From the Captain of the Port

Waves can be the most beautiful and the most fearsome aspect of the sea. Whether you float above them or dive beneath them, you had better understand them and most certainly respect them.

All of us are familiar with registering our vessels with the State Department of Motor Vehicles. Like a car, DMV wants to know her horsepower, fuel type (gas or diesel) and the Hull Identification Number, or HIN#. You are required to display on each side of the bow the state registration numbers, followed by the expiration sticker itself. But is your boat eligible for documenting with the USCG and, if so, should you?

If there is any discipline that has more ancient roots than voyaging over the seas, and whose ancient ways still work today, I’d like to know. Since time immemorial, even in an age of GPS and knowing where you are on the planet within feet, the ways of the ancient mariners still are useful today – especially when your GPS fails on a dark and rainy night.

For many years, we referred to life jackets as “PFDs” – Personal Flotation Devices. Not everyone in a life jacket survives. Roughly only 15 out of 16… Conversely, if you go in the water without a life jacket, only one guy comes out. The other 15 were fatalities. Life jackets save lives.

In early spring, the water will be cold for several weeks and you need to be aware of how dangerous that can be – if you aren’t prepared and savvy.