The folks at Veterans Fishing Adventure in Alexandria, VA could not have foreseen the special relationship that would germinate out of receiving a vessel made by New Hampshire’s Eastern Boats through a donation. “They called us for parts,” said Greg Hopkins, president of Eastern Boats, “which of course, we were happy to donate. Then they invited us down to go fishing, we had a great time and got to see what great and important work they were doing. After the trip we felt that the boat wasn’t really outfitted properly for the type of fishing they were doing and we wanted to help.”
The crew from Eastern Boats hatched a plan to retrofit the vessel tailoring it to fit their needs and the staff at Veterans Fishing Adventures were more than thrilled to hand the boat back to its maker for a special facelift. And last October, Eastern Boats took temporary possession of the 24-foot 248 Tournament and trailered it back to the Granite State to get to work.
“One of the first things we wanted to address was making it handicap accessible,” Hopkins told us over the phone, “we cut a door right in the transom, making it easier for anyone to board the boat.” From there, the team at Eastern Boats, stripped out and rebuilt the boat from the hull up. “It’s pretty much a brand new boat,” beamed Greg. The overhaul was capped off with a custom American flag paintjob, all new Garmin electronics and a brand new Suzuki 158. “We were all very proud of the work and it felt like a true team effort, Hopkins said.
Next was a pair of unveiling events, the first one would mark the first time anyone other than the Eastern Boats team would see their completed work. “We had a parade right down the main road here in Milton (NH), complete with a police escort,” Greg told us. He went on to say that hundreds of people in town stopped and took the time to come out in support of their efforts and as a show of gratitude for all of the veterans that have fought on behalf of our freedom. “It was an emotional event for all of us,” Hopkins said.
Then it was off to Virginia to hand the keys back to the Veteran’s Fishing Adventure crew. They were humbled by the reception there and some special gifts offered for their hard work and generosity. “They gave us three American flags that were flown at the 9/11 sites, that really meant a lot. Then we were really humble when they presented us with the Robert “Bob” Earl Roush Sr. Service Award.” This award carried special meaning for Greg because he had gotten to know Bob Roush before he passed away in January of this year, at the age of 95. “All I can say,” said an emotional Greg Hopkins, “is that it was a life changing event that really made us proud to play a part in the work Veteran’s Fishing Adventure is doing.”
Eastern Boats has now taken on a new mission, they’ve set their sights on building a fleet of boats for Veteran’s Fishing Adventure. If you would like to support this cause, please make a donation through www.veteransfishingadventure.org. If you’d like to know more about the New England-based boat builder Eastern Boats, please visit www.easternboats.com.
