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NAME: Corbin Minor

AGE: 27

RESIDENCE: Born and raised in Bath. Currently lives in Bath and Wilmington

Corbin Minor grew up in Bath, which is where he quickly fell in love with the water. Through middle school and high school, if he wasn’t in the classroom, you could find him on the water four to five days a week. He was always hanging out with friends who shared his same passion for the water. While attending college at UNC Wilmington, he continued his passion for wakeboarding, and other water sports on the side, and returned to Bath and opened his own business, Wake2Wake Watersports in 2018. He and his wife Carro also run the Bath Harbor Marina and Motel, which his parents purchased over twenty years ago. 

When was the last time you overcame one of your fears and how did you do it?

The first thing that comes to mind would be wakeboarding, when you are trying to land a new aerial trick while being towed by a boat while standing on a wakeboard. It isn’t an easy sport to begin with. And on my level, you are always trying to master the next trick. And what comes with that is some pretty hard falls and the potential of hurting yourself. You may not land it the first time, but when you finally do, there is the reward factor of achieving something that you had previously failed at. You learn to overcome the fear by knowing the feeling of what a good result can be.

Where would you take someone who is visiting Washington for the first time?

This obviously will seem biased, but presuming they need a place to stay, I would make sure they booked a room at the Bath Harbor Marina and Motel. From there I would definitely take them to downtown Washington and show them the new shops, get some lunch or dinner, and take them to the brewery for some beers. And I would show them the waterfront, which I’ve already done with several other friends. It always proves to be a good time.

What are some of the unique challenges your generation faces versus other generations?

I think as a young person just getting started out, the interest rates are pretty insane right now and make for some very difficult decisions. The dollar definitely doesn’t go as far as it used to, which obviously impacts housing. It makes it very difficult to navigate your way particularly for first time homebuyers. It definitely is not easy right now.

How would you encourage younger people to get more involved in the town or county leadership?

The one thing I believe would help, is to promote and urge young professionals to become more involved. One way would be through the Washington Young Professionals group, of which I am a part of. As a group, we are trying to connect the younger demographic across the board and get them more involved with Beaufort County so there are younger voices at the table. The young professionals host a monthly meeting, which affords them to get together and share their opinions. If they happen to need help it can also serve as a means of assistance and support. I’ve met some really good friends as a result of being a part of this group.

Who influenced you the most when you’re first getting started”

It would definitely be my dad. He was super into boating, primarily sailing. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have the interest in boating and water sports that I do today. He started taking me out for the very first time, when I was just one or two. He would take us sailing or power boating all of the time which included trips to Ocracoke or trips just up the river to Washington, NC. We would go all over the place. And, I definitely have to say my friend Kara Austin in Wilmington. She is the one who pretty much mentored me to get into boating more and pushed me to take that next step in my career. I worked with her a lot when I was in school at UNC Wilmington.

If you had a boat what would you name it?

To be honest, I have seen so many good boat names, but if I were to name a boat it would be Telltales. For those with no knowledge of boating, it would conjure up thoughts of telling stories or tales. But for those familiar with sailing, they know telltales are the two little strings on the mainsail. Depending on the direction their are pointing, they determine if you have the right wind direction and if the sail is in the correct position to optimize the wind efficiency.