Mailboat tryouts on Geneva Lake

 

It’s a beloved ritual of summer, mail delivery by boat on Geneva Lake, but the first step is to make sure those with letters in hand can take the leap.

High school and college students competed for six spots as mail jumpers aboard this boat, the Walworth Two.

It sounds easier than it looks and plenty of jumpers got wet at Wednesday’s tryouts.

Jumpers are selected for their athletic performance, enthusiasm, and delivery of narrated tour information, which is a big part of the job.

It's a pretty prestigious job for these local kids, "It's a great summer job. I love working on the water. It's fun to come back to,” said fourth year mail jumper Thomas Peck.

Bill Schenk knows he was the very first Mailboat jumper on the Walworth 2 50 years ago, "You get to see the homes up close, get to see some celebrities.”

He says these kids have it a little easier than he did back in the day.

Mailboat tours start Thursday and last through September 15.