The Ships Logg

Admit it. If you are a boater, you are a different breed. You march to the tune of a different drum. Most likely, you are more comfortable in shorts and flip flops than you are in slacks and shoes. You plan to spend your weekends on the water rather than working in the yard. You walk through life with a different view of things and it's most likely because there are some things that you understand that most people do not. Here is a list of some of those things: Winter Sucks Okay, maybe I listed this one first because it is currently January. Unless you live in a tropical location, you are probably hating life right now because it is cold outside. Cold weather and recreational boating typically do not mix. That’s why winter sucks. A Bad Day Boating is Still Better Than any Day at the Office Have you ever run aground while boating? Maybe you had engine trouble and had to be towed back to your dock. It’s happened to me. The fact is at the end of the...

Twas the night before Christmas, I swung on the hook.  Passed out on the settee, asleep with my book. When up on the deck I heard footsteps and stuff:  I’ve been boarded! I thought, and I tried to be tough.  Then down the companionway hatch came a dude.  He was dressed like a nut and I thought “I am screwed”! But he laughed and he hummed and he surveyed my junk.  So I figured he must be the resident drunk. His eyes were lit up like a junkie on speed.  But he gave me a whole bunch of stuff that I need.  Like rum and cigars, new charts and a dinghy,  And some kind of fancy electrical thingy. I thought it was stolen but I wasn’t telling.  I hoped he was giving and wasn’t just selling. I poured him a grog which he downed with a wink.  Then I poured one for me (I sure needed a drink). Then he staggered above to the dark tropic night.  As I peaked I beheld an incredible sight. Eight tiny d...

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Written by guest writer Brian Kearin You’re a hundred miles offshore and your boat is rapidly taking on water. You reach for your boat’s VHF and broadcast a desperate mayday call with your position. As you don your lifejacket and crawl into your boat’s life raft you think of that last mayday call you made, did anyone hear it? Did your radio have the range to reach the Coast Guard station on shore? Are there any other boats around who may have heard it? It’s a scenario we all hope to never find ourselves in. However far too many boaters are almost entirely reliant on their boat’s VHF radio or worse - their cell phone - for emergency communications. While your boat’s radio is a vital piece of equipment, both for regular use and in emergencies, it has its limitations. In the scenario above, range is limited and dependent on there being someone in range who happens to be monitoring the channel you’re broadcasting on. Additionally, each broadcast is done manually meaning you hav...

Well, here we are again.   It’s the middle of summer and hurricane season is ramping up.   This is the time of year when we start to wonder what this year’s storm season will bring.   If you have a boat within a couple hundred miles of the coast, it’s always in the back of your mind.   The high winds and large waves that come along with these storms can damage your boat.  If your boat is on the coast, the storm surge can capsize it or smash it into docks, other boats or the shore.   So what should you do if one of these storms starts heading towards your boat?   Here are some suggestions on how you can make your boat storm ready. 1.          Check Your Insurance – After you have suffered a loss is not the time to discover that you did not have adequate insurance.   Make sure you review your insurance policy to see what it does and does not cover.   If it is lacking, make the changes now.   D...

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So you are sitting at work or maybe in a waiting room waiting for your car’s oil to be changed.   You really wish you were on your boat instead.   Since you are not on your boat, why not take this opportunity to pull out your mobile device or log onto your computer and take a look at some cool boating videos.   Here is a collection of what I think are some pretty exciting boating videos that you may enjoy. Lightning Strikes Sailboat Okay, so maybe this is the reason why I don’t own a sailboat.   Imagine having your boat tied up to the dock and out of the blue, mother nature chooses it to release some electrical tension.   Maybe it has something to do with that 40 foot lightning rod in the middle! Lightning Strikes Sailboat Yacht Falls Off Trailer If you have ever had trouble trying to trailer your boat, maybe this will make you feel better.   After all, these guys are supposed to be professionals, right? Yacht Falls Off Trailer Ka...

If you ask me, boaters are some of the best people in the world.   I’m not sure why, but they are.   Maybe it is because they have more fun than most people or maybe it is because they don’t worry themselves with trivial issues such as getting their wills together before they die.   After all, the only thing that will be left is a well-used boat, a few life jackets, a pair of flip flops and some sunglasses.   Even the nicest people, however can get annoyed sometimes.   For the typical boater, the source of annoyance typically comes from those who do not understand the boating lifestyle.   It doesn’t mean the offender is a bad person.   They just need to learn a few things. Here are 10 things that are sure to annoy the average boater: 1.          Showing Up Late – You invite some friends out for a day on the water.   Everyone is there, ready to go . . . except for one person.   Now you are all ...