Eddie Gill: Spreading A Love Of Boating

Since he began boating and fishing with family members at age 5, Eddie Gill IV didn't think much about his love of boating or see it as unique. "When I was first introduced, it was a lot of trout fishing when we were in Utah," Gill says about first learning to fish with his grandfather. "We'd be on banks, dams, or boats. It was a little bit of everything. My great aunt had a boat, and my grandmother's brother also had a boat and they're in Utah, so we'd fish and be on their boats. It was a really good experience for me."

When Gill was 4, his family relocated to Carmel, Indiana, but he was hooked and wanted to be outside in nature every chance he got. His love of fishing led him to a love of boating. He bought a 16-foot Bass Tracker with his grandfather.

"I try to get out on the water whenever I can," Gill says. Sometime in high school, though, he started to realize that as a Black person talking about boating, he'd get "strange comments or looks. It just hit me one day," he says. "Whenever you turn on the TV, you never see Black men on the boat commercial or a Black man on fishing commercials." He never felt looked at differently by the fishing community; it was more from the outside looking in that some people seemed surprised that he was a boater.

Gill, now 20, decided he wanted to do something to promote diversity in boating and fishing and created Journey for a Cause, and successfully secured sponsorship. He invited childhood friend Justin Shupe along, and the two left on June 1 on a Parker 2520 XLD for a 10-day journey beginning on the Ohio river, continuing to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, then to the Gulf of Mexico, and ending in Navarre, Florida, in order to "challenge and to promote the idea that the color of your skin has no bearing on what you love to do."

The friends traveled 900 miles, transited 15 locks, visited nine marinas, hosted five speaking events where they talked about the joy of getting on the water, how to fish, and, most importantly, how being on the water is for everyone. They did that through hosting fishing clinics for more than 80 children at several stops along the way. Fishing rods were donated at the events for kids to take home.

"Throughout our trip we centered our message around three main points: the welcoming environment in the marine community, the mental health benefits of the outdoors, and the need for accessibility in many deserving communities. In each community we visited, we heard boaters share their stories about how they got into boating and how they invite others to the water."

The loaner boat came via a friendship Gill developed with the president of his university, Grace College in Indiana, who had a relationship with the president of Parker Boats.

"We're inspired by Eddie's passion and desire to encourage others to experience fishing and boating," says Scott Bauer. "Parker Boats is proud to be his ride of choice for this honorable cause as he embarks on a Journey for a Cause."

Gill began fundraising months before the trip for some help with expenses but also with the goal of donating to nonprofits that promote diversity in the outdoors. A portion of the proceeds helped pay the expenses of the journey. The remainder was donated to nonprofits working to promote equality and justice for all.