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The thought of a pair of kids in their
early teenage years on their own
behind the helm of a 34-foot boat
outfitted with twin 250-horsepower Yamaha
engines sounds like a nightmare for most parents,
but it is just another summer day for the
Bailey brothers.
Cameron, 14, and William (right), 12,
fish often with their father, who is an
extremely avid bluewater fisherman. The
boys became accustomed to boating as
youngsters, cruising around on a 13-foot
Boston Whaler. Cameron’s first solo trip was
at the age of five when he took the Whaler
to Seapath to buy a MoonPie, however, this
Cameron &
William Bailey
didn’t go over very well with his parents.
Today, however, they are comfortable letting the boys
head out on their own.
“The instructor of the boater’s safety course doesn’t
want us to rely on electronics. You learn how to use other
things like your compass,” William says.
The family now has a 17-foot Whaler that the boys
take out for adventures or to go tubing. When they are in
the mood to fish, they will often take the 34-foot Venture.
On this boat, they have been out as far as 70 miles with
their parents and have managed to catch several sailfish.
“That kid (Cameron) can run a 65-foot boat as well
as that one (the Venture). I’ll leave him up on the
bridge while I go down into the engine room. I trust
him completely,” says David Floyd.
The boys fish tournaments often, such as the Captain
Eddy Haneman Sailfish Tournament out of Wrightsville
Beach, and the Tred Barta Boys and Girls Club Billfish
Tournament out of Beaufort. William recalls one year,
while fishing the Barta tournament, the boys caught three
sails and one white marlin. “We placed second that year,”
he says.
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WBM july 2011
Below: William Bailey pulls the anchor, while
his brother Cameron mans the helm.