The Ships Logg

We are well into boating season now and as expected, the traffic on our local waterways has picked up quite a bit. But if your experience is like mine, you may have noticed that boat traffic is even more than it was at this time last year. We can thank COVID-19 for that. In this age of social distancing, people are realizing that spending time on the water is one of the best ways to have your fun and remain safe. It is pretty easy for a family to be out on the water, whether on a boat or a few PWC’s, and keep their distance from other individuals. Statistics have shown that boating has long been one of the best activities for families to participate in. It seems that more and more people are starting to realize that again. Flying across the water on a PWC, a bow rider or raising the sails and gliding across a body of water is not a bad way to spend your time during a pandemic. It sure beats staying indoors. On Lake Lanier, where I do most of my boating traf...

If you have been boating for a long time like I have, you probably already know that no matter how diligent you are about doing the right things, sometimes things just come down to blind luck. I guess you can just say that about life as well. Sometimes your luck is good and sometimes not so good. One thing is consistent though. You can usually learn a lesson from whatever happens. Such is the case with an experience that I recently had on the water. It was February 23 but a nice day for late winter. The temperature was in the upper 60’s and the winds were calm. The Bear’s Den II had not been out of her slip yet since November 2019. That’s not normal for me. But life happens. I was eager to take her out. Two of my friends and I headed to the marina and boarded the boat. I let the blower run while I did my preliminary checks before turning the keys to bring the twin Crusader 454’s roaring to life. After a few minutes of warming up, we cast the lines and headed out...

It is that time of year again.   As boaters, we are excitedly looking towards what this boating season is going to bring.   I am fortunate enough to be able to use my boat year round but there are still some things that I do in the spring to prep things for a great boating season.   One of them is to renew my membership with TowBoatUS.   I have been lucky enough where I have only needed them twice in my boating career and one of those times was when I had an issue with my tow vehicle while on the road. Regardless of what type of boating you enjoy, I highly recommend a membership with TowBoatUS or Sea Tow because you never know when you may need it.   That being said, you still want to avoid having to make that call if you can.   Here are some of the most common reasons that boaters have to call for a tow and ways you can avoid the same issues. Engine Overheating I actually had someone ask me how a boat engine could possibly overheat when there i...