getting one to turn over but eventually we were on our way. We didn't get too far before we realized something wasn't right so we headed over to Parkway Marina to buy new spark plugs. Surely, new spark plugs will solve the problem. A quick change out and we were on our way again. However, ten minutes in, something really didn't sound right so we stopped and opened the compartment to the engines. There was water everywhere, hoses were leaking and one engine wasn't working at all. Oh darn, that can't be good. Now what?
We were too far from the house to make it back before dark on one engine, we were too far from Parkway Marina. It was starting to get dark and all we had was one wimpy paddle and our little beacon light. With no options, we decided to head for Belview Bay and the marina below the Sportsman Restaurant.
We remembered that the owner had a limo she used to transport people from the dock to the restaurant and figured we could get a ride to our truck to come back and get the boat. We limped in to the cove and went to the marina only to find the lady didn't run the marina anymore; instead there was a store, Ultimate Watersports renting boats, jet ski's, sea doos. And now you could buy tropical slushies. Smith Mountain Lake doesn't have taxi service and it's eight pm. Oh darn, now what are we going to do?
As we were talking to the young lady who was closing up the store, we pleaded for an answer to our dilemma. She calmly said, my brother can take you to your truck, no problem. We have a jet ski. Are you serious? You'll take us all the way back to our house? Who does stuff like that anymore?
Thankfully, these two kids did. Twenty minutes on a jet ski at dusk wasn't too appealing to me so I decided to babysit the boat and wait for my husband to come back with the truck. As I waited I had the chance to talk to the young lady and found out that her brother and parents operated the Ultimate Watersports store. Check them out; they have the cheapest price for gas at the lake and are offer rentals of: Sea Doo's, a 24' Palm Beach Pontoon, Hobie-Cat Wave Sailing Catamaran (2 and 4 person), Wakeboard, Kneeboards, and Viper Airhead towables.
Soon, the brother was back, my husband was pulling into the drive and we were on our way. We cannot thank these two kids enough for bailing us out and going beyond what most people would do. How refreshing! If you're looking to rent equipment at the lake, check them out. And have a slushie.
Ultimate Watersports is located on the water behind The Sportsman Restaurant, 2.5 miles past the Smith Mountain Lake State Park. Take a right at Belview Bay Condominiums. To contact Ultimate Watersports, call (540) 297-2020.
Posted by
Debbie Malone, Realtor(R) RE/MAX 1st Olympic 20395 Timberlake Rd, Lynchburg, VA 24502
malone1981@aol.com www.debmalone.com
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Debbie, isn't it refreshing when you meet people like that. We have had lots of misadventures on the water. Our latest we broke a fuel line but we were on our sail boat and that just met we had to sail all the way in. That test your capabilities.