I’m back, back in the water again. Boat went in the water on April 9th – since then it has snowed twice, and been blowing hard enough to need extra dock lines to keep the boat and pilings from merging into one object. So, it begins. I don’t have much work to do aside from basic cleanup, but this…
Misadventures on the water always have the potential to turn in to real trouble, even deadly situations, at the drop of a hat. Although we did not get ourselves in to a situation that could have resulted in damage to the vessel or bodily harm one simple decision could have quickly changed the outcome. After running a boat in poor…
The boat was in poor condition overall but since the marina it was in was just as bad we decided to try to get it over to Michigan City or somewhere a little farther down the lakeshore. After checking the boat over a bit more I decided it would be safe to make the short trip. It was a clear,…
I went over to Calumet City to pick up a 32 foot Carver and bring it back over to the Saugatuck area on Friday. The customer had represented the boat as in “great condition” but when we got there to pick it up we found a disaster. The boat was kept at a dump of a marina where no…
Imagine trying to herd a snake across a busy street. Got a good picture of that in your head? That’s your first glimpse at driving a boat. Boats don’t really handle well. They are just as quick to react to the environment as they are to your commands, and when you ask them to go a different direction than…
I recently spent several days teaching handling and safety to a new boater. I’ve been teaching for somewhere around 25 years now, and truly enjoy it. I love to see the confidence and abilities grow in new boat owners as they start to get a feel for how the boat reacts to their control and heading changes, whether out…