Supply chain entrepreneur never misses the boat as a member of Freedom Boat Club!
There’s nothing like getting up early on a Saturday morning and getting out on Lake Lanier. If it’s early enough, the water is crystal clear, like glass. It’s so beautiful and peaceful. That’s the pro tip: Arrive at Lake Lanier as early as possible before everyone else gets there.
My husband, Eric, and I learned that when we joined Freedom Boat Club in 2017. We had moved our family from Chicago to Atlanta the year prior, and he made me promise him one thing: that I would find a way to give him access to the water. We both grew up in the Midwest, and we had lots of fun and made lots of memories on boats as kids. He also sailed when he was younger. So when we arrived in Atlanta, where we’ve settled on the Westside, right away we started looking for an option that would be economical and allow us to enjoy motored boats without all of the maintenance that’s associated with owning them. As they say, the day you buy a boat is the day you start losing money. But we had to find a way to get on the water, and an annual club membership—through which you pay a monthly fee and never pay any usage fees beyond the fuel you use—lets us just choose a boat and spend a day on the water.
The best thing about being out on a boat is that you have to put your phone away and can just spend time together as a family. You get away from all of those daily distractions. There will always be another load of laundry to do or another device grabbing your attention. I’m an entrepreneur—the CEO of Lead Coverage and a supply chain consultant—so getting away from the screen to be with my family is very important to me. It fills my cup. It’s wholesome and rejuvenating. There’s nothing like walking off the boat, a little exhausted in the best way possible from the sun and the sand, knowing that you’ve made memories together.
Boating allows me to give my daughters, who are 10 and 11, important skills. It builds confidence, and they are true boaters. They feel so confident when we have friends on the boat because they understand the basics. They speak the boating language; they understand everything about safety, which we are very committed to; and they have learned how not to be afraid of something like being on the water. I want them to have that confidence. As a female entrepreneur, I often do things that other people don’t do. That’s par for the course for me, and I want that for my girls as well.
It’s also great to be able to take my girlfriends out on the water. In fact, spending a day out on the lake whenever we can has become a cherished ritual during the summertime. Instead of getting together for brunch, we’ll hop in the car with the top down, roll up to Lake Lanier and take the boat out for a morning. It’s such a fun way to spend a day. And while Freedom Boat Club gives us access to several types, my preference is the Bayliner speedboat. I like to go fast, find a good spot to drop anchor, jump in the water and spend time relaxing on a float or tube. It’s so important to have that time away.
When we go to the lake, we go to Bald Ridge Marina, which is the farthest dock south on Lanier. I love the fact that I can get up in the morning and be at the dock in 40 minutes. I can be on a boat, hand it back to the dock crew at the end of the day and head home tired, happy and rejuvenated. That is worth getting out of bed on a Saturday morning.
FREEDOM BOAT CLUB
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@freedomboatclubworldwide
PHOTOS: Catrina Maxwell
