Boogie Boating

Every year when we have gone to the beach, we have brought some sort of flotation device for the kids to play with in the ocean. (After 7 years of boogie boards, we had to get a little creative!) Last year my friend Julie brought inflatable rings for the kids, which were a huge hit! So much so that the ocean was sprinkled with them the day after we brought ours out. :) This year the O'Rileys brought their big raft (affectionately called the "Y-Wing" because it resembles the Y-Wing Ship from Star Wars) to the beach. It was a super hit with the kids, who took to it really quickly and spent a great deal of time out riding the waves in their "ship." Kt was a little concerned that the raft would flip ... and it did ... a few times ... but it did not damper their excitement over riding the waves in it. Here are some pics ...

Pushing down the nose to try and catch the wave and ride it in to shore.

Looks like a flip waiting to happen ... but slapped down just in time!
(Much to Jillian's relief, I am pretty sure this was the last wave she rode that day!)

The 3 big kids catch a big wave ... sideways ...
determination fills their faces as then hold on with all their might.
(It's either determination or holding their breath and gritting their teeth ... I cant tell which!)

KT getting showered with the white water as the wave broke ...
notice the drop about to land on her nose ...


Look at the wave crashing down upon the raft ...
which would fill with water ... and still float..
BUT
would he incredibly difficult to get back on land
with pounds and pounds of water between the liner and the boat.
Julie and I tried to pull it ashore by ourselves one day ...
let's just say that the lifeguard was probably laughing so hard
that he could look at nothing else!

By the Week's end the kid's had created their own company:
JC Water Rides

Here is a little video that explains their rules ...
just in case you want to go on one of their adventures!