Sea Song of the Week - Boats

Our Sea Song of the Week features the type of song that got us into this thing many years ago...

See boats like this at boat shows across the US this weekend. Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Each week at the Daily Boater we pick a nautical tune to get you pumped up for what will hopefully be a great weekend on the water. We call it the Sea Song of the Week.

This week's pick is a song so obvious that it's truly surprising we had not thought of it sooner. Perhaps it's because we couldn't find the "official" video, but we instead found a version of the song on YouTube that includes some great boating scenes onboard a classic Chris Craft...

Video: World on Water - Week 30

A new version of World on Water, the video news show that covers sailing races and more from around the world, is now available right here and on First Boat...

Click the video or one of the links below to begin viewing the latest World on Water now.

This week's show, released Friday, July 29, 2011, includes the following highlights...

1. Audi MedCup Circuit

2. 2011-12 Abu Dhabi Volvo Ocean Race Yacht

3. The 2011 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek

4. Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series

5. Panerai British Classic Week

6. This week's Fresh to Frightening features last week's Audi MedCup in Cagliari and the Mistral North Easter blowing at 25 knots creating havoc with sail handling in the fleet.

You can now view a supersized version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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A Very Busy Boat Show Weekend

Boat shows and festivals on the water are in abundant supply this weekend, with several events in NY and around the world...

Power and sail boats are featured in shows around the world this weekend. Photo © Nautical Sites

Each week we let you know about all the boat shows and seaside events coming up that weekend. If you can't get out on the water, you can still be around boats. This weekend's round-up includes multiple events in New York, New England, Florida, Wisconsin, and internationally in Australia, the U.K. and Lithuania. Basically, if you're looking for a boat show or nautical festival this weekend, there's probably something going on not too far from you...

Boating Deaths Up in LA, Down Across Country

Louisiana has already passed by its 2010 boating death toll for the entire year...

Photo courtesy of USCG.

Several articles over the past few days have warned boaters in Louisiana to be more careful, and have explained that boating deaths are up in the state over last year. This is true, and boaters should be careful, but let's take a closer look at the numbers in Louisiana and the rest of the country...

Acts of God, Boat Insurance, and You

In this weeks column, Vin Pica witnesses an "Act of God" – Just what is that..?

Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Chief of Staff, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Photo © istockphoto/Zoltan Domiter for use by Nautical Sites Media

Any school child knows, or at least believes, any terrible storm or other natural phenomena that causes damage to your property, or, causes your property (your boat) to damage someone else’s (another boat), is an Act of God. Behind this “fact” lies protection for the insurance company that may, or may not, have to pay (check the fine print and be sure of what you are paying for) or for you when your boat sets down on someone else’s during a storm and sinks it. Or, does it? What are the facts?

Video: World on Water - Week 29

A brand new edition of World on Water, the video news show that covers sailing races and more from around the world, is now available right here and on FirstBoat...

Click the video or one of the links below to begin viewing the latest World on Water now.

This week's show, released Friday, July 22, 2011, includes the following highlights...

1. WMRT Stena Match Cup Sweden Mens

2. PWA Costa Teguise Lanzarote

3. 2011 Transatlantic Race Finish

4. 2011 Groupama 4 Passes Scruitineering

5. Maxi Banque Populaire V breaks British Isles Record

6. This week's Fresh to Frightening features the RNLI who go to sea in all conditions to save lives and property around Great Britainand looks at the rescues conducted during the recent JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, Isle Of Wight, England

You can now view a supersized version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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Hot Boat Shows This Weekend

Escape the heat this weekend by heading to the water for a boat show or festival with your friends... 

Try a boat show for some fun in the sun this weekend. Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Every week we tell you about all the boat shows and nautical festivities coming up for the weekend. If you can't get out on the water on a hot weekend like this, you can at least be near the water or around boats and think cool thoughts. This weekend's events are all over the world, including NY, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, and even Australia. Let's take a closer look at this weekend's events, as well as something funny that happened at the show in San Diego last week...

Anchors Aweigh

In this weeks seamanship column, Vin Pica weighs in on weighing the anchor – Or is it waying?...

Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Chief of Staff, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Is it anchors away or aweigh? Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Sometimes, the simplest thing can take on monumental proportions – if you get it wrong. And setting a proper anchor, and retrieving (or “weighing it” so you can “make way”), can make all the difference in the world when the wind starts to stiffen and all the other fishermen around you start to look askance at you… as you drag your anchor towards them…

The REEL Deal

Finding a good deal on fishing gear just got easier with the launch of a new website... 

New site has 50% deals on fishing gear. Deals in the above image may be expired.

Everybody loves a good deal, especially on stuff like fishing gear. So when a new website launched earlier this month featuring groupon-style offers specifically marketed towards boaters and anglers, it definitely got our attention.

Knee Deep in a Sea Song

Our Sea Song of the Week is a new video with Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffett that could give you the key to paradise...

Each week at the Daily Boater we pick a nautical tune to help you enjoy your weekend, even if you can't get out on the water. We call it the Sea Song of the Week.

This week's pick is a song that has a brand new video featuring Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffett. When those guys get together, the music is always great. Wish we could say the same for the official video...

Video: World on Water - Week 28

A brand new edition of World on Water, the video news show that covers sailing races and more from around the world, is now available...

Click the video or one of the links below to begin viewing the latest World on Water now.

This week's show, released Friday, July 15, 2011, includes the following highlights...

1. 2011 RC 44 Cagliari Cup

2. 2011 Bosphorus Cup

3. 2011 Superyacht Cup Palma

4. 2011 Sterna Match Cup (Women)

5. Puma mar mostro

6. 2011 Neil Pryde Sailing Series Dunkerque

7. This week's Fresh to Frightening features the uncontrollable broach which caused the steering to be broken on Ironbound, owned by David Murphy (USA) during Race two of the recent Cagliari Cup in Sardinia

You can now view a supersized version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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San Diego Boat Show and More

Escape the heat this weekend with events for boating enthusiasts across the country...

Yachts and other boats are on display this weekend. Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Every Thursday we tell you about all the boat shows and nautical festivities that are happening over the weekend. If you can't get out on the water, you can at least be around boats and other folks who like boats. This weekend's calendar includes events featuring yachts, new boats and classic cruisers, all across the United States, from California to New Jersey...

Boating Apps Live from New York

The latest and greatest boating apps for your iPhone or Android phone get reviewed here and in the NY Times...

Take Me Fishing Boat Ramp App

In case you missed it last week like we did (until our friends at SailTime posted it on their Facebook page), Bob Tedeschi wrote an extensive review in the New York Times of many of the boating applications that can "help sailors get there and back again". His article is a must-read for any boaters, sailors or fishermen equipped with a mobile device that will run digital applications. Can your device handle such apps? Well, if you can play Angry Birds or Words With Friends on your phone, you can likely access many of these boating apps.

In addition to the NY Times piece, we review as many boating apps as we can right here at the Daily Boater. View our database of mobile boating app reviews - the articles also include tips and news about boating with mobile devices, so be sure to check them out.

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Ancient Measuring for Boaters in Modern Times

In this weeks seamanship column, Vin Pica explains how mariners have been measuring the world since ancient times...

Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Chief of Staff, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Why are there 360 degrees on a compass? Photo © Nautical Sites Media

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...

Video: World on Water - Week 27

A brand new edition of World on Water, the video news show that covers sailing races and more from around the world, is now available right here and on FirstBoat...

Click the video or one of the links below to begin viewing the latest World on Water now.

This week's show, which was scheduled for release this past Friday, July 8, 2011, includes the following highlights...

1. Transatlantic Race 2011 Second Start

2. 2011 Block Island Race

3. 2011 Rolex Baltic Week

4. 2011 Bospheros Cup

5. 2011 Extreme Sailing Series Boston Act 4

6. Transatlantic Race 2011 Final Start

7. In this week's Fresh to Frightening we look at the professional crew on the winning TP52 Quantum Racing as top US Skipper Terry Hutchinson helms it downwind at "warp" speed in the 2010 Audi MedCup

You can now view a supersized version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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A Sea Song of the Week that Shines

Our Sea Song of the Week is a new song about a scenic seaside highway that runs along Florida's gulf coast...

For online nautical charts of this area, visit FirstBoat.com

Every Friday at the Daily Boater we pick a nautical tune to help you enjoy your weekend, even if you can't get out on the water. We call it the Sea Song of the Week.

