10/01/2026
โ๏ธ Well folksโฆ Iโm hanging up my captainโs hat and closing out the regular 2026 season. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ? ๐
๐ This was one of my best seasons in 18 years โ not just because it was a busy one, but because of the people, the connections, and the incredible stories that found their way onto my boat.
๐
My final weekend couldnโt have ended better. Two tours back-to-back, glassy water, hardly a breath of wind, and one of the most incredible sunsets of the season.
Those final tours brought some pretty special Lake Orion connections onboard, too.
Members of the Spearing family joined me, whose grandmother owned Spearingโs Lakeside in the โ70s and โ80s before my parents purchased it from her. That property became Orion Marine, which my family operated for over 30 years. I included a little peek at the tour book so you can see some of that history for yourself! ๐
And then there were Tom Brown and Emily (Bass) Brown, 82 years young, whose families both have deep ties to Lake Orion. Tom told me that his parents actually met and fell in love at Park Island Amusement Park over a game of darts. ๐ฏ I just love that!
Tom and Emily have now been married for more than 50 years. In the 1970s, they purchased Emilyโs parentsโ cottage on Bellevue Island. Emily spent decades there and remembers the lagoon being filled in โ the area that is now a park today. They later sold the cottage in the โ80s, and the house is still there!
Two families, generations of memories, and so much history sitting right there on my boat. ๐
After 18 seasons, guests are STILL bringing pieces of Lake Orion history onboard that Iโve never heard before. Thatโs one of my favorite parts of doing this.
๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐โ๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐๐ญ! If you see a beautiful October day in the forecast and can put together a group of 6 or more, reach out. The boat should be in until later this month, and with a little notice, Iโd be happy to sneak in a bonus tour!
Iโve also already started working on some fun off-season projects โ including a Lake Orion shirt design Iโve been tossing around for years. ๐ Make sure youโre ๐จ๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ so you donโt miss whatโs coming next: ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ง.๐๐จ๐ฆ
To everyone who joined me, came back again, brought friends and family, shared my posts or recommended the tourโฆ
๐ THANK YOU for a FANTASTIC SEASON!
Maybe Iโll see a few of you again this Octoberโฆ and everyone else in 2027! โ๏ธ
