Well folks, it’s official. The raffle drawing for our beautiful little Bubba 14 red cedar skiff occurred yesterday, June 1st. And, we are happy to let all y’all know that our little Bubba boat has found a loving home to go to. The winner is Tom Raffetto of Grafton Virginia. Tom got his ticket at the Kiwanis Club of Poquoson’s 4th Annual Boat Sale, Nautical Art Show, and Flea Market in March of this year.
Tom Raffetto and his Bubba 14
Tom’s no stranger to the water or to small row boats. I won’t say how many decades ago this happened. But, when Tom was 9 years old, his father gave him a slightly smaller boat as a present. When the excited young man got the boat into the water, his Dad asked if he knew how to row a boat.
Tom, full of excitement and wanting to show his Dad just how grown up he had become said, “Yes. I know how to row, Dad!”
So, with a gentle push from his father, Tom found himself stranded in the lake with no real clue how to get the boat back to shore. After experimenting for more than a few minutes, the young lad figured out how stroke the oars, turn to port and starboard, and more importantly how to steer her back ashore.
Now, its years later and Tom plans to take his grandchildren out in their new Bubba 14 boat in the next few weeks. I don’t think he’ll let them flounder without first showing them how to row. But, you never know. Tom seemed to learn from his initial experience.