This week's pick is a song about a road, but in keeping with our qualifications for being a Sea Song, this particular road is surrounded by water. Route 30-A hugs the Gulf coastline in northwest Florida, providing breath-taking views as you drive along white sand beaches and coastal dune lakes. And don't worry, the video for this song features plenty of water activities, including boats...

Sailfest, Riverfest, and a Few Boat Shows

Whether you attend a summer festival on the riverfront, or a classic and antique boat show, it's all about being on or near the water this weekend...

See some boats and have fun this weekend. Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Every Thursday we tell you about as many of the boat shows and water-related festivities that are happening over the weekend as we can. Our thinking is that if you can't get out on the water you can at least be around boats and other folks who like boats. There are a bunch of river fests, water fests and boat shows around the United States this weekend, including a few in our home state of Conn...

Sailing Report: Behind the Scenes at Extreme Sailing Series Boston

Guest author Sean McQuilken gives us a look behind the scenes at Extreme Sailing Series Boston which he participated in this past weekend...

Act 4 winners Emirates Team New Zealand getting ready
to hoist and launch the gennaker (downwind headsail)
during day 2 of the series.  Photo © Sean McQuilken.

By Sean McQuilken
Special to the Daily Boater

It all started with a Facebook post from Evan Saunders (volunteer coordinator at Extreme Sailing Series Boston) that they were looking for volunteers to assist with running the event over the Fourth of July weekend. For those who are not familiar with, it the Extreme Sailing Series came from a demonstration series that Volvo put together in conjunction with the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race. That race featured custom-designed one-design 40 foot long carbon fiber catamarans that were made to be easily transportable worldwide, yet fast and maneuverable enough to be sailed with a small crew (4 sailors plus a 5th man) on tight, near shore race courses. In 2007 OC Events acquired the rights to the series and began to expand it. In 2011 the series will consist of nine 5-day events taking place mainly in the following cities- Muscat Oman, Qingdao China, Istanbul Turkey, Boston USA, Trapani Italy, Nice France, Almeria Spain, and finally Singapore. This series is unique in that is currently the only worldwide professional inshore racing series where the teams bring their own boats and support staff to all events. This is all facilitated by the fact that the boats come apart and fit into 40 foot inter-modal containers and that organizers have partnered with a shipping company to handle all logistics. The host venue typically handles the entertainment and hospitality side of the event and supplies a marina, race committee boat and area where the boats can be rigged.

Holiday Boating Rescues

The Independence Day holiday weekend was a busy time for boaters, and thus a busy time for boating rescues...

Royal Miss Belmar grounded in the U.S. Virgin Islands July 5, 2011. U.S.C.G. photo.

The 4th of July weekend is one of the busiest boating weekends of the year in North America, but it is still relatively early in the boating season. With big crowds, a few inexperienced boaters, and perhaps a little alcohol, it's no surprise there are so many incidents over the long weekend. Of course some incidents can be explained by bad weather, bad luck, or a lethal combination of random events. When bad things happen to boaters, the proper safety preparations can help increase the chances of a positive outcome for those onboard.

Here are just a few of the boat accident stories from the past couple of days that caught our attention...

Video: World on Water - Week 26

The Independence Day Weekend edition of World on Water, the video news show that covers sailing races and more from around the world, is now available on FirstBoat...

Click the video or one of the links below to begin viewing the latest World on Water now.

This week's show, released on Friday, July 1, 2011, includes the following highlights...

1. Update on the 2011 Rolex Giraglia Cup

2. Melges 32 Audi Sailing Series

3. 2011 Kiel Week

4. JP Morgan asset Management Round the Island Race

5. WMRT Portimao Portugal Match Cup

6. 2011 Transatlantic Race

7. This week's Fresh to Frightening includes the disasters in last week's JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race

You can now view a supersized version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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Watching Fireworks from your Boat

There's no better way to watch fireworks than from a boat. Here are a few tips to ensure you enjoy them safely...

Fireworks from a boat. Photo © Pavlo Vakhrushev/istockphoto

Each week we write about all the upcoming boat shows and water-related festivities for the weekend, but this weekend is different. It's not just a holiday weekend, it's the 4th of July - one of the most popular weekends for both boating and of course for fireworks. Put the two together, and you're in for one heck of a show...