Final Episode of World on Water for 2011

Today's edition of World on Water, the last of the year, is now available. Watch it on the Daily Boater and FirstBoat.com...

All about this week's episode...

Picking the Perfect Pooch

This week, Captain John shares his tips on how to choose a “sea pooch” for cruising...

Guest blog by Captain John
Captain John Jamieson, a regular contributor to the Daily Boater, is author of Seamanship Secrets and publisher of the popular boating education website SkipperTips.com

Dogs have served as mascots on sailboats, Coast Guard ships and square riggers. But how do you know if your dog would make a great companion for coastal sailing?

Your Radio: Shotgun Or Rifle

On this week after Christmas, Vin Pica gives us more on VHF radios. Read this, then go get one as a gift to yourself...
 
Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Chief of Staff, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

A Hunt Harrier 29 docked in Mystic, CT, complete with in-dash VHF radio.

Last week, we talked about power (watts) and distance (height.)

You want to have a lot of both, especially if you are the one sending the may-day. But as the song goes, “Is that all there is – Is that all there is…?”

As always, no. This article is about that.

World on Water - Volvo, Rolex, Phuket and More

Today's edition of World on Water, Episode 52, is now available. Watch it on the Daily Boater and FirstBoat.com...

This week's episode details...

NTSB: Boating Deaths Down

NTSB report looks at fatalities over the past two years, shows improvements in recreational boating segment... 

Captain John: Avoid Getting Lost

Captain John offers five easy steps to check your magnetic compass and keep your boat on course...

Guest blog by Captain John
Captain John Jamieson, a regular contributor to the Daily Boater, is author of Seamanship Secrets and publisher of the popular boating education website SkipperTips.com

Did you know that a small screwdriver can create havoc with your magnetic compass?  Are you sure you’ve mounted your compass in a place free of errors from a magnetic field?

Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Make every effort to keep magnetic material, such as knives, watches and tools clear of your magnetic compass. Every compass card has a small magnet attached to the back. And these things love to swing over toward anything metal or electric.

This plants an error called “magnetic deviation” in your compass. Forget the dopey movies where the compass swings like a roulette wheel. Uh-uh. You won’t even notice the subtle shift of the compass card toward the object of attraction. And, before you know it, you’re lost.

Follow these steps to make sure you are steering the right course to get to your destination. Note: These steps are temporary and if you will be cruising, you will want to hire a marine compass adjuster, or learn to do this yourself.  In any event, know the steps below for safety’s sake!

Safety of Life At Sea: Your Radio

This week, Vin Pica continues helping us understand our VHF radios in an effort to save a life or two. Please note: the life you save could be your own...

Can you spot the VHF antenna on this boat?

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


Last week, I wrote the following in the column about sounding smart on the radio:

“Unless you know the cell phone number of every boater in your vicinity, your only source of help is your radio. You don’t have one, you say? Stop reading and check yourself in someplace because that is simply nutty. Your radio is likely to be your only source of help and you go to sea without one? Over a couple of hundred dollars? And Westmarine for one will give you a three-year warranty on the radio… Come on, Bunky, where else can we skimp with such potentially disastrous results?” (DailyBoater.com: Sounding Smart on the Radio)

And I meant it. But you did install it properly, didn’t you…?

This column is about some of that.

Volvo Ocean Race Leg Two Drama

Volvo Ocean Race team damages rigging, limps to port in Madagascar for repairs...

Photo: Andres Soriano/Volvo Ocean Race

The second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, which runs from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi, got very interesting early this morning.

The overall nine month, 39,000 nautical mile race was being led during this sprint by Team Sanya - that is, until they suffered damage to their rigging earlier today.

Santa's Sea Song of the Week

Our latest choice for Sea Song of the Week is a little jingle about Kris Kringle from the Red Rocker and friends...

Screenshot of the Daily Boater channel on YouTube featuring our latest Sea Song of the Week

Every weekend at the Daily Boater we choose a song to help get you into that nautical state of mind, even if you can't get out on the water. We call it our Sea Song of the Week.

And since it's a week before Christmas, we thought we'd pick a song to help you "sail" through the holidays...

World on Water - Volvo, SOLAS and more

Today's edition of World on Water is now available. Watch it on the Daily Boater and FirstBoat.com...

Episode details...

Newport Beach Boat Parade And More

It's boat parade time, especially in California where several lighted boat parades are going on this weekend...

One of the winners in last year's Newport Beach Boat Parade. Photo: christmasboatparade.com

Once again we are not discussing boat shows, but instead boat parades going on this weekend. This weekend we have found boat parades scheduled in the Bahamas and California, including what may be the biggest lighted boat parade in the world - the Newport Beach Boat Parade (pictured).

Here's the run down on some of the boat parades happening this weekend and next...

How To Buy A Sailboat

This week, Captain John shares five “getting started” steps to buying a sailboat for cruising...

Guest blog by Captain John
Captain John Jamieson, a regular contributor to the Daily Boater, is author of Seamanship Secrets and publisher of the popular boating education website SkipperTips.com

Are you on course to buy the right sailboat? Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Is sailing over the horizon more than just a dream, now with gas (and diesel) prices out of sight?  Do you want to know the most essential things to look for before plunking down your cash on a cruising sailboat?

VHF Basics: Sounding Smart on the Radio

Last week Vin Pica told us why we shouldn't rely on 911 in boating emergencies; now, he takes a step back and helps us understand the basics of VHF communication...

