Nor-Tech At 35—Boats, Planes, Automobiles And The Fine Art Of The Family Road-Trip

Weston and Amber Bass rose early Tuesday morning to leave Harbour Island, Bahamas, and return to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in their Nor-Tech 390 Sport center console. They roused Gentry, their 10-year-old daughter, and eight-year-old son, Wes, Jr., and headed to the marina behind Valentines Resort, where the 39-footer was safely docked. Joined by several other Nor-Tech center consoles for the seven-day Florida Powerboat Club Bahamas Poker Run, they headed back to South Florida.

(Clockwise from top) Weston Bass, Amber Bass, Gentry Bass, baby-sitter Kenzie Lipa and Wes Bass, Jr., shared more than a few moments in the Bahamian water.

By the following morning, the Monroe, La.-based couple and their kids were at a baseball complex in Orange Beach, Ala., where Wes, Jr., has tournament this week. It only took a seven hours of boating, six hours of airport and air-travel and several more hours in a car to get there.

But it wasn’t an unexpected. Like the parents of any child playing a club/travel sport, Westin and Amber Bass know the commitment required to keep the kid in the game, so to speak. Summer tournaments happen on weekends and weekends. They often encroach a family vacations, where the deepest bonds are formed, beautiful memories are made and—most important—siblings learn how to torment each other without getting caught by their parents.

Second from the left, the Bass family’s deep-blue 39-footer was picture-perfect with the other Nor-Tech center consoles on hand.

No way the Bass clan was giving that up, much less sacrificing a Bahamas adventure for a baseball tournament. Both Weston and Amber Bass are life-long boaters. They know the magic that comes with being on the water. Longtime Florida Powerboat Club members and event participants, they ran their 39-foot Cigarette Top Gun in the club’s Bahamas event six years ago. They knew how unforgettable it would be for their kids.

So they did what it took to do both.

The family got friendly with the locals of Pig Island.

“It was a little like that movie ‘Trains, Planes And Automobiles,’” Weston Bass said, then laughed and sighed. “It was a long day, but it was worth it.”

Two of the younger children on the trip, Gentry and Wes, Jr., were embraced by some of the older adult-children.

“That was one of the things I enjoyed seeing most,” said Amber Bass. “It was a great family environment.”

For both parents, taking the trip was as much about bringing kids into the boating life itself as it was about them experiencing the Bahamas. Spectacular as it is, the destination meant less than the journey.

“We want our kids to grow up in a boating environment,’ Weston Bass explained. “Boaters are very active people. They love the outdoors. They’re not lazy.”

Nor-Tech has a Bahamas Run of its own August 5-13. The event will be led by Florida Powerboat Club head Stu Jones. At present, the Bass family has a schedule conflict for those dates.

“That’s why we did this one,” Weston explained. “But if those plans don’t work out, we’ll definitely do the Nor-Tech Bahamas run.”