HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

My wife, Jamie, and I have been blessed with four amazing girls and a fifth one named “Not me.” “Not me” is the invisible sister who never gets anything right. For example, when I ask who left all the dirty dishes in the sink, our girls would respond, “Not me.” We would hear the same response when I questioned who didn’t take the trash out or do the dishes. “Not me,” they would reply. So, I guess you could say we had five daughters, not four. to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (SPYC) for dinner. During that dinner, I mentioned the SPYC had an amazing motorcycle club that I ride with and the many trips they have taken include destinations around the world. (In future issues, you will read about those trips.) On that same evening, I mentioned one of the boats I own and how I became the owner of it through what I would call divine intervention. You see, when my dad was on his death bed and the doctor said it’s only a matter of time, we decided to pray together. We decided to pray to accept Jesus Christ as our savior. When we finished, I asked my dad if he could send me a sign when he got to Heaven. My dad agreed and later that night he passed away. Fast forward, about a week later, I was traveling to an air force base on an insurance call. When I got to the appointment, there was no one was home. Next door at the neighbor’s house, I noticed there was a boat for sale with a cover on it. I knocked on the neighbor’s door and they answered. The wife said her husband was a pilot and they would be moving across the country soon. They unfortunately could not take the boat with them. When the pilot’s wife uncovered the boat, I noticed it was a Lightning Sailboat. my dad, I named the boat “The Galloping Duck” which also has a special meaning. You see, when we watched any race, like cars, motorcycles, or boats, my dad would say that they “go like a Galloping Duck.”

Rewind, my father passed away in 2006. He bought be my first motorbike from K-mart when I was 7 years old for $50.00. Ever since that day, I’ve been hooked on motorcycles. Here is a photo of my dad at age 83 on my 1997 Harley Bad Boy Springer.

Lightning sailboats are raced around the world and hosted by various Yacht clubs, including SPYC. They are very fast, and despite being only 19ft long, they are raced with a captain and two mates since they need to be handled with caution when raced. The Lightning Sailboat was a 1967 model, and the year I discover it was 2006. I had always wanted a Lightning Sailboat ever since my dad and I watched them race on the Great Lakes when I was young. I proceeded to ask how much they wanted for the sailboat, and they made me a wonderful offer. So I bought it that day.

When I got home with the boat, I started researching its history using the hull number. And then it dawned on me, THIS WAS THE SIGN - MY DAD MADE IT TO HEAVEN!

This Father’s Day, in honor of my Dad, I’ll be sailing the “Galloping Duck” reminiscing about him and all of the wonderful things he taught me.

WATCH YOUR EMAIL through the generously of the publisher of Born to Ride many of you may receive an invitation to the money school webinars at no cost to educate you in order to make your retirement dreams a reality.

As you know bikers a very charitable people giving back to the community in many meaningful ways. I’m of course a fellow biker as well.

And that is why with the help of many generous people, we are offering The Mission ONE Million book absolutely free to Born to Ride readers.

I and other financial experts have watched too many people’s lives crash because they were not financially prepared. Go to my website now www.healthinsurance65.com or call 833-467-2865 and get your mission one million book now.The book is for anyone wanting to get out of debt, build wealth, and create financial independence.

My dad taught me many things and how to sail was one of them. To this day, I am an avid sailor and have sailed as far away as Jamaica.

On one recent occasion, I took Ron and Debbie Galletti of “Born to Ride” magazine

This was exact same boat we both watched race in 1967 at all the races we went to. It was the fastest boat in 1967, owned by a famous sailor and future America’s Cup winner. I eventually restored the Lightning Sailboat and kept it all original. In honor of

The book retails for $24.95 but I bought your copy for you. That’s right, the book is FREE to Born to Ride readers.A Biker helping bikers that’s what it’s all about!

-James Irwin

Shawn Ives and his two sons, 26-year-old Kile and 29-year-old Cody, are keeping two-wheeled history alive with their Ives Brothers Wall of Death. Creating a bond of generations, a father figure is so important in developing a family business and this particular family has a trust and belief in each other that will last them all their lives.

This amazing story began many years ago when Shawn was a stunt rider in the Globe of Death, a spherical cage in which riders loop-the-loop and perform all kinds of mind-blowing stunts. The two boys joined their dad in the globe and then moved on to the Wall of Death about six years ago.

The Ives family travel together eight months out of the year, crossing the country, setting up the Wall, performing, tearing down and moving on to the next show. Dad serves as the announcer for the show and the brothers ride the Wall. Part of their show consists of both brothers on the Wall at the same time. This requires the utmost in precision timing and focus. It is so dangerous that many Wall of Death shows do not even attempt duel riders.

Visiting the Ives Brothers Wall of Death at the Eustis Spring Bike Rally & Music Festival, I felt a bit like Kurt Vonnegut’s character, Billy Pilgrim in the novel Slaughterhouse-Five. Like Billy, I felt unstuck in time (Billy, uncontrollably, moved back and forth from his past as a soldier in WWII to the present). Yes, I was at the Eustis Spring Festival, April, 2021, but attending the Ives Brothers’ motorcycle thrill show, I could have been at a county fair in 1921. Vintage motorcycles, a huge hand-built wooden barrel, and daredevil riders defying gravity with tricks and stunts on the wall! It’s a great experience, and these death-defying walls of Death have been around for over 100 years.

The Wall of Death has its origin in the board track motorcycle races of the early 1900’s. A type of racing that was so dangerous and deadly for both participants and spectators that it was eventually outlawed. The sport evolved into the Wall of Death thrill shows that were extremely popular at fairs, circuses and festivals. The Wall is a cylinder constructed of wooden slats some 25 feet high and 30 feet in diameter. Spectators view the show, looking down from the top. Once upon a time, more than 100 Walls of Death arenas performed across the county, but now the Ives Brothers are one of only four remaining. There is little difference in the shows of today and those back in the early years.

There is nothing quite like the Wall of Death Show… you have to experience it. It will scare you, thrill you, excite you and amaze you. As the bikes roar around in the barrel, the structure itself vibrates as if it is about to explode. You’ll expect the riders to lose control and crash over the top into the spectators.

I’ve seen a number of Wall of Death shows going back to my first one at the Duval County Fair in Jacksonville, Florida in 1946. The Ives Brothers Show is as good as it gets. The legacy and tradition is alive and in good hands with these father and sons daredevil performers. This is far more than just a carnival act. And the brothers are not just stunt riders, they are skilled motorcyclists and racers. Like I said, you have to see it to believe it.

Born To Ride is proud to celebrate Father’s Day with this inspiring story of a dad and his boys, keeping an important part of motorcycle history alive and kickin’!

Learn more about the Ives Brothers at their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ivesbrothers