I began to tinker with boats and outboard motors since the age of 12. I was raised in Southbury, Connecticut, in a household that was very familiar to boating. My family and I would spend summer vacations up in Maine with my grandparents. My grandfather, who owned a few outboards and boats at the time, helped introduce me to the lifestyle. I started watching and learning from him about repairing outboards and the mechanics behind them. My experience with my grandfather eventually segued into a full-time hobby. I began buying some older, broken outboards where I would spend time dismantling them and putting them back together until they ran smoothly. As I got older, I came to know a man, Don Randall, who owned the marina on Lake Lillinonah in Bridgewater. I can recall when my family and I would finish up boating on the lake, I would always rather be dropped off at the marina and work on boats and help around the shop than to continue waterskiing. By the time I was 14, Don had already begun teaching me the ins and outs of working on boats and outboards. It was there that I discovered my interest in vintage and antique outboards such as Mercury, Johnson and Evinrude. As I got older, once I started driving I was able to commute there worked there until he retired. The skills and knowledge I learned there eventually led me toward another job, where I worked next to someone who became very important in my life not only as a friend but also a mentor, who taught me the hands-on experience of working on motors and boats. Eventually, my interest in boating I went onto Johnson service school and there I came to the realization that my previous hands-on experience from before proved to be of much more value than what Johnson was able to teach me. It was in 1995 that I opened my own business, West Cove Marina, on Lake Lillnonah. In addition to my life-long passion and devotion for boats and outboard motors, I am also a professional concert pianist and have been playing since I was before I can remember.