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

There is a natural tendency to shy away from the unfamiliar, especially when you can’t get the words back. Remember the first time you were faced with a phone message machine: “leave your answer after the beep” – BEEP! Now what? Even today, that beep can strike fear into the hearts of some. Now, how about multiplying that a hundred-fold to everyone tuned to channel 16…?

Volvo Ocean Racers Begin Second Leg

And they're off, again! Volvo Ocean Race Resumes in Cape Town...

The start of leg 2 from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi. Photo: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race

The second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race began over the weekend in Cape Town, South Africa. Leg 2 sees the fleet head out from Cape Town and they will eventually arrive at Abu Dhabi around New Year's Day. Read on for some great shots of the boats and the beautiful background of Table Mountain on the first day of the second leg of this nine month, 39,000 nautical mile contest.

Sea Song of the Week - Lighthouse Keeper

The Sea Song of the Week is a new nautical folk song from a couple of native New England songwriters...

Screenshot of the Daily Boater channel on YouTube featuring our latest Sea Song of the Week

Every weekend at the Daily Boater we choose a song to help get you into that nautical state of mind, even if for just one moment. We like to think it helps a little if you can't get out on the water. We call it our Sea Song of the Week.

This week we shopped local, and found a song made in New England that is about as nautical as it gets. From the title of the song, to the video, to virtually every line of the lyrics, this ballad is truly one to put you in an aquatic state of mind...

World on Water Episode 50 (Dec 9, 2011)

Today's edition of World on Water is now available on the Daily Boater and FirstBoat.com...

Boat Parades And Festivals This Weekend

This week's boating event wrap-up is dedicated to boat parades, and there are plenty of them this weekend...

An entry in last year's Winterfest Boat Parade. Photo courtesy of winterfestparade.com

We typically talk about boat shows going on each week at this time, but the pendulum has swung away from boat shows and towards boat parades. Over the next couple of weeks there are boat parades of all sizes around the country - especially throughout Florida and California, where the weather is warm enough to decorate a boat with Christmas lights and float it across a harbor or through a canal or river, wearing only shorts and a t-shirt - (and hopefully at least an inflatable PFD).

Here's the run down on some of the boat parades happening this weekend and next...

Extinguishing a Fire on Your Boat

This week, Captain John talks about the ABC's of boat fires and explains how to use P.A.S.S. to fight marine fires fast...

Guest blog by Captain John
Captain John Jamieson, a regular contributor to the Daily Boater, is author of Seamanship Secrets and publisher of the popular boating education website SkipperTips.com

Photo (video capture) courtesy of U.S.C.G. Taken by Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles 8/7/10.

Are you sure that you have the best portable extinguishers onboard to battle a deadly fire? Do your crew and passengers know their locations and how to use them?

Marine fires are the number one threat to cruising boats anywhere in the world. You have nowhere to run and you're loaded with fuel, batteries, propane, alcohol, wood, plastic and fabric. You need to understand this deadly enemy in order to fight and destroy it...

Cell Phones Onboard

In this week's column, Vin Pica helps us understand why you need more than a cell phone to save yourself - and others - in boating emergencies...

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

When I wrote about the need and use of a VHF radio a few summers ago, I noted that if you didn’t have a radio aboard that you were risking your life over a couple of hundred dollars – it was “nutty” not to have a radio aboard. Nonetheless, many boaters still don’t! And those skippers rely on their cell phone for emergency assistance. OK, I guess you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.

Here is the “scuttlebutt” on cell phones on the water...

Boating Rescues on the First Weekend in December

It's still boating season in Florida and Texas, and we have stories of Coast Guard rescues from the weekend to prove it...

An HU-25A Falcon jet sits ready for patrol. U.S.C.G. photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas M. Blue

Up here in the northeast, where we had our first winter storm more than a month ago, it is sometimes easy to forget that people are still boating in places like Florida and Texas. Ah, but we can dream. And just because these folks were smart or lucky enough to live where they can boat year-round, doesn't mean they don't run into trouble once in a while. And just like the boating incidents we talk about throughout the spring and summer all around North America, there are often boating safety lessons to be learned when these things happen...

What things, you ask?

Sea Song of the Week for the Paris Boat Show

The Sea Song of the Week returns with a song to kick off Salon Nautique International de Paris...

(Jimmy Buffett photo from http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com)

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

Yes, it's been more than a few weeks since our last Sea Song of the Week, but when we noticed that the Paris Boat Show was kicking off this weekend, we couldn't get this song out of our head and were inspired to reignite this ritual... We apologize in advance that the version of the video we found for this week's song plays automatically when you visit this page, and we hope your speakers are turned down.

And now for this week's Sea Song...

World on Water Episode 49

A brand-new edition of World on Water is now available...

Boat Shows and Boat Parades Happening Now

There are boat shows happening in Florida, France, Louisiana, boat parades all over the world, and more...

A view of the St. Petersburg Show. Photo Copyright Show Management

Did you miss our boat show report last week? Obviously with Thanksgiving, there weren't many boat shows to mention except for a couple of events outside the U.S. Today's post is completely different, with boat shows in four locations that you would definitely enjoy, and boat parades all over the world...

By the way, now that it's December, you may feel like you're too busy to attend a boat show with all that you have to do for the holidays. Well, if you have any other boaters on your shopping list, we hope we can make your life a little easier with our Daily Boater Holiday Gift Guide, featuring several nautical gifts from Daily Boater contributors and partners, all available for less than $50 and delivered in time for Christmas.

Okay, now that we've bought you some time, let's take a look at this and next week's boating events...