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Rusty, originally from Pennsylvania and now retired Navy, owns his own contracting business named Klock’s Handyman. Rocio, originally from Mexico, owns her own Spanish to English interpreting business specializing in the medical field and occasionally the legal field. They have been married for five years and have four children. The eldest, Brandon, joined the Navy and is currently teaching the Nuke school in South Carolina. Cynthia is 21 and Is currently attending VCU on her way to becoming a Physical Therapist. Kaicee is 18 and attending JMU on her way to becoming a nurse. Jennifer is 17 and is attending Landstown High school on her way to becoming a lawyer. Copper, our little doggie, likes to come boating with us sometimes.

1. How did you come to have an interest in boating and how long have you been boating?

   We have been boating since early last year! A couple of friends of ours invited us to go boating with them the previous year and we just LOVED IT!! Sharing the experience with them made us imagine how much fun it would be to have our own boat and share it with family and friends! We did a lot of research and found the perfect boat for sale right here at Marina Shores Marina!!

2. If you have a name for your boat, what was your inspiration for your boats name?

   We wanted to name our boat “_ell Yea” but didn’t want to offend anybody. But if you ask the question, “Do you want to go boating on a hot summer day?” the most obvious immediate reply would be, “_ell Yea!!” Nonetheless, we are now toying with “R&R” based on the initials of our first names, Rusty and Rocio. Also, to the passerby, R&R can mean a lot of things and they are left to think whatever they’d like. Hmmmmmm? What does R&R stand for??? Could it be Rest and Relaxation?

3. What has been your most memorable boating experience? This can be either a good or a bad experience.

   We actually have two that we would like to share. One is when we anchored out and tied our boat off with another boat. It was a lot of fun hopping from one boat to the other and sharing food and drinks!! Another was when Taylor put on the BOO TI FUL boat competition. Rocio just loves Halloween and we ended up bringing a fog machine and decorating our boat from bow to stern with skeletons, ghosts and big chains. See picture. We won second place and hope the weather will cooperate to have another one this year.

4. If you could have the perfect day out on the water, what would that day be like?

   It seems everyday that we head out on the water is a perfect day in its own way.  A warm sunny day with low wind and calm seas is ideal but we manage to enjoy it even if we get caught in the rain. Rocio loves her music, so we are usually playing something she picked up from a four-year stay in Italy. Playing European songs and dancing while entertaining family and friends is a great way to enjoy the picturesque waterways of Virginia beach.

5. What would be your ‘dream’ boat?

   We absolutely love our Sea Ray.  We were shopping for a smaller boat but Sea D.A. Yachts suggested to us that we might need a slightly larger one. Luckily he had one for us to look at and he was right. The boat turned out to be just the right size for us. Eventually, we may want to get one that can make the trip to the Florida Keys or Saint Thomas or even across the Atlantic to Europe. But for now we are content sailing around the inner coastal water ways and in our very own Chesapeake Bay.
6. Do you have a favorite destination or restaurant that you enjoy visiting by boat?

   Yes!! We love to pull into Chick’s and have our favorite Ahi tuna, shrimp and a cold beer while enjoying the rest of the boats pass by. We also love to stop by First Landing State Park for a little rest and cool off in the water.

7. Which boating chore do you enjoy the most, and which the least?

   We truly enjoy seeing the boat pulled out from the dry storage all clean and shiny with the anticipation of slipping in our ipod and sailing away. So the cleaning the boat chore is our favorite because we know that it will be ready for the next cruise!!  Our least favorite chore is to clean out the CHT at the end of the cruise. We have to thank Sue for her good advice. She suggested that we just try to avoid using it and that way we can avoid the hassle. Great advice Sue; Thanks!!

8. If you were to depart some words of wisdom to a newcomer in the boating world, what would that advice be?

   Although boating is amazing fun and can provide hours of “R&R” (see what I did there) it can be dangerous. Once, both my batteries died and we were dead in the water. I had my suspicions about those batteries and luckily carried 12 foot jumper cables with me. Since most boaters recognize a boat in distress I had help fairly quickly. However, my lesson was to try and to be prepared. Compared to the cost of your boat drifting out to sea, buying two new batteries didn’t seem to be as costly as I first thought. Needless, to say anything you can do to put the odds in your favor out there on the water is good advise. Being able to return home safely is a big reward and worth a little extra effort.

9. What celebrity do you think you look or act like?

   Rusty resembles Russell Crow once in a while and Rocio’s Spanish accent and long black hair might remind you of Penelope Cruz.  Who do we act like??? Hummm? Well we defiantly act like ourselves. We work hard when it’s time to work and we would love to hook up to a party like the one in Pitbull’s video “Don’t stop the party” have you seen it???? LOOKS like a lot of FUN FUN FUN!!

10. What do you enjoy most about being a member here at Marina Shores?
    We really enjoy the friendly staff !!
    Everyone is friendly, helpful and easy to get along with. Sue just a fantastic person who goes out of her way to accommodate what ever we need. Taylor is so friendly and always greats us with her beautiful smile. I’ll never forget that zipper on her face at Halloween.  Rusty makes sure things are running smoothly. The forklift guys are well trained and are always ready to retrieve our boat as soon as they can.  We look forward to our daughter Jennifer’s Landstown High school Ring Dance that will be held there this year and to all of the other social events!