As the proud owner of Kitty Hawk Watersports for the last 23 years, I’ve made a lot of good memories out on the water. When working in watersports, you’re destined to meet a few characters. One individual – I’ll call him Ron – has become a successful, small businessman. But when he was a college student mating on a parasail boat, his summer hobby was making moves on high school girls.
The Coolest Summer Job Around
Being a parasail mate is a pretty cool job. You’re on a boat everyday, wearing a bathing suit, and entertaining customers. You always have tip money in your pocket and a killer tan. The hardest thing for a parasail mate to do? Not spend all your tip money at the bar on your way home.
Playing the Field
So, Ron was a college student who mated on the boat for several summers. As customers matriculated on and off the boat throughout the day, he was often drawn toward the young females (perhaps because they were the low-hanging fruit). One of the duties of a parasail mate is to put a harness on the customers, which can be a close and personal affair. For some reason, Ron always had a tough time getting a harness just right with the attractive females, and it seemed to take twice as long. During this process he would start a conversation with them and attempt to plant a seed for meeting up later.
This plan must have been reasonably successful because Ron had a bit of a reputation.
Until one day…
Ron Met His Match
Apparently, Ron neglected to recon his date’s mother. We’re not sure what happened on Ron’s date, but we do know his date’s mother was not happy about it. We know this because she stormed into the business the following day and demanded to speak with Ron immediately.
Here’s the thing. The parasail boat was located in water that was too shallow to motor up to the dock, so we used a shuttle boat to get customers the 400 yards to and from the parasail boat. The captain and mate typically wouldn’t come ashore on a busy day. This particular day was busy.
The irate mother demanded to be shuttled out to the parasail boat. The manager obliged. Mind you, the parasail boat is full of customers (up to 12 people and no place to hide). When she got out to the boat, the mom proceeded to read Ron the riot act, non-stop, for 15 minutes. All that was left of Ron was a sweaty T-shirt and an embarrassed look on his face. The customers on the boat were not charged extra for the impromptu show, although they should have been. This was long before “reality TV” became a thing. Luckily for Ron, there were no cell phones to record the event.
Moving Forward
After that episode, Ron straightened up. For a while, anyway. His conversations were usually preceded by, “So, who are you staying with while you’re down here?”.
I guess the good thing for Ron is that every week the slate is wiped clean, and you get a new group of customers. Except now we have those pesky, online reviews that stick with you like a bad penny, for better or worse.
To make your own memories out on the water, contact Kitty Hawk Watersports at (252) 441-2756 or request a reservation today. We offer the best parasailing tours in the Outer Banks area, along with jet ski rentals, kayak rentals, and more.