Back in the early 90’s my family moved from Detroit to Algonac, MI as my parents decided they wanted to raise their family in an area that provided community, recreation, and silence you couldn’t find anywhere near metro Detroit.
Growing up we lived just across the street from the St. Clair River on an expansive piece of property that provided the natural soundscapes you’d expect in a country setting, but It wasn’t uncommon to have the “silence” my parents had moved here to find interrupted by the roar of cigar boats running up and down the river.
As I grew older, I learned that not all go-fast boats were called cigar boats, and that many of the boats I was hearing were called “Sunsations.” Unbeknownst to me, they were built just up the road from where I grew up...
At this time (mid 90’s) Sunsation was still a relatively unknown boat manufacturer with a handful of employees producing 8-12 boats a year. Looking back, I can’t say that I really knew much about the boats they built, outside of the fact they were fast, loud, and painted beautifully. Driving by the factory as a child, we always tried to catch a glimpse of the boats in the factory if the doors were open or if one was outside of the shop. With the local high school just up the road from the shop, the odds of seeing an awesome boat were often in our favor.
Once I graduated from high school, I spent close to 10 years living in various places throughout Michigan. I loved exploring these places and meeting new people, but for more than one reason, I always found myself comparing my temporary homes to what I remember growing up with in Algonac. And even though I lived near the water most of my adult life, not hearing go-fast boats as often reminded me how much I missed not being home…
Fast forward 10 years later, and I now work alongside the same team that was responsible for building the boats I heard as a kid. To take it even a step further, I have the pleasure of watching our talented team bring the same early 90’s boats back to life within the same shop they were originally built.
How I ended up at Sunsation is a story for another day, but having an opportunity to run on the same boats I heard as a child alongside my co-workers is a blast, and the irony of how I got here makes it that much more fun.
Check out this video:
See you at the Sun Run!
RW