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My First Skydive
Sick. Especially from the time you first look out the open door of the plane until 2 seconds after you've jumped. It really is a rush. Now, I was told that I probably wouldn't remember most of it because of what a rush it is. Well, I'm here to say that I remember ALL of it... in great detail. And I'm glad I do. I expected to be very nervous about jumping. When I was getting geared up I wasn't feeling nervous at all. I figured the nerves would kick in once I got in the plane. Well, we boarded up and took off and I still wasn't feeling very nervous, at least not near as much as I expected. "I'll get the butterflies when the door opens and I start moving toward it" is what I thought. Well, the door opened and I took my spot to jump. I didn't have time to get nervous before we dove out. The initial peak down got my eyes big but I honestly wasn't scared. This was something I was really looking forward to. Anyway, if you haven't already, make sure you watch the video. It was a great experience and I look forward to doing it again (in a few weeks for sure).
UPDATE: I did my second tandem skydive a week and a half later, on October 4th. It was way different than the first jump, as I was required to complete several maneuvers in a timely manner. I did well and had a great time. Fred jumped with me and Julio, Mom, and Grandmom came to watch.
UPDATE: My third (and final) tandem jump was on October 21st, just 2 and a half weeks after my second jump. Again, much different than the other two jumps. The plane was packed tight with a few solo jumpers and 4 first-timers. I was the only other tandem aside from the 4. We jumped, stabilized, and I got my heading & altitude. I then had to do 3 practice touches before locking onto my heading. Range (who I jumped with all 3 times now) would try to turn us off the heading and it was my job to keep us straight by counteracting his maneuvers. I did fine; it was actually pretty easy. I was more aware this time of my heading and really enjoyed the 60 seconds of freefall. At 5,500 feet I waved off and pulled the rip cord. The parachute opened nicely and I took control of the brakes. I flared them to release them and began steering us to the holding zone (upwind of the landing area). Range showed me the proper way to land and how to utilize an S-turn to kill altitude. Landing was nice with Range in control and me following his lead. Next comes 5-hour ground school and then 7 solo jumps. After that, I'm a certified skydiver!
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2004 Yamaha FX Cruiser High Output
(for the record, that's a stock picture, not me)
Don't think I've ever been this excited about buying something! This baby is gonna scream. I started shopping around on Thursday (April 22) by looking at Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Sea Doo websites. I looked at all kinds of waverunners and decided that I wanted top of the line, no matter what the cost. I found the FX Cruiser High Output and knew it was for me. Called my Dad to see if he wanted to split the cost - but he said he wanted us to get TWO! That was fine by me. I called a few places to get some prices until I found the cheapest dealer (A-Estates). I told them I'd stop by in a day or two, as they only had 2 left. Me and Dad drove over there Saturday afternoon (April 24) and had a look around. Dad wasn't sure what model he wanted, but I finally talked him into getting the same one as me. So, we put a small payment down so he'd hold the last two for us. We also decided to get a double trailer and two covers for the waverunners. I went this morning (April 26) to the bank to fill out an application for a loan. I'll stop by tomorrow morning to find out if I'm approved. If not, I need to get my Dad to cosign. I don't really want to say how much the total bill is (we split it evenly right down the middle), but let's just say my half is almost double what my 2000 Chevy Malibu LS cost me 2 years ago. It is gonna take me a while to pay this thing off. So, if all goes well I'm hoping to be riding this thing by next weekend (May 8). I just need to pass the boating safety test (I'm gonna study like crazy starting tonight). Taking these beasts to Lake George is gonna be sooo sweet.
UPDATE: Loan was approved, stopped by Wednesday morning (April 28) and paid for my waverunner! Just called and paid for the insurance today (April 29). I'm scheduled to take the boating safety course on Tuesday (May 4) and Thursday (May 6) for 3 hours each day. The class is $65 and once I pass the test and get the certificate, it's good for life. I was shopping around online for a wet suit and life jackets -- these things are expensive. I'm gonna take a look in a few sporting stores to see how the prices compare.
ANOTHER UPDATE: All I can say is: hell yeah! We picked 'em up today (may 7) and went straight from the place we bought them from to the Maurice river in Millville. We had them out for about an hour and it was awesome! I got up to 64 mph and the river was smooth as ice. This is most definitely going to become an every-weekend excursion. I can't wait to take them out again -- maybe Sunday (May 9).