From selling electrical breakers to sailing the seas on a luxurious Spencer Yacht - this captivating conversation reveals how passion, perseverance, and family bonds create a lifetime of maritime adventures.
Recorded live at the 22nd Annual Carolina Boat Builder Foundation Tournament in Manteo, North Carolina, this Season 4 premiere introduces us to a remarkable grandfather-grandson duo whose story embodies the spirit of fishing culture. The grandfather shares his journey from modest childhood beach weekends with his mailman father to eventually owning prestigious vessels, proving that dreams anchored in genuine passion can manifest through unexpected paths. His manufacturer's representative agency selling utility electrical equipment funded what would become his greatest joy – a Spencer Yacht he describes as having "the ride, the beauty...an incredible machine."
Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Jake radiates enthusiasm as he recounts catching sailfish in the Dominican Republic and his simple joy of "being out in the ocean." His presence represents what the boating community treasures most - passing down traditions to create "a new crop of anglers." Their vessel, splitting time between North Carolina waters and Costa Rica's pristine coastlines, serves as both a fishing platform and family bonding space. The conversation reveals how boating transcends mere recreation to become a multigenerational lifestyle where memories are crafted on open waters.
Subscribe to the Wards Way Podcast as we continue celebrating 75 years in business with more compelling stories from the boating world.
Have you introduced someone young to the joys of fishing? Share your story with us!
Wards Marine Electric
https://www.wardsmarine.com/
Wards Way YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@WardsWay75
Episode Transcript
Welcome to Season 4 of the Wardsway Podcast.
We're here live in Manteo,north Carolina, at the 22nd
Annual Carolina Boat BuilderFoundation Tournament.
Join us as we celebrate 75years in business and we're just
(00:22):
getting started.
Welcome to Season 4 of theWardsway Podcast.
We're here live in Manteo,north Carolina, at the 22nd
Annual Boat Builder Tournament,and I'm here today with my
friends Michael and Jake, anowner and a future owner of a
Spencer Yacht.
Thank you for coming on, jake.
(00:44):
This is, I know, your secondpodcast.
I think you've done thesebefore, so tell me why you love
fishing, why you love the OuterBanks.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
You know it's such a great sport.
It's a great family sport.
There's such an incrediblecommunity of the boat builders
and the boat owners.
I can see that here and themates and the captains, and it's
infectious.
We just absolutely love it.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Now I had a question.
We were chatting before and Isaid that it's very difficult
that I have an electric businessand nobody really wants to talk
about breakers and cable.
And you said, well, that's helpwhat.
What got you this boat?
So you got to tell me.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I own a manufacturer's representative
agency with my son okay, fatherokay, and the money we've made
selling electrical equipment iswhat bought that now is it
marine electrical equipment no,utility electrical okay, but
still it's electrical stillgotta love that yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
So now is this your, not your first boat, so I can
tell no, we've had a yeah, butthis is our first Spencer boat.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
And it won't be our last.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Good, good to hear.
Why is that?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
The ride, the beauty.
Love everything about the boat.
Paul Spencer builds anincredible machine.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah, and the experience of building a boat.
Not a lot of owners will saythat they've enjoyed their
experience of building a boat,but it sounds like you did, I
came into it late in the process.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Okay, I was fortunate enough to buy one that was in
process and almost complete.
Okay, so my wait was six monthsinstead of six years.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
But you're building another one, I bet, aren't you?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
We're talking about it, yeah, it'll happen.
It's always talked about.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Okay, now Jake Sailfish, sailfish.
Wow, you've caught both ofthose.
I haven't caught one, you'vecaught two.
Yeah, How'd you do it.
How was it?
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Um.
So the one in the DR um.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
It was hard.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
But he, he, he handled it well, stuck with it.
He handled it well.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yes, he's been fishing with me since he was I
thought it was like a marlin,because there was like a bunch
of white marlins and bluemarlins swimming around it.
So I thought it was a marlin,but then, when I reeled it in,
it was a sailfish.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Wow, and I hear that they wrap it around the nose and
then try to snap the line.
How did you finagle that?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I don't remember who did it, but someone else did it
for me he reeled really quick.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Okay, got to get him to the boat quick, you do.
Okay, that's a secret.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
So you like fishing?
Yes, you think you're going tohave a boat soon too.
One day.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
He was looking at that little skiff inside.
Oh, I know Trying to convincehis dad that maybe that was the
good first boat.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
It could was the good first boat it could be.
Yeah, did you bid on it?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
you don't know not yet, not yet.
What's your favorite part aboutboating?
Um, I just like riding on theboat.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
I do too.
I like being out in the ocean,and that's nice spending time
with your family.
So now do you guys?
Are you from here?
Do you live here?
Oh, I live in Raleigh oh, okay,well, that like three hours
away Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Exactly, exactly.
That's home, but we also havebeach houses.
He and his family are in mysame neighborhood in West City,
nice, nice so that's the homeport for the boat.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Okay, okay.
Where else do you go on theboat?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Well, here for part of the season and she's going to
Costa Rica in early Novemberand we'll be there through the
end of April.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Do you guys ever get down to Florida or do you do any
Bahamas or Caribbean or any ofthat?
We?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
have a house in Delray, and so we're down there
occasionally, and we just spentpart of the winter in the
Bahamas with the new boat.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Okay, so we're from South Florida, so that's our
home base.
But so if you ever needanything electric, make sure you
tell grandpa to come.
You know come.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
We'll do that.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
So what made you get into?
So you're saying that you do.
You're a manufacturer rep forelectrical equipment.
Correct, but not marine.
But what made you get intoboating?
Is it something you grew updoing all the time?
Because I always wonder what.
What makes somebody finally doit?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
you know what I had?
I had an excellent childhoodand a great family.
My dad was a mailman and my momwas a teacher's aide, so a long
weekend at the beach eachsummer was our summer vacation,
sure.
And then, as we started, Istarted with a little 17-foot
center console and kept addingmoney and water, and they
continued to grow isn't that theway it happens?
Speaker 1 (05:18):
yeah, but I always wonder, because you know there's
so many other things that youcould be involved in, and
boating is just.
I feel like it's such a passionfor people that either you're
so passionate about it or you'renot, and so I always wonder
what is that?
So it was your love for thewater that got you out there.
Did you go fishing today?
We did, you did.
How'd you do?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
We're going to have a great day tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Is this your mulligan day?
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yes, it is.
It was your mulligan day.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Now I did hear about that in the tournament
explanations yesterday.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
It was very easy to.
That's what a mulligan is wehad a great boat ride.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Okay, but tomorrow you guys are gonna be up there.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
No, we're gonna get it my lucky charm right here
coming tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
You're gonna be Okay, all right, so you'll be the
reason that they get on thatleaderboard tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Absolutely Okay.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Good, okay, good Well , I appreciate you coming to
talk to me, jake, and with yourgrandpa and everybody, and thank
you for being a part of this.
You're welcome.
Is there anything you want totell anybody else your age why
you should go boating?
Who else needs to catch asailfish?
A bunch of kids need to, right.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
We enjoy seeing young people in the sport.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
I agree.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And creating a new crop of anglers.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
That's right.
And a new crop of anglers,that's right.
And a new crop of owners.
You're going to own yourself aSpencer yacht.
You heard it here.
Folks, Thank you for being onour podcast.
Thank you, thank you for beinghere.
Thank you, jake, you're welcome.
Okay, we have a gift for youtoo.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Awesome, awesome, it gets better.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
I know.
Thank you for joining us thisseason of the Wardsway Podcast.
Be sure you subscribe becausethere's much more to come.
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