SHORELINES

27 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2015 Vol :2 Both Hannah and Tyler Royal love to slice through the silence and shimmering water on their home lake. "We call it 'buttery' water," says Jeff Royal, who's most often towing his two wakeboarders on Alabama Power's Lake Jordan near Wetumpka. "It's a really good place for this sport because you can find it smooth about any time. We spend a lot of time in long straight narrow places where there's not much traffic. Wakeboarding requires a long straight path." Tyler continues the thought. "This is where it all started for us. My grandparents had a house here and we'd come on weekends. I know every part of the lake inside out so it's nice to know exactly if the wind is blowing one way, I go to a certain place or if I want to hang out, I know where my friends will be." Hannah, too, praises Lake Jordan waters. "This is such a great place with great people," she says. "My friends have come to the lake. They watch my brother and say, 'OMG, he's amazing.' So far I've gotten one of them up on a wakeboard." The dad gets the last word. "We moved from Montgomery to Lake Jordan eight years ago so my kids could practice during the week and all weekend," he says. "But it's more than that. You're always in the boat together with your kids and we're never more than 21 feet away from one another. It's a family thing on a good lake." — CAROL ANNE ROBERTS Above: Photo by Billy Brown — Wakeboarding is a family activity for the Royals, having moved to Lake Jordan from Montgomery to be on the lake. A FAMILY THING ON A GOOD LAKE

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