The Traveling Wheelchair

One Bridge Road
Westport, MA 02790
Office (508) 636-3784
Cell (774) 201-1028
http://littlefoxsportfishing.com/
 
Little Fox Sport Fishing Charters is located in the back of  The Back Eddy Restaurant on the Westport River. When we were recently at The Back Eddy we saw how accessible the boat ramp and pier looked so we decided to inquire if the charter boat is wheelchair accessible.
 
My mom emailed Tim, the owner of Little Fox Sport Fishing Charters to ask if the boat was wheelchair accessible for I really wanted to go on a fishing trip. Tim told her that he has a  32 ft. Sportfisherman that has a very large deck area so it would not be a problem to fit a wheelchair on the boat and he would do all he can to make it accessible. He told her that he had never taken a person in a wheelchair on a fishing trip but would be willing to make it happen for he would hate to think that someone could not enjoy a fishing trip just because they are in a wheelchair.
 
I think Tim is wonderful, kind and sensitive because he understands that persons in wheelchairs should not be excluded from recreational fishing on a boat just because they are in a wheelchair. My mom booked the fishing trip for today and my dad, my aunt and friends took me.
 
I’ve never heard of a fishing charter boat that is fully wheelchair accessible and I don’t think one exists but Tim at Little Fox Sport Fishing Charters did everything he could to make it wheelchair accessible for me today.
 
There are two entrances to the Little Fox Sport Fishing Charters, one on the side and one thru The Back Eddy restaurant. The wheelchair accessible entry to the pier is thru the restaurant for there are four steps at the side entry. If you’re in a wheelchair and interested in taking this fishing charter just call or email Tim and make the special arrangements. His contact information is on the link above.
 
Our fishing charter boat was scheduled to leave at 9 AM this morning but when we arrived we found that the weather wasn’t co operating for it was raining hard. Tim told us that he would check the radar and call us on my dad’s cell as soon as the weather cleared. We got a call from Tim and the radar showed the weather had cleared so we planned on leaving at 11 AM. My dad, Tony and Josh helped me get my wheelchair down the ramp. The slope of the ramp depends on the tide. I didn’t find it too steep and Josh and Tony thought it best to wheel my wheelchair down this ramp backwards.
 
The ramp leads to the pier where the boat is docked and Tim helped them lift my wheelchair onto the fishing boat. IT WAS A GREAT FEELING to be on this fishing boat. The deck of the boat had plenty of room for my wheelchair.
 
We headed out to fish.  Boats don’t have wheelchair tie downs like vans do so there was always a person on each side of me holding onto my wheelchair. Tim supplied all the fishing poles and the bait. We used Squid, Clams and Crabs for bait. The sun started shining thru the clouds so we all thought the weather was going to be good.
 
In the first area that we fished my dad and Tony caught a flounder but had to throw it back for they were only about 14 inches.  I found that the sea was a little rough in this area and made me feel seasick so we headed out to another area where the sea was a little calmer.
 
We saw islands around us as we traveled and even saw an Osprey Nest up high on a pole. The Osprey is related to Eagles and they love to nest on high poles and they eat fish so the ocean is a great place for them to nest.
 
Another area we headed to my dad caught the biggest fish of all. It was a Sea Bass and big enough to keep and good for eating so we put it in our cooler of ice to bring home.
 
The funniest part of the day was when Aunt Nancy thought she caught a big fish. Tim went to help her reel it in but discovered her line was just caught on the bottom of the sea. She told me tonight that she still thinks she had a big Striper on her line…maybe a 50 pounder but it must have gotten away and then her line must have gotten stuck. Stripers are known to hide under rocks so maybe she did get one but it went into the rocks and got her line stuck?
 
We tried a few more fishing areas far out at sea. Tony and Josh both caught scups that were big enough for us to bring home. We were near Martha’s Vineyard and then the RAIN, THUNDER and LIGHTENING came.
 
Tim’s boat had a cabin on it and my wheelchair barely fit under the top of the cabin so Tim put another cover on top so I would be protected from the rain. The whole time during the storm the Harbor Master kept calling to update Tim on the storms.
 
At one point Tim drove the boat into a cove to escape the rough seas. While waiting out the storm at the cove I think that Tim thought we all might be nervous so he told us about the history of the islands surrounding us. He told us about the Elizabethan Islands and how they were never touched by man and people refer to them as the Virgin Islands.
 
He also told us about the other islands and they had tons of deer, but somehow coyotes came to these islands and people think that they actually swam there and increased their population and were killing off the deer. Many felt that the deer population decreased because the deer would escape by going into the ocean and drown.
 
While we were still in the cove the Harbor Master called again to update Tim on the storm. He told Tim that we should head back out and towards home for another stronger storm was coming from the other direction. We all felt like we were caught in ‘THE PERECT STORM’.
 
The ocean was rough and the lightening was bright and the thunder was loud but Tim made it safely back to shore. He had blankets that we used to stay warm. Tim told us that we were all troopers for none of us complained. He also told us he hadn’t seen a storm at sea this bad in five years!!
 
When we got back to the pier around 4 PM and my dad and Tim anchored the boat. It was a nice feeling for all of us to be back home and out of the storm. The Harbor Master was there to greet us and he helped my dad, Tim and my friends get my wheelchair off the boat. The Harbor Master was very nice.
 
Today was a real ADVENTURE for me. I was a little scared during the storm but so glad Tim gave me the opportunity to experience fishing at sea and the whole experience today. Weather is something no one can control and especially in New England we always find surprises. I do wish it had been a calmer and sunny day but had fun anyway.
 
Once we got back home and showered and were all nice and warm, My mom had dinner waiting for us and Tony cleaned the fish. We all laughed for we only had 4 small fish. We plan on cooking them for our dinner tomorrow. Tonight as we heard the thunder and lightening outside we all spoke of the GREAT ADVENTURE we had today!

 I’m so glad that my family and friends allow me to live an adventurous life and not let my disability or my wheelchair leave me behind. I’m also glad that there are people like Tim who are willing to go out of their way to make things wheelchair accessible.
 
I give Little Fox Sport Fishing Charters, Tim and the Harbor Master FIVE STARS for making the Little Fox Sport Fishing boat as wheelchair accessible as it can possibly be for me today. THANKS TIM!!