By: Lee Clymer
Article Category: Boat Wiser
We’ve held a romantic view of pirates for centuries, and modern times have brought us everything from Captain Morgan Rum to “Pirates of the Caribbean.” No longer do we think of pirates with tricorn hats, parrots, and brightly colored clothes. What comes to mind now are poor, desperate looking Somalis with high-powered boats and and automatic weapons. But the other reality is that there are in fact pirates in the Caribbean. This is where most of us do our boating, so we should be... [Read more...]
By: Lee Clymer
Article Category: Boat Wiser
Safety in the Upcoming Boating Season This may be rehashing old news, but let’s face it folks, a one-day fishing trip can easily go awry with a change of weather, a lack of planning, a lack of common sense, and lack of adequate safety equipment. Mother ocean is a joy to all of us, but we should never take her for granted. Prepare for and presume the worst will happen. None of us want to find ourselves sitting on the bottom of a capsized vessel, but if we should find ourselves there by the beast... [Read more...]
By: Lee Clymer
Article Category: Boat Wiser
Docking, even with old salts, is still one of the banes of a boater’s existence. Each time, it proves to be a test of concentration and knowledge about the currents, wind, and how your boat reacts to them. Each boat handles differently in varied circumstances, and our knowledge comes from repeated practice. There is much to know because there is much that can go wrong. The constants in the docking equation are that the wind, current, and conditions will always act the same way. That is to say that... [Read more...]
By Lee Clymer
Article Category: Boat Wiser
This column isn’t usually the place for ranting, but I have to make an exception for this installment. The object of my rant: vendor charges at marinas. I understand that marinas are businesses, much like garages, workshops of all kinds, and other repair shops, but marinas have several significant differences that put them in a class all their own. Boats, like cars, are an expense in and of themselves, yet finding a place to get them repaired is infinitely more difficult. Hauling a boat to... [Read more...]
By: Lee Clymer
Article Category: Boat Wiser, Sea Level
I always find it interesting how much I learn each time I work on my boat. I can start out fixing something in a forward locker and the next thing I know, I’m working in the steering quadrant area. Thus is the fate of a diligent boat owner. For the past two weeks I’ve been working hard on the hull where there’s been a blister problem I’ve ignored for some time. I’m now paying the price. I would like to tell you that I was addressing all my boat issues at once, but the... [Read more...]
