Tuesday, January 29, 2013

The Boat Galley: Popcorn Puzzler

This week's Boat Galley article discusses using a microwave on an inverter on the boat...

Tips From The Boat Galley
By Carolyn Shearlock, author of The Boat Galley, with over 350 FREE articles to get the most out of your boat kitchen with galley tips, insights & equipment recommendations. A few recipes, too - plus an active Facebook community to ask questions and share tips with other readers! The Boat Galley Cookbook, written with Jan Irons, is now available at Amazon and other retailers.

Hate burnt popcorn? We do... yet we seem to forget one important thing when making microwave popcorn on the boat... (Continues after photo)

Today's Boat Galley Topic: Using a Microwave on an Inverter

Popcorn on a boat


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Hartford and a Dozen More Boat Shows

Expanded Connecticut event is among several boat shows around the country this weekend...

We're lucky to have two relatively good sized boat shows right in our own back yard each year, and one of them is this weekend in Hartford, Connecticut. If you are local, we encourage you to visit the Hartford Boat Show (and our friends at the Boat Name Gear booth) all weekend for a chance to win some free shirts and hats with your boat name on them.

Read on after the photo for more about Hartford and this weekend's dozen other boat shows around the world... 


Hartford Boat Show
 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Pica: Weather By The Hour

Vin Pica shares his take on online weather reports: Drill, Baby, Drill – Reading Weather Reports!...
Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Commodore, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Drill, Baby, Drill – Reading Weather Reports!

OK, how many “hurry-canes” can we get (60mph winds and driving rain that last 20 gut-wrenching minutes) before we start paying better attention to the weather?  And if you had drilled down a little, maybe there was more information that you could have used to your benefit – and an appreciation of the forecaster. (continues after the photo)

Weather and boating
Photo courtesy of NOAA.

Friday, January 18, 2013

MLK Weekend Boat Shows

There are two boat shows continuing from last weekend, and a few new starting this long weekend...

As we enter another long holiday weekend for many, especially students, teachers and government employees who are off on Monday for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it's time to take a look at the schedule of boat shows. Some of the shows are even exhibiting on Monday to take advantage of the crowds.

Read on for this weekend's boat shows in Cleveland, Orlando, Charlotte and more...
 
Boat Shows with sailboats

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

NOAA Satellites Help Rescue 100s

Satellites vital to search and rescue operations aid in 263 rescues in 2012, including 182 on the water...

Sarsat Satellite
SARSAT satellite. Photo Credit: NOAA
The same NOAA weather and climate satellites that accurately tracked Hurricane Sandy’s path in October also played a key role in rescuing 263 people in 111 emergencies in the United States and surrounding waters in 2012.
 
Since NOAA’s seven operational satellites circle the globe or sit above the United States, they also carry instruments to detect distress signals from emergency beacons carried by shipwrecked boaters, as well as downed pilots and stranded hikers.

In addition to their role in weather prediction, these polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites are part of the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System, called Cospas-Sarsat. This system uses a network of satellites to quickly pinpoint the location of the distress signals.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Mega Boat Show Weekend

When it comes to boat shows this weekend, London is calling; but so is Houston, Atlanta, Toronto, Nashville and more...

It is only the second weekend of the New Year, yet the 2013 boat show season is in overdrive with some of the biggest boat shows around the world, as well as several smaller boat shows.

While boat show attendance was down nearly 20% at the New York show last weekend compared to last year's show, we're holding out hope that those numbers were attributable somehow to SuperStorm Sandy, and that the rest of the boat shows this season will attract bigger crowds.

Read on for this weekend's many, many boat shows...
 
Winter Boat Show

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Vin Pica - Safety on the Ice

Vin Pica is back with a new gig, a good fishing joke, and tips for safety on the ice this winter...
Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Commodore, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
Editor's Note: Congratulations to Vin Pica for achieving the post of COMMODORE in the USCG AUXILIARY. We're proud of his contributions to keeping our shores and waters safe here in the Northeast with his outstanding USCG Aux service, and around the country with his prolific boating safety articles. 

Safety on the Ice – Barely and Very Carefully

Here’s how the story goes. In the dead of winter, two duck hunters and their trusty hunting dog drive their brand new Range Rover out on to the ice of Lake St. Clair, and, seeing that there were no open leads to entice migratory birds to land, take out a stick of dynamite, light it and throw it as far out on the ice as they can. The plan is simple. The dynamite blows a substantial hole in the ice; they get back in the car and run the heater until the migratory birds arrive. They step out with their shotguns full of bird shot and bag much of the flock. (continues after the photo)

Ice fishing Safety
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service


Monday, January 07, 2013

The Boat Galley: Water, Water Everywhere

The Boat Galley shares real-life tips for conserving and consuming water on the boat...

Tips From The Boat Galley
By Carolyn Shearlock, author of The Boat Galley, with over 350 FREE articles to get the most out of your boat kitchen with galley tips, insights & equipment recommendations. A few recipes, too - plus an active Facebook community to ask questions and share tips with other readers! The Boat Galley Cookbook, written with Jan Irons, is now available at Amazon and other retailers.

Editor's Note: With all the eating we did over the holidays, I'm a little relieved this week's article from The Boat Galley is not another delicious recipe that I would have to try. Enjoy! 

How much water do cruisers typically use?  And what do they use it for?

Today's Boat Galley Topic: How Much Water?

Thursday, January 03, 2013

2013 Boat Show Season Begins

Kick off the first weekend of the New Year at a boat show in New York, Houston, Daytona, and more...

It has only been a few days since New Year's Eve, and we are ready to get the party started again (or should we say "keep it going"?) Either way, this first weekend of the new year is chock full of big boat shows in every corner of the United States, each one celebrating with new boat models on display and big discounts on last year's leftover inventory.

These winter boat shows are a great way for boaters to come in from the cold and dream of the next boating season, and for boat dealers to get a sense for how successful their year will be. Well, will you be attending a boat show and perhaps buying a new boat this year?

Read on for this weekend's roll call of boat shows...
 
New Year Boat Shows

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Happy New Year!

The staff of FirstBoat.com and the Daily Boater are back in the real world. The holidays and 2012 are behind us, and a new year has begun. New boating articles will be back beginning tomorrow with more news and tips to help make boating safe and fun, and keep you in the loop - even when you are not out on the water.

We wish you a peaceful, safe and prosperous new year and look forward to spending 2013 with you on board!

The ocean 2013