Before there was 1st Klass Enterprise… there was a 1st Klass Mother.
I named my first boat “MY ACE” in honor of my beautiful mother, Annie Christine Edwards.
My mother raised three boys as a single parent in the projects of Minneapolis. She worked in a nursing home for 35 years in housekeeping — mopping floors, folding diapers, washing laundry, doing whatever it took to provide for her family. Day after day. Year after year. No excuses. No complaints. Just sacrifice.
As a young boy, I didn’t fully understand the weight she carried. It wasn’t until high school that I began to see the depth of her commitment — the long hours, the tired hands, the quiet prayers. That’s when I made her a promise:
Her hard work would mean something.
I pursued my dream of becoming a professional airline pilot — and eventually a Captain — with her sacrifice fueling every step. Every takeoff carried her prayers. Every landing honored her labor. Every achievement was a fulfillment of that promise.
In December 2021, my mother passed away from lung cancer. But her legacy did not.
Her initials were A.C.E.
And she was — and will always be — My ACE.
Naming my first boat MY ACE is more than branding. It’s remembrance. It’s gratitude. It’s purpose. It’s proof that a mother’s sacrifice can launch generations into greatness.
And the name 1st Klass?
That comes from being raised by a 1st Klass Mother.
Every time MY ACE touches the water, it carries her story — from the projects of Minneapolis to the skies as a Captain, and now to the waters of Tampa Bay.
Her work meant something.
Her sacrifice built something.
Her legacy lives on — in every journey.
