>>It is a way of life around here. Hard to understand for some people (including me at times), but it’s just the way it is, and has always been.
I grew up in the 70s in inland Florida (Gainesville), but my wife is from St Augustine and she never heard of 14 year olds going on a joyride to the Bahamas.
Well, I think they were going fishing, not “joy riding”...also Jupiter is a lot closer to the Bahamas and Bimini than St. Augustine is.
It abt 60 mile run to the Bahamas, IIRC. Guys I know did it w/ 25 footers with two or three making the run together and they got beat up pretty good when it wasn’t pure glass. I’m not sure these two were making the run as much as got caught out too far in bad weather.
It is only speculation that they were going to the Bahamas.
I’ve heard of 14 year-olds going for joyrides everywhere I’ve ever lived—and that almost covers the country. The fact that they were in a boat is the only major difference. Teenage males think they are invincible, and no law is going to change that.
You can either try to teach them how to operate things safely, or you can be sure they die when they take something out without permission or knowledge. I had my first gun when I was six and was driving on the farm at 12. Lived in the desert, so we didn’t boat, but I guarantee that I would have been in one at 14 if there were any water around. We drove and rode everything we could get running, and most folks would be amazed how much dangerous machinery we were able to scab together.